Dr. Shannon Lewis

Dr. Shannon Lewis is an accomplished educator, pastor, community advocate, and public servant whose career spans more than two decades of leadership in education, ministry, and civic engagement. Dr. Lewis serves as Director of Success Achievement Academy and Principal for the Jonesboro School District, overseeing an alternative learning environment that serves students from school districts throughout Craighead County. Dr. Lewis also serves as an adjunct professor in Arkansas State University's School of Teacher Education and Leadership, preparing future educational administrators through graduate-level instruction.

Throughout a distinguished career in education, Dr. Lewis has served as Executive Principal of the Academies at Jonesboro High School, Principal of Lee High School, a building administrator at Marvell High School, and an agricultural education teacher. As Executive Principal, Dr. Lewis helped lead Jonesboro High School to wall-to-wall career academy status, expanded Advanced Placement opportunities, managed a $10.8 million budget, strengthened professional learning communities, and implemented programs designed to improve student engagement and graduation outcomes. Dr. Lewis earned a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Arkansas, an Education Specialist degree and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education from Southern Arkansas University.

Dr. Lewis's commitment to service extends deeply into ministry and community outreach. As founder and pastor of New Beginnings Missionary Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Dr. Lewis provides spiritual leadership, pastoral care, and guidance while overseeing church operations and community engagement initiatives. Dr. Lewis also founded New Beginnings Outreach Ministry, a nonprofit organization dedicated to youth mentorship, charitable outreach, educational workshops, and support for underserved families. Previous pastoral leadership includes serving New St. John Missionary Baptist Church, where Dr. Lewis led church revitalization, helped retire the church's mortgage, established a food outreach ministry, and developed a school-adoption initiative. Dr. Lewis also serves as Assistant to the Moderator and Director General for the Consolidated White River District.

In addition to leadership in education and ministry, Dr. Lewis is co-owner of Lewis Brothers Mortuary and served for 10 years as a Monroe County Quorum Court member. Dr. Lewis has received numerous honors, including the Craighead County Martin Luther King Jr. Committee's 2024 Outstanding Leader in Jonesboro recognition, the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators' 2017 Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year award, and induction into the Arkansas TRIO Hall of Fame. Across every role, Dr. Lewis remains committed to faith, educational excellence, student success, servant leadership, and the development of stronger communities.