Stacy DeFoor of Conway has McDonald’s to thank for a lot of things — his wife, for one, and laying the groundwork for his ascent into public-school administration.
The 43-year-old DeFoor, assistant principal at Carolyn Lewis Elementary School in Conway, will take over this summer as principal of Florence Mattison Elementary School. He will replace Sam Nelson, who is retiring.
“I’m a graduate of Hamburger University,” DeFoor said, smiling as he sat behind his desk at Carolyn Lewis. “The management program at McDonald’s is very extensive and structured, and it teaches you to work with all sorts of people and to move into leadership.”
The Vilonia native said he knew when he went to the University of Central Arkansas in Conway that he wanted to be a coach or teacher, or perhaps in a job where he could train people. He graduated in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in early-childhood education and has since received a master’s degree and an educational specialist’s degree.
DeFoor, an only child, said he started working at a convenience store near
Vilonia at age 14, then worked at Pizza Inn and at McDonald’s when he was in college. By the time he reached the age of 18, he was in management.
“I moved up the corporate ladder,” he said.
Before she became a teacher 19 years ago, his wife, Stephanie, worked at McDonald’s, and he said that’s where they met. She worked at Florence Mattison Elementary School, which is also where their children attended.
“I’m the only one who hasn’t worked at Florence Mattison, so now that’s come true,” DeFoor said. His wife is now instructional facilitator at Marguerite Vann Elementary School.
From age 18 to 35, he worked at McDonald’s restaurants, with the exception of about five years when he managed a dental lab in Heber Springs. His wife taught in the Heber Springs School District, and the family lived there for nine years. When they moved back to Conway, DeFoor was supervising four McDonald’s restaurants for Dale Bruns in Conway, then decided to change careers.
He said it was about eight years ago when he and his wife were talking about family, quality of life and the time commitment the food industry took. They prayed about it, he said, and they decided he’d leave fast food for education, his original dream.
“I did love it; I loved working for McDonald’s,” he said. What seemed to make sense financially, though, didn’t fit in as well with family life as he and his wife were raising their three children. “When they were off is when I was the busiest,” he said.
“The morning I sent out interest emails, I closed the computer and walked out to get in my Jeep, and the phone rang,” he said. Within minutes, DeFoor already had a bite on one of his interest emails from a school-district human-resources director.
His first job was teaching small fry at Oak Grove Elementary School, where he taught third grade for two years and fourth grade for a year.
“I feel like this is the time we can mold them while they are young and give them a love for learning,” he said, and try to develop lifelong learners and productive citizens.
DeFoor said he knew it was the right decision that first year when the building principal approached him about a student who had been in a serious vehicle accident in which the boy’s father was killed. She wanted the child to be in DeFoor’s class.
“She said, ‘I feel like he needs you in his life,’” DeFoor said. “It still gives me chills when I talk about it.”
The child was “a great kid,” but he struggled with social and emotional issues. “I learned as much from him as he did with me,” DeFoor said.
He found teachers often knocked on his door to ask him to talk to “tough male students” who needed a positive male role model.
“We need to know every child’s story because every child is not going to ‘get it’ the same way,” DeFoor said. “The more we know, the more successful they can be.”
Discipline is important, DeFoor said, “but we need to provide a safe, loving, nurturing environment as well. They need to know we love them and that we’re here for their best interests.”
He went from teaching at Oak Grove to being the principal at Anne Watson Elementary School in Bigelow, where he stayed for two years. He loved the classroom, but he was limited to affecting the kids within those walls.
“Going into leadership, I have the ability to impact more kids,” he said. “It was a great district. The teachers in Bigelow work so hard for those students. God always has a plan for us, for our next step. We’re not really in control; we just have to listen to him.”
Three years ago, DeFoor was hired as assistant principal for the brand-new Carolyn Lewis Elementary School. In Bigelow, he oversaw 350 students, pre-K through the sixth grade. Carolyn Lewis has 530 students in kindergarten through the fourth grade.
Tina Antley, principal of Carolyn Lewis Elementary School, said DeFoor has contributed to the success of the school and will be missed.
“He’s just been a great person. He came when we opened the building, so he was very helpful. He had experience opening McDonald’s restaurants, so that really helped us in opening the school building. He is very good with technology; he loves it. As we are going more and more to a technologically based society, it was very helpful for the kids and me,” she said.
Not only that, Antley said, but “he just has great people skills, so everybody just loves him.”
Antley said Jessica Williams of Mayflower, an assistant principal in the Sheridan School District, was hired as the new assistant principal at Carolyn Lewis Elementary School.
DeFoor said he’s already been meeting with Florence Mattison Assistant Principal Amy Crow to start planning for next year, “because I want it to be right.”
Having been a parent of Florence Mattison students and the husband of a teacher is an advantage, DeFoor said.
“I feel like I have an edge as a leader there. I can say, ‘My own children went here.’ I know how great it is,’” he said.
DeFoor said Nelson left a good foundation.
“I want to continue to build a family atmosphere there where anyone who walks in the front doors feels welcome; they feel safe. I want parents to know we’re going to work daily to make sure their children are given an outstanding education.” He said Florence Mattison received an A on the state’s performance report, referred to as a report card.
One goal DeFoor has is to start a Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) program, which has been successful at Carolyn Lewis Elementary School and others in the district, he said.
“We had a Donuts for Dads event this month and had 150 to 200 dads show up — or more — for that.” The goal is to get fathers into the schools to spend time with their kids and to offer safety and security. “I want parents involved in their kids’ education,” he said. “We advertise it as positive male role models,” so it can include grandfathers or uncles, he said.
DeFoor said his first goal at Florence Mattison Elementary will be to get to know the faculty and staff, “where they feel comfortable talking to me and for us to have a mutual respect.”
“It was not very long ago since I was in the classroom, so I know how hard they work, and I want them to feel rewarded on a daily basis. I feel blessed to go over there, just because of my family and their history with the school. I can give back for what these teachers have done for our kids.”
DeFoor said being in management for McDonald’s and being a principal are similar in that both are “about relationships.”
“For me, McDonald’s set me up for success for my future,” DeFoor said.
And the lunchroom cooks don’t have to worry — DeFoor said he’ll stay out of the kitchen.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.