Mr. Dwayne Jefferson named Kadena Elementary School Principal

Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Pacific South District Superintendent Dr. Melissa Hayes is pleased to announce the selection of Mr. Dwayne Jefferson as principal of Kadena Elementary School, effective 16 November 2025.

Mr. Jefferson brings 25 years of experience in education to Kadena Elementary. His education career began in August 2000, when he joined the Petersburg Public School System (PPSS) as a reading teacher and tutor. Over the next five years, he held various roles including fourth and fifth grade math teacher and Title I Math Resource Teacher. In 2005, he accepted a position with Richmond City Public Schools (RPS), where he taught fifth grade math at Woodville Elementary School for seven years. As a fifth-grade teacher, Mr. Jefferson was recognized as Woodville’s Teacher of the Year and a top ten finalist for Teacher of the Year for Richmond City Public Schools during SY 2011-2012. His leadership potential was recognized in 2012 when he was promoted to administrator, serving at Clark Springs Elementary and Oak Grove-Bellmeade Elementary in Richmond, Virginia.

Mr. Jefferson’s career with the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) began in August 2014 as a math support specialist at Yokota West Elementary School, Yokota Air Base, Japan. A year later, he was promoted to assistant principal at John O. Arnn Elementary School, Camp Zama, where he served for two years. In May 2017, he became the founding principal of Iwakuni Elementary School at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, leading the school for three years before transitioning to principal of Iwakuni Middle School in August 2020. He remained in that role until February 2023, when he accepted the role of principal at Sullivans Elementary School, CFA-Yokosuka.

A native of Petersburg, Virginia, Mr. Jefferson is a 1988 graduate of Petersburg High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Longwood University in 1997. He later pursued graduate studies, receiving a master’s degree in Public Administration from Central Michigan University in 2004 and a Master of Science in Elementary Education from Virginia State University in 2005.

Mr. Jefferson is deeply committed to fostering academic excellence and personal growth in students of all ages. He values strong, collaborative relationships with colleagues, families, the military community, and host nation partners to build a school culture that embraces and supports all stakeholders. His dedication and leadership were recently recognized when he was named Pacific Region Principal of the Year for School Year 2024–2025.