Faculty and Staff Directory

The La Jolla Country Day School faculty, administration and staff are strong, diverse and talented individuals who have been drawn together for a common purpose. Ours is a vibrant community with an exciting charge—to create a stronger, better place where our children and those of future generations can grow to become excellent individuals, citizens and adventurers of the world.

Below is a list of the administration, staff and faculty. To locate a member, click on the drop-down menus below to search by division, department or last name. Faculty and staff bios are also available below.

Faculty/Staff Directory

  • Photo of Tyler Hales
    Tyler Hales
    Dean of Students, MS; Coach - Football
    (858) 453-3440 x193
    Bio
     
    “I inspire greatness for a better world by being a positive and enthusiastic role model for young men and women in the classroom, on the playing field and in the hallway. I encourage students to think about others before themselves. I hope that students leave my classroom and football program ready and eager to make positive impacts on others and the world around them.”    
    Tyler Hales believes that there is no finer school in the country than La Jolla Country Day School, and he approaches each day with gratitude that he has the privilege to work with the best students, faculty and staff anywhere. His role on campus is to teach students perseverance, accountability, integrity and enthusiasm through his eighth-grade U.S. history curriculum and Upper School football program.
    Mr. Hales graduated from Colby College with honors in American studies and earned his professional certification in education. While at Colby, he played both football and baseball, serving as a baseball captain for two years. He earned his master’s degree in teaching and learning: research in curriculum design at the University of California, San Diego.

    At LJCDS, Mr Hales taught third grade for two years and fifth grade for three years, and served as the junior varsity head baseball coach for seven years. He has also coached Torrey football since he joined LJCDS in 2007 and was named the head varsity coach in 2014.
    Mr. Hales is originally from Lexington, Mass., and lives with his wife, Jena, who is an assistant professor in biological psychology and behavioral neuroscience at the University of San Diego. They have two young children, Coleman '31 and Delaney '33.

    Tyler Hales on LinkedIn
  • Photo of Stephanie Heinrich
    Stephanie Heinrich
    Educator, MS Science Grade 5; Team Leader Grade 5
    (858) 453-3440 x239
    Bio
     
    “I inspire greatness for a better world by creating a safe environment where students can challenge themselves, both in academics and athletics. In a world where solutions often create additional obstacles, I empower students to collaborate and develop ideas that will provide scientific solutions for real-world problems on a global scale.”
    In her first year, Stephanie Heinrich brought new opportunities to our Middle School community by starting a marine biology elective. She hopes to engage students through local marine life and by connecting them with marine scientists. As a science teacher, Ms. Heinrich believes that by educating our students about Earth, we can initiate the change that is needed to conserve global habitats.

    Ms. Heinrich’s career began at the University of California, San Diego, where she double majored in psychology and ecology, behavior and evolution while playing on the intercollegiate water polo team. She competed professionally in Australia before returning to San Diego in 2011 to begin her coaching career with La Jolla Country Day School. Ms. Heinrich coached the varsity women’s water polo team for three years at LJCDS while working at SeaWorld San Diego as a scuba diver before transitioning to a research associate position with SKS Ocular, a biotech start-up, until February 2014.
    Before returning to LJCDS in August 2015, Ms. Heinrich taught English in South Korea for one year, and that is where she developed her enthusiasm for teaching. Ms. Heinrich is currently working on her Master of Science in science education through Montana State University and spends her summers completing field courses in Montana.
    Ms. Heinrich is an avid traveler and a scuba diving instructor. She loves being outdoors, especially in or near the ocean, paddle boarding and snowboarding.

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-heinrich-7b43144b
  • Photo of Nate Heppner
    Nate Heppner
    Educator, MS English Grade 8; Coach - Swim and Dive
    (858) 453-3440 x227
    Bio
     
    “I inspire greatness for a better world by enveloping our students in literature and writing, which allows them to confront their own humanity, the humanity of others or, more likely, both at once. The ultimate purpose of eighth-grade English is to offer a variety of paths that converge on the road of life, by which students might exit the school year as more complete versions of themselves.”

    Nate Heppner grew up in Palmer, Alaska. He is a 1998 graduate of Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash. He taught for two years in Portland, Ore., and one year at Crawford High School before coming to La Jolla Country Day School. He could hardly believe his luck to arrive at a school where the curriculum includes “Ender’s Game,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Romeo and Juliet,” plus trips to Catalina Island and Sequoia National Park.

    Mr. Heppner has been teaching Middle School English and coaching the Upper School swim team at LJCDS since the 2002–2003 school year. In addition, he teaches public speaking as a first-trimester elective for seventh- and eighth-graders.
  • Photo of Jeff Hutzler
    Jeff Hutzler
    Director of Athletics and Physical Education
    (858) 453-3440 x129
    Bio
     
    “I inspire greatness for a better world by leading an athletic department dedicated to students’ development of personal integrity, self-responsibility, self-sacrifice, teamwork and the pursuit of excellence. For more than 30 years I have been teaching young people through athletics to master these qualities, and I empower La Jolla Country Day School’s young men and women to tackle their personal goals and to shape a better world.”
     
    Entering his 22nd year as LJCDS’ director of athletics and physical education, Jeff Hutzler is the winningest football coach in the school’s history, with a won-loss record of 101–37 from 2002–2013. His teams claimed six league and three CIF Championships. After playing eight-man football from 2001–2004 and returning to 11-man football in the Pacific League in 2005, the Torreys rejoined the Coastal League, California’s most competitive small-school football league, in the fall of 2011. Coach Hutzler was honored as one of California’s 13 model coaches in 2009. During Coach Hutzler’s tenure, 207 championship banners have gone up in Smith Gymnasium.

    Before coming to LJCDS, Coach Hutzler coached football, track and field, men’s and women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball in Nevada, Los Angeles and New York. He is a two-time Football State Coach of the Year, six-time Southern Nevada Track and Field Coach of the Year, and he was inducted into the Southern Nevada Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005.
     
    Coach Hutzler grew up in Kailua, Hawaii. He competed in cross country, track and boxing at the University of Nevada, where he earned a degree in education in 1983. Coach Hutzler graduated from UNLV with a M.Ed. in physical education in 2000. He has two sons, Coleman and Luke, and two grandchildren, Micah and Leila. Coach Hutzler lives in Encinitas with his wife Janice.
 

Faculty and Staff Spotlights

La Jolla Country Day School

9490 Genesee Avenue
La Jolla, CA 92037
858-453-3440

© 2025 La Jolla Country Day School 

Privacy Policy

Country Day Connection Newsletter

Accredited by: