Loya, Kari

Interim Head of School
Kari Loya

Mr. Loya joined the Austin Jewish Academy in June 2023. He has spent nearly three decades working with innovative educational organizations in the U.S. and abroad. He started his career teaching a 1st and 2nd-grade Spanish bilingual class in Pasadena, CA, as part of Teach For America, and most recently served as the head of Good Hope Country Day School, a PK-12 independent school in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He also serves as an executive coach, including for independent school heads and senior admin.

He loves the project-based-learning taking place at AJA and is excited to participate in the pluralistic Judaic studies program and learn alongside the students! Outside interests include adventure travel, voiceovers, music production, and spending time with his wife (who is from Argentina) and his ninth-grade daughter. Mr. Loya holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Columbia University. He also received a Klingenstein Fellowship for Heads of School at Teachers College (Columbia University).