The Oklahoma Association of School Administrators (OASA) is pleased to announce Dr. Douglas Major, Superintendent/CEO at Meridian Technology Center, as the 2023 OASA District 20 Superintendent of the Year. Major will be recognized at the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA) Summer Leadership Conference on June 14-16, 2023.

OASA annually recognizes outstanding administrators who:

• Demonstrate successful experience in top-level educational administration
• Have a sound, dynamic and realistic philosophy of education
• Can inspire and motivate people and give support and recognition for the contributions of others
• Have a record that evidences continued professional and personal growth through appropriate training and experiences including skills in human relations and the stamina to cope with the pressures of the job
• Have the ability to speak for education on all levels with special emphasis on the district level
• Have made contributions to educational administration

“Leadership is about building community, cultivating and empowering other leaders and focusing on student success,” said Dr. Pam Deering, CCOSA/OASA Executive Director. “These school leaders have led through many challenges. They have worked tirelessly to provide opportunities for students to learn, grow and realize their full potential. Dr. Major is among the best of Oklahoma administrators. We are excited and proud to recognize these outstanding leaders who represent the next level in school leadership. They are courageous leaders.”

OASA has 20 districts that consist of multiple counties. Eligible OASA members are nominated and selected by their peers in their OASA District.

Dr. Douglas Major, Superintendent/CEO

Major began his career as an agriculture education student in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. Through his membership in FFA he had the opportunity to serve both as a local and state officer, which helped shape his decision to enter the teaching profession.

After earning his bachelor’s in agriculture education at Oklahoma State University, he taught for two years at Anadarko High School. In 1987, Major had the opportunity to join the CareerTech system as an administrative intern at Meridian Technology Center and worked there 13 years in various administrative capacities. During his tenure at Meridian, he also completed both his master’s and doctoral degrees from OSU. In 2000, Major was selected as the Superintendent/CEO of Pioneer Technology Center. He held this position before returning to Meridian Technology Center in November 2008 as Superintendent/CEO.

Throughout his career, Major has participated on many local boards as well as state and national associations. He has held offices in the Oklahoma Technology Center Superintendents’ Association, the Oklahoma Council of Local Administrators, the Oklahoma Association of Career and Technical Education and the National Council of Local Administrators for Career and Technical Education.

Major was selected to participate in the first National Leadership Institute sponsored by the National Centers for Career and Technical Education and is a past president of the Association for Career and Technical Education. He is also a graduate of Leadership Stillwater and Leadership Oklahoma and was appointed by Governor Henry to serve on the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. In 2012 The Journal Record honored Major as one of Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEOs. In 2017, he received the Francis Tuttle Career Excellence Award recognizing a career devoted to the development of excellence in people through career and technology education.

Visit the CCOSA website to see past Administrator of the Year awardees. For more information about OASA and CCOSA, please visit www.ccosa.org

ABOUT OASA

OASA supports adequate funding for Oklahoma public schools, supports accountability measures, rigorous and relevant academics, fair treatment of education employees, and seeks to reduce state intrusion in local board of education matters.

ABOUT CCOSA

The Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration is an incorporated, not for profit organization which establishes close and continuous communication and cooperation between educators, taxpayers and legislators to improve the effectiveness of professional school administrators and to communicate the needs of the schools. The Council is the umbrella organization for the following professional associations: the Oklahoma Association of School Administrators (OASA), the Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals (OASSP), the Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principals (OAESP), the Oklahoma Middle Level Education Association (OMLEA), and the Oklahoma Directors of Special Services (ODSS).

ABOUT MERIDIAN

Meridian Technology Center has been a driver of economic development since 1975. With a mission to educate, enrich lives and secure economic futures, Meridian offers full-time career training programs, short courses, workforce and economic development assistance and entrepreneurial support to residents from the Agra, Carney, Glencoe, Guthrie, Morrison, Mulhall-Orlando, Pawnee, Perkins-Tryon, Perry and Stillwater school districts. The school has locations in Stillwater and Guthrie. Meridian is one of 29 schools within Oklahoma’s CareerTech system.