The Gatton Academy's Staff

Though Sam Earls has only served as the Assistant Director of Academic Services at The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science since September 2021, his history with this program and this town goes back many years. Sam was born and raised here in Bowling Green, Kentucky and graduated from Bowling Green High School. (Go, Purples!) After graduating from Vanderbilt University (Go, ‘Dores!) with a B.A. in History, Sam served as a Residential Counselor at The Gatton Academy from 2011 – 2014. (#SecondFloorBestFloor) During that time, Sam earned his Masters in Student Affairs (Higher Education) here at Western Kentucky University. (Go, Tops!) Then in August 2014, Sam ventured down to Denton, Texas to serve as an Academic Counselor with the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (TAMS), which is coincidentally the program off which Gatton is most closely modeled. Sam’s passion for working with Gatton and TAMS students led him to pursue a PhD in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Gifted and Talented Education, which he completed in December 2023. (Go, Mean Green!) After seven wonderful years at TAMS, Sam jumped at the opportunity to return to his roots at The Gatton Academy. During his time in early college entrance programs, Sam has loved being immersed in an environment filled with fun, hard-working students who constantly yearn for knowledge and growth.

As the Assistant Director of Academic Services, Sam enjoys creating and facilitating incredible opportunities for students in research, study abroad, STEM+, the arts, and more. When Sam isn’t tending to the needs of his students, he can often be found playing board games, traveling, playing sports, reading a sci-fi or fantasy book, scarfing down vegetarian food, and enjoying quality time with quality people.