The School District of Lee County is proud to announce that Sgt. Major Kim Williams is the 2022 US Army Cadet Command JROTC Army Instructor of the Year. Williams teaches in the Mariner Leadership Academy at Mariner High School.
“My entire Army career was focused on putting the media spotlight on others, so it was quite a shock when I received the announcement that I was selected as the Cadet Command JROTC Army Instructor of the Year,” Williams says. “I am blessed to work at a school with such a supportive principal, Dr. Michel, administrative team and JROTC department who believe in what I do and who took the time to put together the nomination packet. Teaching our young people takes a village, and we truly have an amazing village at Mariner High School. I have never liked having attention focused on me, but I am truly, deeply humbled and honored to be selected as Instructor of the Year.”
Williams was on active duty in the Army from 1992 to 2014 in the career field of Public Affairs. She worked as a journalist, newspaper editor, and community and media relations supervisor. Her deployments include Somalia and Afghanistan, where she received a Bronze Star Medal.
After retiring from the Army, Williams joined the teaching staff at Mariner High School. She primarily teaches freshman in the Leadership Academy to help them transition into high school. The classes focus on topics like self-esteem, confidence, leadership and citizenship. She is also a coach after school for the Academic/Leadership Team, Drill Team and Raider Team, all of which have competed at District, State and National levels.
“SGM Williams is the ideal role model to be selected JROTC Army Instructor of the Year,” says Mariner High School’s Senior Army Instructor Maj. Bryan Williams. “She is a distinguished teacher, a national champion coach, a role model citizen and a game changing mentor to both fellow instructors and Cadets.”
The United States Army Cadet Command selection criteria for Instructor of the Year includes effectiveness in the classroom and community, examples of dedication to the profession of teaching, how the nominee compares to the school’s top classroom instructor, in what other activities is the nominee involved, and the instructors’ impact on the school’s JROTC enrollment and achievements of the cadets involved in the program.