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DoDEA Okinawa District Welcomes New Assistant Superintendent
Office of the DoDEA Okinawa District Superintendent
OKINAWA, Japan | October 3, 2012
Mr. Michael Johnson
Department of Defense Education Activity Okinawa District Superintendent Mr. Michael Thompson is pleased to welcome Mr. Michael L. Johnson as Assistant Superintendent beginning in November 2012.
Mr. Johnson comes to Okinawa from Stuttgart, Germany, where he served as principal of Robinson Barracks Elementary/Middle School. His experience as a Department of Defense Dependent Schools educator dates back to 1990, when he taught at Zweibrucken High School, Bitburg Middle School and Bitburg High School in Germany. He served as an Assistant Principal at Bitburg MS, Bitburg HS, and in Japan at MC Perry High School in Iwakuni. In 2002 he became the Principal of Robert D. Edgren High School in Misawa, Japan. Mr. Johnson was later selected as the Principal-in-Residence for the Pacific Area, where he managed the Leading Learning Program training new and experienced administrators in all four districts of DoDEA Pacific.
Mr. Johnson grew up on a small family farm in Oregon. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he was a signals intelligence crewmember flying reconnaissance missions on board RC-135 and EC-130 aircraft. In four years of flying he received four Air Medals for distinguished duty in hazardous aerial operations.
Mr. Johnson brings practical experience with the implementation and incorporation of DoDEA programs and policies within our schools from grades kindergarten through 12. He has been a member of several DoDEA Task Groups and recruiting teams, and has provided instruction to administrators and teachers on a multitude of educational topics. Mr. Johnson looks forward to meeting and speaking with parents, students, and teachers in a variety of situations. “I am anxious to work with the dynamic and talented educators and administrators that have been assembled in Okinawa to provide a first-class education to our military and DoD dependents,” he said.
Mr. Johnson and his wife watched all seven of their children graduate from DoDEA high schools, and he is committed to making the DoDEA Okinawa experience a successful one for families. He said, “To insure success with our 21st century learners, we as educators must understand the characteristics needed for success of our students no matter the career path taken. We then implement those characteristics into our standards-based instruction. DoDEA students today will be better prepared for their futures based on the foundations we help them build.”
He holds a Master’s Degree in Education Administration, a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a teaching certificate in Math and Science.
The Department of Defense Dependent Schools Okinawa District is one of four school districts within the Department of Defense Education Activity Pacific Region. DoDEA Pacific provides a comprehensive preK-12 education to the children of military and eligible civilian personnel families serving throughout Asia. DoDEA Okinawa District is composed of 13 schools, approximately 7,000 students and 950 professional educators and support staff. To learn more, visit http://www.dodea.edu/pacific/okinawa