Arthur Williams Honored with 2025 STEM Leadership Award for Transformative Impact in the Classroom

Arthur Williams, a veteran educator and proud Public Education Foundation (PEF) alumnus, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network’s STEM Leadership Award—one of the state’s highest honors for excellence in STEM education. 

His selection comes as no surprise to those who have worked alongside him. Michael Stone, Vice President of Innovative Learning at PEF, has coached and collaborated with Arthur across multiple programs over the years. 

"We are so proud that Arthur has received this state-wide recognition," Stone said. "He is a dedicated and passionate educator who continues to lead innovative learning experiences for students in his classroom and for countless teachers across the region. He embodies what it means to be a 'teacher leader' and this STEM Leadership Award is a much-deserved recognition of his hard work and impact."  

To Arthur, teaching is more than instruction. It’s about building character, cultivating essential skills, and shaping students into confident, compassionate people. “No one is better positioned to impact students’ growth than the educator right there with them. We’re not here to raise good test takers—we’re here to raise good humans,” he says. 

Arthur’s work has had a profound impact on how students engage with STEM learning, particularly at East Ridge Elementary, where he led one of the region’s first VW eLabs in an elementary setting. His VW eLab became a model for how even the youngest learners can explore real-world problems through hands-on, meaningful design. 

“The VW eLab is more than just a space with cool technology,” he says. “What matters most is what happens inside it—how educators build relationships, how we help kids connect what they’re learning to who they are and the problems they want to solve in the real world.” 

That belief in student-centered, authentic learning has defined Arthur’s career. It was deeply affirmed when he joined PEF’s STEM Fellows program in 2016. 

“There was this moment of, ‘Oh wow—these are my people,’” he recalls. “They weren’t just opening books. They were building things. They were letting kids make something that mattered to them.” 

That year, Arthur and his students launched a mock business. They sold stock, built a product, and met rigorous math standards—without ever leading with the standards themselves. 

Students eager to participate is a common sight in Arthur's classroom.

“They were going to make something they wanted to make,” he says. “And that made it real to them. That’s what learning should feel like.” 

STEM Fellows gave Arthur the language and structure for the kind of teaching he had always believed in—an approach grounded in trust and driven by creative problem-solving. It affirmed his belief that when students are empowered to take ownership of their learning, and when educators are trusted to guide them with purpose, powerful things happen. And in a time when education often feels disconnected, overly data-driven and obsessed with test-scores, Arthur’s philosophy stands out. 

“We’re in a hyper-connected world, but people are more fragmented than ever. There’s a loss of interpersonal skills, and an inordinate focus on children as numbers and test scores,” he says. “That’s not the kind of education our kids deserve.” 

Arthur’s connection to PEF began even earlier, in 2014, through the Innovative Professional Learning Communities (IPLC) program. It was a turning point in his career. 

“It was the first time I felt truly respected as a professional in this work,” Arthur says. “The program brought together a network of educators who were committed to pushing the craft of teaching forward. I learned from incredible PEF leaders like Keri Randolph, Bill Kennedy, and others.” 

That same sense of trust and professional respect has been a hallmark of every PEF experience since. As a STEM Fellow, Arthur says the program and Michael Stone’s leadership “turned up the heat” on his teaching practice. “It was the thing that helped me move from instinct to intentional practice.” 

Over the years, Arthur has continued to grow through PEF programs like Leadership Fellows, Fund for Teachers, and VW eLab Specialist training. He’s also stepped into informal leadership roles by mentoring fellow educators, coaching new VW eLab specialists, and helping to strengthen the STEM Fellows alumni network. 

Arthur at PEF's 35th Anniversary Celebration

“You don’t have to be a principal to lead,” he says. “Some of the most powerful leaders in a school are the ones creating a culture of trust, which is so needed in schools.” 

At PEF, we believe educators like Arthur represent the future of education. When young people are engaged and invited to bring their full-selves into the classroom, they build the skills that matter most in a rapidly changing world. Students who learn in environments like Arthur’s class don’t just master content. They learn how to collaborate, solve problems, navigate frustration, and persist through challenges, and they grow into capable, adaptable, and curious people who are equipped to succeed in learning and in life.  

Congratulations to Arthur Williams on this well-deserved recognition!