Dr. Bob Stouffer has dedicated more than four decades to the pursuit of excellence in education, leadership, and character formation. A fifth-generation teacher, Bob’s passion for learning began early and has shaped a lifelong commitment to helping students, educators, and communities flourish.

After graduating Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in English Education from Winona State University, where he also earned coaching and driver education certifications, Bob began his career as a high school English teacher and multi-sport coach. He went on to earn an M.A. in Educational Administration from Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University), funded through a competitive fellowship, and later completed his Ph.D. in Educational Administration at The University of Iowa, where he received the Outstanding Graduate College Award for his dissertation, “The Stress of School Administrators in Iowa.”

Across his career, Bob has served as an assistant principal, high school principal for eight years, and superintendent for sixteen years, leading both public and Christian schools. In total, he brings 20 years of public education and 25 years of Christian education experience. He has also taught educational leadership as an adjunct professor at several universities, including Drake University in Des Moines, where he received the Outstanding Teaching Award.

Bob’s influence extends beyond the classroom and the principal’s office. He helped found and served on the board of an inner-city school in Des Moines, has been active in Rotary, his church elder board, and jail ministry, and currently serves as a Board Chair for ScreenStrong, Recording Secretary for The River Upstate, and member of the Colson Fellows Leadership Team in Greenville, South Carolina.

A voracious reader and life-long learner, Bob’s StrengthsFinder results—Learner, Includer, Positivity, Connectedness, and Input—reflect his natural curiosity and gift for bringing people together. He is a zealous advocate for high-quality education across all models—public, private, faith-based, charter, classical, home, and hybrid—and is especially passionate about helping students discover their vocational calling, promoting positive athletic coaching, developing emerging leaders, and addressing the challenges of screen addiction.

Bob is the author of Light or Darkness: Reclaiming the Light in Sports (2011) and is a certified Development Dimensions International (DDI) Facilitator. Now retired from full-time school leadership, he continues to invest in others through mentoring, teaching, and community service—living out his belief that education is both a calling and a catalyst for lifelong growth.