William Datema (DrPH ’18) has spent decades of his career at the intersection of education and public health. Now, as president of the National Parent Teacher Association (National PTA), he’s focused more than ever on improving the lives of children across the country.
Before being installed as the 59th president at the National PTA Convention in June, Datema served three years as president-elect and previously served as the organization’s secretary-treasurer.
“We work to make life easier for kids and have them have equal opportunity regardless of who they are or where they live,” said Datema. “We want every child to have a strong educational background so that they can thrive as adults.”
Datema knows the importance of the PTA’s mission personally. He first became involved with the PTA as a youth member more than 50 years ago. During that time, he served on a national commission focused on health and welfare, where he was first introduced to public health. Later, a scholarship from the Missouri PTA made it possible for Datema to attend Missouri State University to study education.
After earning his degree, Datema taught social science, health and physical education. The lessons he taught his students inspired him to pursue public health professionally. He landed his first job in public health as community health director for the American Red Cross in southern Missouri.
From those foundational decisions, Datema built a distinguished, wide-ranging career, serving in numerous leadership positions in public health, including roles at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and,
Datema hosted an annual holiday party for his DrPH cohort.
most recently, as CEO of the Society for Public Health Education.
When Datema was working at the CDC, he decided to pursue his Doctor of Public Health from the University of Georgia College of Public Health.
“When I applied, I’d been doing this work for 35 years, but I didn’t have the academic, theoretical underpinnings to help me grow to the next level,” said Datema. “I was, I’ll say, an older student. I’m certainly further along in my career than the rest of my cohort, but we all learned from each other.”
Datema put in long hours to earn his DrPH, working full-time in Atlanta and commuting to Athens for classes. The commute posed some challenges, he said, and he
recommended a shift toward the university’s Gwinnett campus. He hopes that having a campus that is closer to Atlanta, where many DrPH students work full time, is a beneficial change.
At the DrPH Day event in April, Datema was awarded the Dr. Joel Lee Memorial Award in Public Health Practice. This award recognizes a DrPH alumnus who exemplifies the core values that defined Dr. Lee’s career: commitment to excellence in public health practice, integrity in leadership, dedication to mentorship, and a deep-seated passion for improving the health and well-being of communities.
Datema alongside Dr. Joel Lee and his 2018 cohort colleagues, Nolana Woolfork and Robert Kakaire, before graduation.
“Dr. Lee was a mentor of mine,” Datema said. “We connected on so many topics and could talk endlessly about public health. The depth of his contributions—as a founding leader of the College of Public Health to advancing quality improvement in health care and so much more—made a lasting impact on the field.”
As Datema continues his work with the National PTA, he believes there is still much to accomplish in public health. He wants the next generation to have the same opportunities that shaped his own career. That’s why he has appointed youth members to every National PTA committee.
“PTA sparked all of this for me so maybe I can spark it for somebody else,” said Datema. “I think change is often done in many small relentless efforts, and that requires a lot of resilience. I try to push forward in a positive direction on policy and practice as I have all through my career.”
By Mackenzie Patterson
