William Patterson is an innovative education and
administrative executive with a comprehensive background in organizational management and education advocacy. He has an impressive record of executive leadership, developing collaborative alliances, and managing diverse programs.
With more than 20 years of experience as a passionate educator, he is currently the Superintendent of Lakeview School District, Battle Creek, Michigan. He joined the district in July 2022.
With a unique combination of vision, knowledge and dedication, William brings a contagious enthusiasm to the challenge of finding ways to reach every child and develop young leaders. He lives and breathes a deep personal commitment to diminish existing achievement gaps. William specializes in collaborative leadership, coaching other educators and academic professionals to identify students who need the most educational assistance, setting goals for improving their skills, developing supportive programs for nside and outside the classroom, and evaluating and measuring progress for each student involved.
William most recently served as the Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Curriculum for Jackson Public Schools, Jackson, Michigan, where he had primary responsibility for effectively directing, facilitating, coordinating, and managing the short and long-term strategic implementation of the secondary student achievement programs for the district.
William’s educational career began in 1998 as a mathematics teacher at Jackson Public Schools. In 2000, he accepted the position of Assistant Principal at Hunt Elementary School, where he led the school’s technology initiative. Named Principal of Wilson Elementary School in 2001, he oversaw 250 students, with a 90% educationally at risk population. During this time, he served as chair of the school improvement team and the building committee and successfully co-led the writing of a $90,000 Comprehensive Reform Grant. Later, as Associate Principal and then Principal of Instruction at Parkside Middle School, William supervised educating over 1,000 students. William ultimately helped this Title I school to earn recognition as an International Baccalaureate School.
He graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Michigan University where he double majored in history and African American students and minored in mathematics. He continued his studies at Spring Arbor University, where he earned a Master of Arts Degree in Education in 2001. He earned his Ph.D. in K-12 Educational Administration and a certificate in Urban Education from Michigan State University in 2015. His dissertation examined the patterns of school-year growth and summer learning loss among low and high achieving African American students.
William was honored in 2012 as Educator of the Year by Big Brothers and Big Sisters. He was also recognized with the prestigious Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association Regional Honors Award.