Meet the princpals of Lewis Frasier Middle School, Waldo Pafford Elementary and Frank Long Elementary.

Jermaine Williams serves as the principal at Lewis Frasier Middle School. Mr. Williams was raised in the great city of Ocilla, Georgia. 

He is the proud son of the late Johnny Williams, who served as the first black city councilman in Ocilla, and the current city councilwoman, Patrice Y. Williams. His phenomenal mother helped to raise two children and was also an awesome caretaker to his father, who was a quadriplegic for more than 35 years. Mr. Williams received a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Valdosta State University. He received his Master’s degree and then an Educational Specialist degree in educational leadership from Cambridge University. 

Mr. Williams was a classroom teacher for eight years and began his leadership career with six years as an assistant principal and has served seven years as Principal at Lewis Frasier Middle School. 

He also coached high school basketball at Liberty County High School for more than 15 years with his mentor, Coach Willie Graham. 

Valarie C. Lawson serves as principal at Waldo Pafford Elementary. She received her Bachelor’s degree in family and child development from Georgia Southern University and then a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and her Educational Specialist degree in curriculum and instruction both from Nova Southeastern University. She served as a classroom teacher for eight years and began her leadership career serving seven years as an assistant principal and has served as principal of Waldo Pafford Elementary for the past three years. Ms. Lawson is the youth director at Bennett Union Missionary Baptist Church and is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Dr. Debra Clark Sukaratana is the Principal at Frank Long Elementary. She was born and raised in Hinesville and is married and has one son. She is a proud product and success story of the Liberty County School System, having attended Jordye Bacon Elementary, Hinesville Middle School, and Bradwell Institute. Dr. Sukaratana earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Savannah College of Art & Design and her Master of Education and Doctor of Education from Georgia Southern University. She started her career in education as a substitute teacher and then became a paraprofessional for one year. She taught at Jordye Bacon Elementary and Waldo Pafford Elementary for sixteen years both as a fourth grade teacher and a second grade teacher. In 1996, she was named Teacher of the Year for Jordye Bacon Elementary. Dr. Sukaratana became the Assistant Principal at Jordye Bacon Elementary in 2007 and then at Waldo Pafford Elementary in 2013. She has been the principal of Frank Long Elementary since 2014. The end of this school year will mark thirty years that she has been an educator in the Liberty County School System. Her entire career has been devoted to serving the students of Liberty County and she loves everything about her job as Principal of Frank Long Elementary. Dr. Sukaratana says she is very fortunate to have had wonderful mentors and leaders to work with over the years in Liberty County and she now works with the best students and team of educators anyone could ever ask for at Frank Long Elementary!