Our Administrative Staff:

    You are clothed with strength and dignity; you can laugh at the days to come. You speak with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on your tongue.

Inspired by the woman of noble character in Proverbs 31, this paraphrase captures the dignity and great value that God intends for women. Verses like this remind us of who He has entrusted to us as our students. Each oene is one of a kind and beyond compare. Their smile in joy, love and accomplishment are among our greatest rewards.

For a private Educational Organisation like ours, this verse also reminds us of the inner worth and promise of each human. The privilege to nurture and guide these students – partnering with the best institutions in the world to help them strive toward their potential and discover who God made them to be – is what makes our “jobs” as educators so inspiring, rewarding and motivating. At Deseret Education, every student is known and valued. It is our ambition that each student engages in enriching learning experiences that challenge and empower them to pursue and attain their personal best.

I have great confidence in promoting Deseret Education as an environment that works tirelessly to transform the lives of students and staff alike. We have done so for more than 15 years, as testified by our Alumni (our graduate network). In addition to firm academic foundations, our Alumni credit Deseret Education as having a significant role in helping them develop essential transferable skills and many indispensable, commendable personal qualities. These include self-confidence and optimism, a spirit of enquiry and problem solving, wisdom and personal accountability, a concern for others, acute social awareness, and the courage and confidence to “have a go”. To evaluate Deseret Education as the best match for your education, the optimal place to start is with a private tour tailored to your interests.

Dr T.W. Smith Phd has more than 20 years of experience as an educator and educational leader, and is Deseret Education’s second Principal.

    Dr. Dean Wittwer is the Country Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Wittwer’s career in education began as an English teacher in Bryanston. In addition to his classroom experience, Wittwer coached hundreds of students in Soccer, track and field. Seeing the positive impact he had on students in the classroom and on the field is what drove him to continue his education. After obtaining his Masters of Education, Educational Specialist’s and several certifications, Wittwer went back and obtained his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Maryville University in the United States.

In addition to his educational endeavors, Dr. Wittwer remains heavily involved in professional and community organizations. He has served as co-chair for the Northwest Association of School Administrators; Central Office Administrators (MASA/COA), National Association for School Superintendents (USA), as well as the Department of Education Public Relations. He has also presented at several educational conferences here in Gauteng as well as throughout the country. The focus of many of those presentations centered around leadership and learning in our schools and communities.

Dr. Wittwer is married to his wife, Terri. They have two children, Tori and Desi.

    Gwen Johns serves as the Director of the ED and Alternative Programs as well as Director of the Educational Programming at the Diepsloot Place of Safety. She continues to collaborate and team with programming staff, district supervisors and administrators to provide support and specialized instruction and services for students considered "at risk" and those with special needs.

Gwen is and valued administator with over 20 Years expereince and dedication to the cause. Gwen and her husband David have three beautiful children one of whome has special needs.

    With more than 20 years of diverse educational experience, from the classroom to leadership to consulting, Kim serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Central Learning Academy, and Executive Director at the ACESC leading all evaluation related initiatives, facilitating professional development, and overseeing all grading activities and instruction. Mindy has been selected by the Gauteng Department of Education as a provincial trainer for the Gauteng Teacher Evaluation System (GTES), the Gauteng Principal Evaluation System (GPES), and the electronic Teacher and Principal Evaluation System (eTPES). Additionally, Kim is trained in all aspects of student growth measures, including student learning objectives (SLOs). She has presented numerous times at National conferences, and worked with educators across the Country to implement various legislative mandates in the Education Sector.

Kim also has expertise in assessment literacy, Department of Education Learning Standards, curriculum mapping and alignment, data analysis, and formative instructional practices. She has served as a classroom teacher, principal, curriculum supervisor, and graduate level adjunct instructor.

Feel free to contact Kim for professional development and consultative services. Customized training is available.