Missouri Honors Pioneers in Education at the 64th Annual Cooperative Conference for School Administrators

Six Pioneers in Education will be in the spotlight on Monday, July 28, in recognition of their commitment and contributions to public education in Missouri. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will recognize the 2025 Pioneers during the 64th Annual Cooperative Conference for School Administrators. The ceremony will take place during a luncheon with more than 600 school leaders in attendance.

“These individuals have worked throughout their lives to ensure that the students of Missouri have the best education possible,” said Commissioner of Education Dr. Karla Eslinger. “DESE is honored to recognize the hard work and dedication of these Pioneers in Education.”

The following individuals will be honored as Pioneers in Education:

• Dr. Bruce Johnson, Stanberry, had a 29-year career in education, during which time he was a teacher, coach, and administrator in the Northwest Missouri region. He served the Union Star, Bucklin, Osborn, and Stanberry School Districts. During that time, he also spent 10 years as an adjunct professor in the Department of Education at Northwest Missouri State University. Bruce retired from the Stanberry R-2 School District after serving as superintendent for 17 years. He continued to stay connected with the education community, serving for 11 years as a vice president with the L.J. Hart Company, working with school districts and superintendents on school finance issues.
• Sheryl Lawson, Gainesville, spent 43 years as an elementary school classroom teacher in the Gainesville School District. In her classroom, Lawson looks beyond the standard curriculum, and fills her students’ days with enrichment, including field trips, class parties, STEM challenges, assemblies, and culminating unit activities. Her commitment to teaching comes from her belief that the classroom is where she can have the most positive impact, which is why she remains in the classroom. When her teaching career concludes, Lawson hopes to simply be remembered as a dedicated, hard-working teacher who genuinely loved her students, loved teaching, and was never quite ready to step away from the classroom.
• Governor Michael L. Parson, Bolivar, focused on increasing education spending throughout the state during his tenure as Governor of Missouri. He recognized the crucial connection that education has to workforce development and long-term success for Missouri. In total, the Parson administration increased state funding in K-12 education by $700 million in general revenue since 2018. For the first time in more than two decades, Governor Parson fully funded school transportation with a total increase of nearly $245 million in state funds. Under his administration, Missouri added 270 new Career and Technical Education programs, invested $70 million in School Safety Grant Funding, established the Office of Childhood through Executive Order, and expanded 68 agriculture education programs.
• Dr. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams, St. Louis, held several positions during her 47-year career in education. She started as a teacher of Special Education for elementary, middle, and high school students before making the move to work as an administrator. She was an executive director of instruction and then an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction before becoming a superintendent at University City. Pruitt-Adams served as superintendent in University City from 2007-2016. She relocated to Oak Park, Illinois, to lead River Forest High School District 200 for five years. She then returned home to St. Louis to serve at Riverview Gardens from 2021-2024.
• William Smart, Cole Camp, started his more than 50-year career in education in the fall of 1969 at Lincoln High School where he taught PE, science, and math, and coached baseball, softball, volleyball, and basketball. The next year, he returned to his alma mater, Cole Camp High School, where he continued his teaching and coaching duties. In 1972, he moved into the role of high school principal, where he served for more than 30 years, until his retirement in 2004. After retiring, he stayed on at Cole Camp as the Activities Director from 2004 to 2019. Smart stays connected to education even after his second retirement by serving as the President of the Educational Foundation for Cole Camp Schools.
• Jim Thompson, West Plains, served 36 years as member of the West Plains R-7 school board and was board president for about half of that time. Thompson first got involved with his local Board of Education through a grass roots group to promote the construction of a new elementary school to replace three aging buildings in the district. During his time on the board, West Plains focused increasingly on recruiting and retaining highly qualified educators and working to “grow their own” within the district. West Plains also took on a multitude of other projects to improve the district, including constructing a new agricultural education facility, implementing preschool programs, and establishing an alternative learning school.

State education officials have presented the Pioneer in Education awards for 50 years, which honor teachers, school administrators, citizens, and lawmakers for their distinguished careers and contributions to public education in Missouri.

Members of the media are welcome to attend the award ceremony on July 28, at 12:30 p.m., in Campana Hall at the Lodge of the Four Seasons, Lake Ozark, MO. Please contact DESE Communications in advance. Headshots for each of the Pioneers in Education are available here and DESE Communications can arrange interviews with honorees upon request.