User Profile

Chief Executive Officer, Royal Public Schools

Dr. Soner Tarim is a founding member and current chief executive officer of Harmony Public Schools, high performing K-12 public charter schools located in Texas with a strong focus on STEM education providing opportunities for underserved communities. Soner is the driving force in creating STEM academies with an emphasis on college-readiness. His leadership philosophy recognizes the need to develop meaningful partnerships, maintain open collaborative lines of communication, and leverage relationships with high-level corporate, business, civic, and legislative leadership to advance the mission of Harmony and opportunities for its beneficiaries. Over his 27-year professional career, Soner has developed innovative educational programs geared to K-12 schools. Soner has distinguished himself as a results-oriented educator with unrivaled expertise and knowledge in developing and managing innovative charter schools. Under Soner's leadership, Harmony has grown to 49 schools and 32,000 students from throughout the state of Texas, many of which have been recognized nationally as academically competitive schools. Harmony has received numerous outstanding awards and recognition including the National Title I Distinguished School Award for closing the achievement gap and a Broad Prize nomination. Soner holds a PhD from Texas A&M University and is a trained biologist and ecologist. He has taught many courses in the field of biology, ecology, and general science at the high school, college and graduate school levels. Soner has spearheaded scientific symposiums and international science competitions for high school students for sharing their ideas, experiences, and knowledge to promote global sustainability. He is a Fellow of the 18th class of the Pahara - Aspen Education Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.