DoDEA

Lois J. Rapp assumed the position of superintendent of the Japan district in early September, 2012. She previously served as the Superintendent of the Department of Defense Education Activity's Georgia/Alabama District. In this position, Ms. Rapp oversaw all aspects of education and administration for the District which includes ten schools located on Ft Benning, Ft Rucker, and Maxwell AFB.

Prior to this assignment, Ms. Rapp served as the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for the South-Western City School District in Columbus, Ohio. The school district is the 6th largest school district in the state, with approximately 20,000 students. The District was the only one to receive the designation of "Excellent" by the state of Ohio from the Urban 21 - a group of 21 urban school districts in the state.

Previously, Ms. Rapp was the Assistant Superintendent for Greenon Local Schools as well as a curriculum coordinator for the Clark County Educational Service Center in Springfield, Ohio. Ms. Rapp has also been an adjunct professor for Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Ms. Rapp began her career as an educator in the Springfield City School District as a middle school classroom teacher.

Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Ms. Rapp lived in Ohio from 1970 to 2010 and received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from The Ohio State University. She earned both her master's and Educational Specialist degrees from Wright State University.

Ms. Rapp was selected by the Ohio Department of Education to serve as an assessor for Praxis III, the new teacher licensure performance-based assessment. Ms. Rapp received commendations for her contributions to education by the Ohio House of Representatives and the Clark County Commissioners Board. She has served on the executive board for the Ohio Association of Supervisors of Curriculum and Development (OASCD) and is a past president of the Ohio School Supervisors' Association (OSSA).

As a certified trainer, Ms. Rapp is recognized for her work with the Pathwise model of mentoring new teachers. She also served on the state of Ohio Teacher Evaluation Committee.

Dr. Paula Kay Miller is presently Assistant Superintendent in the Japan District, Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA).  Proud to be a native Houstonian, Dr. Miller was previously the Chief of Staff in the Japan DSO.  Prior to that, she was the principal at Kadena Middle School in Okinawa Japan.  She served as the assistant principal at both Kadena Middle and at Edgren High School in Misawa Japan.  Dr. Miller’s first DoDEA appointment was as a teacher at Kinnick High School in Yokosuka, Japan.

Dr. Miller earned her undergraduate degree in Human Development and Consumer Sciences from the University of Houston and then began to work for the Alvin Independent School District teaching Home Economics.  She returned to U of H to earn a Masters Degree in Occupational Education.  After joining DoDEA, Dr. Miller earned a Masters in Guidance and Counseling.  She then earned her doctorate from the University of Sarasota; her area of emphasis was educational leadership

Dr. Miller has always made it a priority to encourage students toward life-long learning, self-advocacy, and self-responsibility.  While Dr. Miller’s role has expanded to include district-wide concerns, she remains dedicated to a “people first” philosophy.  Students, parents, educators, and community members will find an open door and a listening ear.

Dr. Miller is a member of several professional educational organizations including Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), and Phi Delta Kappa (PDK).  Dr. Miller’s favorite leisure-time activities include traveling, gourmet cooking, and reading.