From Georgia to Global Leadership: How Tiffany Proctor Built a Career Across Eight Countries
| by Erin Martin
“This is the eighth country that I’ve lived and taught in.”
For Tiffany Proctor, education was never supposed to be the plan.
“I tried to actually avoid it for a long time,” Proctor admitted. “I did a lot of other things, but I had always been told, ‘You should be a teacher.’”
Eventually, she listened.
After returning to school in 2005 to earn her bachelor’s degree, Proctor began teaching in Georgia. But only a few years later, furlough days, budget cuts, and growing uncertainty pushed her to consider another path.
A family member introduced her to the idea of teaching internationally after meeting educators in an airport who taught all over the world. Soon after, Proctor moved to South Korea — the first stop in what would become a global career spanning eight countries and more than two decades in education.
Today, Proctor is preparing to serve as a deputy head of school in Beijing, China. And in January 2025, she completed her Master’s in Educational Leadership through Moreland University.
Why Leadership Meant Continuing to Learn
By 2018, Proctor had already stepped into school leadership roles. But she knew she wanted to continue growing professionally — not just for herself, but for the educators around her.
“I think it’s important for your team and your staff to know that you are a lifelong learner as well,” Proctor explained. “And that you are bettering yourself.”
While searching for opportunities, Proctor discovered Moreland through Search Associates and learned about the university’s flexible online master’s program for working educators. She also had friends who completed teacher certification through Moreland and spoke highly of the experience.
“They really enjoyed the program,” Proctor recalled. “They thought it was manageable while you’re working.”
Within just a few months of researching the program, she enrolled.
Turning Coursework into Real-World Leadership
For Proctor, one of the biggest advantages of the program was how immediately applicable it was to her role as a school leader.
“A lot of the units and a lot of the work that I was doing was actual work that I was doing at school,” Proctor said. “It really helped my school in strategic planning and budgeting and the way that we looked at things.”
Rather than learning abstract leadership concepts disconnected from daily work, Proctor was able to apply what she learned directly to her school community in real time.
That practical learning also helped strengthen her confidence as a leader.
“It really also helped me with big picture thinking,” she shared. “Sometimes it can feel really granular in what you’re looking at. But it was always going back to what is the plan for the school? What is your mission and vision?”
Building Relationships Before Building Change
One of the most impactful lessons Proctor took from the program was the importance of relationship-building in leadership.
“We talked a lot about relationship building and how important it is to connect with the community,” she said. “Because you can’t really get buy-in if you’re not having solid relationships with your team.”
As someone entering new leadership roles internationally, that lesson became especially valuable. Specifically, how to build relationships and learn more about the community instead of coming in with, “We should do this, we should do that?”
The experience also reshaped how she viewed leadership visibility and credibility with teachers.
“I’ve been on that end of it too,” she noted. “Thinking, ‘What are even her qualifications? Is she doing things to better herself and to support us?’”
That perspective reinforced her belief that strong school leaders should continue learning alongside their staff — not apart from them.
“I think that just showing them that you’re in the trenches with them and you’re working toward a common goal and what you’re doing to educate yourself is helpful to them in real time,” she shared.
Finding Community Across Time Zones
Although Proctor completed the program from Beijing, attending weekly classes at 9 p.m. every Saturday night, she said the collaborative nature of the program made the experience worthwhile.
She also appreciated the communication and support from the faculty.
“They were very communicative,” Proctor explained. “If you didn’t quite hit the mark, you had the opportunity to redo your assignment, talk with your cohort again. So, it was a really collaborative approach.”
Even after graduation, Proctor says the relationships she built through her cohort continue to matter.
“You then have a network later, when you can go and say, ‘I’m having this problem at school. How would you guys handle it?” Proctor said. “I think that was really important for me.”
What’s Next
Since completing her degree, Proctor has continued advancing in leadership. Next year, she will transition from deputy head of a kindergarten to deputy head of an entire school.
She also credits the program with helping strengthen her resume and opening new professional opportunities internationally.
And while she’s proud of earning her master’s degree, Proctor says she may not be finished learning yet.
“I would be interested in doing like a doctorate or a specialist degree,” she shared. “I really appreciated the hybrid model.”
For Proctor, the experience reinforced something she now believes every leader should model for their school community:
Growth never stops.
Continue Your Growth with Moreland
If you are looking to grow into a leadership role in education, or want to start with certification, Moreland University has the programs to help you achieve your goals.
Explore Moreland’s 100% online master’s programs. All programs are designed for working educators.
