Ozark schools leader to head Goodwill's Springfield education center

Provided by MERS Goodwill

Jeff Simpson starts in July as director of MERS Goodwill's Springfield Excel Center.

An executive at Ozark School District who is retiring this summer has a new gig lined up in Springfield.

Jeff Simpson was selected as the next director of MERS Goodwill's Springfield Excel Center, where adults can earn high school diplomas, according to a news release. In July, he'll succeed John Kennedy, the Springfield Excel Center's nearly two-year director, who has taken a job as secondary principal at San Roberto International School in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico.

"Throughout my career, I have been committed to meeting the unique needs of students with diverse backgrounds and abilities, helping them overcome individual barriers to learning," Simpson said in the release. “I am excited to join the Excel Center to empower adult learners with the tools and resources they need to succeed.”

Simpson, Ozark School District's executive director of special services who oversees the Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center, is retiring from the district after 30 years, according to a separate news release.

Launched in 2018, the Goodwill Excel Center, 1514 S. Glenstone Ave., provides high school credentials to adults free of charge.