Mr. Carlson is excited to join the faculty at Beth Tfiloh! New to both Baltimore and teaching, he brings his experience in corporate leadership to his classes, as well as his love of adventure and STEM. Inspired to teach by his wife, a “lifelong Jewish educator,” Mr. Carlson started teaching three years ago, after his retirement. 

Mr. Carlson has lived in many places, including California, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and most recently, Texas. His frequent relocations were necessitated by his past positions. He oversaw and directed operations at several companies, including General Electric, Thermo Fisher, and Rockwell International. At General Electric, he helped to found their industrial software department, GE Digital. Having managed large-scale operations with employees across the world, Mr. Carlson now channels that expertise into leading classes with confidence.  

At Beth Tfiloh, Mr. Carlson brings a range of expertise to the classroom. He currently teaches Robotics to ninth graders, AP Computer Science to tenth and eleventh graders, and both Product Design & Management and AP Macroeconomics to seniors. With a strong (if short) background in STEM education, his previous teaching experience includes AP Calculus BC, Engineering, AP Precalculus, and Algebra 1. Outside the classroom, Mr. Carlson coached his two sons in lacrosse and he expressed his interest to me of coaching at BT as well.

Mr. Carlson enjoys adventurous hobbies, and in his own words, he is “an adrenaline junkie.” He currently loves skiing and mountain biking, and he has raced cars and sailboats in the past. Adventure runs in the family, as his sons have had exciting professions, including underwater welding, deep-sea diving, and working in the U.S. Air Force in Misawa, Japan. He and his wife stay with his son (and his son’s wife and two daughters) at the Air Force base in Misawa when he can, and, as the snowfall there is “the best in the world,” skiing is a staple activity on his visits.

So far at Beth Tfiloh, Mr. Carlson is enjoying the “kids and culture.” He compared the lively environment to Jewish summer camp. He appreciates this camp-like excitement and energy at BT, which he described as “contained chaos and fun.” Mr. Carlson’s wife, a Pikesville native, now works at The Associated of Baltimore, and together they plan to stay in Baltimore for a long time. Beth Tfiloh is looking forward to many years with Mr. Carlson!