OKINAWA, JAPAN — February 22, 2012 — Department of Defense Education Activity Pacific Deputy Director for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Dr. Joyce Lutrey will begin assuming temporary leadership responsibilities for the DoDEA Japan District on Feb. 27. Lutrey will overlap with current DoDEA Japan District Superintendent Clayton Fujie until March 15. Fujie joined DoDEA in 2009 and is stepping down due to health complications.

Lutrey's temporary duties will include oversight of all 21 Department of Defense schools within the DoDEA Japan District. The schools span from as far north as Misawa Air Base on Honshu—the main island of Japan—to as far South as U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo located on the third-largest Japanese island of Kyushu.

With more than 1,100 employees and an enrollment of 8,100 students, the DoDEA Japan District is one of the largest and most geographically dispersed in the worldwide DoDEA school system. The DoDEA Japan District Superintendent's Office is located on Yokota Air Base in the outskirts of the Tokyo metropolitan area.

As Deputy Director for CIA, Lutrey currently manages and supervises the DoDEA Pacific Area Office educational staff and district superintendents serving all 49 DoD schools in the Pacific theater. Before joining DoDEA in 2009, Lutrey had held two superintendent and three principal positions at school districts located in Arizona and Michigan. Prior to becoming an administrator, Lutrey taught middle and high school science and mathematics for 20 years in the Ann Arbor Public Schools.

In addition to a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, General Science and Psychology from the University of Michigan, Lutrey earned a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University.

Also joining the DoDEA Japan District team to serve as an acting assistant superintendent is current DoDEA Korea District Assistant Superintendent for Transformation Carl Albrecht. The previously-advertised assistant superintendent position in the DoDEA Japan District remains vacant after a well-qualified candidate did not emerge from the initial recruitment effort. During the temporary assignment, Albrecht will team with Dr. Paula Miller who is also an assistant superintendent with the DoDEA Japan District.

In addition to his current duties related to military transformation and the impact on DoD schools located in South Korea, Albrecht has held numerous positions during his tenure with DoDEA including teacher, assistant principal, principal, chief of staff, and assistant superintendent. In 2010, Albrecht served with the DoD Civilian Expeditionary Workforce for a one-year tour in Kabul, Afghanistan as Deputy Chief of the Education Division for the NATO Training Mission.

Albrecht earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and went on to earn a master's in Supervision, Administration and Instruction from Boston University. The temporary leadership assignments will provide DoDEA adequate time to conduct a global search for the best-qualified candidates for both positions. The position for the DoDEA Japan District Superintendent will be advertised soon. The DoDEA Japan District Assistant Superintendent position is currently open to the public with a closing date of March 13: http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/309389800