SPRINGFIELD, MO — Dr. Gordon Pace was recently honored by the Missouri Association of School Administrators for his decades of service to public education, with the association’s Outstanding Emeritus Educator Award.
Following his retirement as superintendent of the Ozark School District in 2013, he joined the faculty at Evangel University, where he currently serves as a professor of education in the College of Adult and Graduate Studies.
This special recognition was to be made during the awards banquet at the 2020 MASA Spring Conference at The Lodge of Four Seasons at Lake Ozark, Missouri. Unfortunately, the conference was canceled due to the COVID-19 crisis.
“We are most honored to work with Dr. Pace in our Education Department,” said Dr. Shonna Crawford, chair of the Department of Education at Evangel. “Gordon makes progressive contributions to our master’s and doctoral programs while inspiring our students with his expertise and experiences.
“He is a catalyst that moves us forward innovatively,” she elaborated. “In 2019, he began our School District Partnerships and has grown our master’s program enrollment by over 1000%.”
MASA presents the Outstanding Emeritus Educator Award annually to recognize individuals for their continued interest in public education since retiring, as well as their length of administrative service, their participation in MASA while an active member, and significant accomplishments as a school administrator.
Pace was nominated for the award by his colleagues in the Southwest MASA District. He was one of eight awardees for 2020.
Life-long educator
In 1978, Pace graduated from Evangel with a B.S. in biology. He also holds a Master of Arts from Western Michigan University and a Doctor of Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
He spent 34 years in K-12 education as a teacher, coach, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent. He served seven years as the Reeds Spring superintendent and eight years as the superintendent of the Ozark School District from which he retired.
While in public education, Pace served on the MASA Executive Committee and was MASA Southwest President. He also served as the Southwest Region Legislative Lobbyist.
Evangel University, with the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS), is a comprehensive Christian university committed to excellence in educating and equipping students to serve the church and society globally. Evangel and AGTS serve more than 2,300 students from all 50 states and numerous foreign countries, offering 70 undergraduate majors and 19 master’s and doctoral degrees.
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