Dr. Keisha Campbell was appointed by the Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board of Education as Superintendent of Schools and began on July 1, 2021. A D205 parent and graduate, Dr. Campbell is now at the helm of the district where she was once a student herself. She has the distinct privilege of serving over 8,400 students where she has already made a major impact.
Within her first two years as the Superintendent of D205 Dr. Campbell has led a comprehensive community-wide collaboration to create a multi-year strategic plan, the Student Journey of Excellence, with a goal of further aligning the work at the schools to achieve ambitious goals for the future and provide a basis to implement, measure, and communicate key indicators of success for students. In addition, Dr. Campbell has overseen the implementation of their $168.5M referendum to enhance safety and security measures, expand learning spaces, and address maintenance and infrastructure needs across all schools. Included in the referendum was the complete rebuild of two state-of-the-art elementary schools - both of which were completed within her first two years at the District. Other key accomplishments thus far include an increase from two to six schools receiving the Exemplary Summative Designation from the Illinois State Board of Education and, with her strong emphasis on student growth and achievement, has seen a continuous positive increase in the percentage of students meeting and exceeding state standards - all while continuing to prioritize positive relationships with staff, students, parents and community members.
A veteran educator with over 20 years of experience, Dr. Campbell has served in multiple capacities ranging from classroom teacher, school-based instructional coach and elementary/middle school principal to district-level leader. Prior to her superintendency at District 205, Dr. Campbell was a Director of School Leadership with the Academy for Urban School Leadership, once the largest school management organization in the nation with a network of 31 schools and over 16,000 students. Serving as Director of School Leadership from 2012 to 2021, Dr. Campbell was responsible for leadership development and school academic achievement in eight schools with over 4,000 students. Academy for Urban School Leadership is a private organization that partnered with Chicago Public Schools and other districts nationally, focusing on teacher training and leadership development to help schools make significant advances in academic achievement and school climate.
Dr. Campbell earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Illinois State University, a Master of Education in Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois-Chicago and a Doctor of Education in Leadership in 2014, also from UIC. She is a sought-after speaker and has been invited to present and share with districts, school leaders, teachers, and parents on topics including growth mindset, social-emotional learning, high leverage instructional practices, principal leadership and support, parent engagement, and school transformation and growth strategies.
As a transformational leader, in 2010, Dr. Campbell received the honor of being personally invited to present to the U.S. Department of Education on School Reform and Improvement. She has consulted with the Gates Foundation on the improvement of district structures to increase student achievement and has received professional development as a District Administrator in partnership with the University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership. She was a recipient of the Golden Apple Teaching Scholarship and numerous other awards.
Dr. Campbell resides in the Elmhurst school community with her husband and two daughters and is humbled to serve and impact her community in a positive way.