Seth Shaffer, our Director of Middle School Programs at BASIS Austin, is excited to be serving in this role as a support for our students, families, and teachers. His journey with BASIS Charter Schools began in 2016, and until 2021 he taught classes including Engineering, Drama, Music, and Visual Arts as a Subject Expert Teacher. Mr. Shaffer was nominated and honored to receive the Mathnasium Teacher of the month award in Arizona for outstanding teaching in the classroom and dedication to his students at BASIS Chandler Primary North. Additional to his teaching, he served as the developer and advisor of the curriculum for the Engineering Design classes at BASIS Phoenix Central for their Arts Element.

Mr. Shaffer earned a Master of Fine Arts in Puppet Arts from the University of Connecticut. His thesis project received international recognition and was published about in Puppetry International and The Puppetry Journal. Mr. Shaffer performed this award-winning one-man show at the National Puppetry Conference, the National Puppetry Festival, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, and the Detroit Institute of Art. Upon completing his tour, Mr. Shaffer wrote The Dick Myers Project; a book detailing the process of his thesis project, which was then published by Charlamagne Press. Additionally, he earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Theatre Performance and Film Production from The University of Toledo as well as an Associates of Art in Photography and an Associates of Science in Botany from Northwest State Community College.

As the Director of Middle School Programs, Mr. Shaffer is honored to be a positive support and mentor for the teachers, students, and for our families. In this role, Mr. Shaffer’s goal is to continue to build a warm and inviting culture where students can grow creatively, emotionally, academically, and socially.