Dr. William Potts-Datema has served in education and public health for 40 years, including service from local to international levels. He has held several national leadership positions in the United States including Chief of the Program Development and Services Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Adolescent and School Health, Director of Partnerships for Children’s Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, and Executive Director of the Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Potts-Datema is an adjunct professor in the School Health Education graduate program of Southern Connecticut State University. He also consults for government agencies and national non-profit organizations and is the United States representative to the UNESCO Chair for Global Health and Education.
He serves as President of the Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education, Treasurer of the Society for Public Health Education, and board member of the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, RMC Health, and the Missouri State University Alumni Association. He previously served on the international boards of ASCD and the International Union for Health Promotion and Education; the national boards of the National Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), American School Health Association (ASHA), and American Association for Health Education (AAHE); and as chair of the national board and a founding board member of Action for Healthy Kids.
He holds a Doctor of Public Health degree from the University of Georgia, and Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Education degrees from Missouri State University. Dr. Potts-Datema has presented in 48 U.S. states and 12 other nations, and he has authored and contributed to numerous publications. He is a fellow of ASHA and AAHE and a member of Delta Omega national public health honorary society and Eta Sigma Gamma national health education honorary society.