Dr. William Penner Selected as Principal, Lester MS

DoDEA Pacific South District Superintendent Dr. Melissa Hayes is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. William Penner as principal of Lester Middle School, located at Camp Lester in Okinawa, Japan, effective 1 October 2023. Dr. Hayes shared, “We are excited to have Dr. Penner join the team at Lester. He brings a wealth of knowledge in Social/Emotional Learning and Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) for students. Lester Middle School will thrive under his leadership.”

Dr. Penner shared that he has worked with young people for more than three decades. For fifteen years he served as a church youth minister, editor, national speaker, coach, and consultant for youth leaders. He taught high school English for a decade and served as a middle school administrator for six years. During the 2020-2021 school year, he was named Middle Tennessee’s Middle School Principal of the Year by the Tennessee Secondary School Principals Association.

He joined DoDEA in October 2022 as the Secondary English Language Arts Instructional Systems Specialist (ISS) for the Pacific South District and served as the acting assistant principal at Lester Middle School from January to April 2023 and acting principal since August 2023.

Dr. Penner earned a B.S. in English and Political Science from Baylor University in Waco, TX; a Master of Science in Curriculum & Instructional Leadership from Baylor University; and an Educational Doctorate in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Change from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. His wife, Christine, is a pastor in the United Methodist Church, and they have five children and five grandchildren. He looks forward to the opportunity to serve the students and families of Lester Middle School.