2023 Men of the Year: Bill Powers

Starting his career as a sports journalist for newspapers in Tennessee and Florida, Bill Powers displayed a knack for leading teams to excellence. As an editor, he led a group of writers, pooling their talents to deliver compelling sports news that resonated with local schools and the community.

“Our newspaper sports team won multiple team and individual awards for our writing, design and photography,” Powers says. “We were proud of our awards and quickly realized our success was a result of our teamwork, dedication and our work ethic.”

After a volunteer position in Florida opened Powers’ eyes to the fulfillment of mentoring students, he decided to pursue a career in education and in 2001 started teaching in Tampa. Five years later, he landed a job at Jarrett Middle School.

Transitioning from the newsroom to the classroom, Powers’ leadership journey then took on a new dimension as he got into administration for Springfield Public Schools. He assumed the mantle of principal at Cherokee Middle School in 2009 and then Kickapoo High School in 2018, the position he currently holds. Leading hundreds of educators, coaches and staff members, plus thousands of students, Powers works in an environment that necessitates complex decision-making.

“Many times, tough decisions have to be made for the good of the group,” he says, citing, for example, teachers transferring to new roles, students being held accountable and processes changing. “Some of these decisions are not always popular with each of those groups impacted. But for the overall health of the system, these decisions were my responsibility as the leader.”

Beyond the school walls, Powers has been active in the community. He’s volunteered at Community Blood Center of the Ozarks for the past 14 years and served as an adviser for Leadership Springfield Academy students and as a member of the United Way of the Ozarks Community Investment Committee. To express gratitude for a life-saving blood transfusion his son received as an infant, Powers initiated a school blood drive at Cherokee Middle School to help raise awareness about vital community contributions.

“Even though I am no longer at Cherokee, the blood drive continues as a tradition there, and I am proud this year my son was able to volunteer his time assisting at the blood drive,” Powers says.

As a husband, father and principal, Powers says he has much to be proud of, including being selected as Missouri Middle School Principal of the Year by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals in 2018.

“The announcement that I had been selected,” he recalls, “came as a shock when I was directed to the gym at Cherokee and all 900 students were waiting to surprise me. I am still not sure how nearly 1,000 individuals managed to surprise me in such a large assembly.”

Despite the challenges of school administration, Powers says it’s worth it.

“Leading is a privilege I have been given in Springfield Public Schools, and I have worked to be fully committed to this role each day,” he says.