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Past IASA Executive Directors
IASA Superintendents of Distinction
AASA National Superintendent of the Year
Gerald W. Smith
July 1, 1966
Roy A. Baker
August 30, 1969
John G. Wargo
June 30, 1992
Walter H. Warfield, Emeritus June 30, 2006
The IASA Past Executive Directors are listed at right for
the year of their retirement from IASA:
In 2015, IASA announced a new program to recognize the outstanding performance of school superintendents in each of its 21 regions. The
“Superintendents of Distinction” honorees are selected by their peers in their region based on the criteria set forth by the AASA for its National
Superintendent of the Year program. Those general criteria include Leadership for Learning, Communication, Professionalism and Community
Involvement. “In addition to honoring the Illinois Superintendent of the Year, our association’s highest honor, we wanted to also publicly recognize the
extraordinary efforts that so many of our superintendents are making all over the state, so we created the Superintendents of Distinction” said IASA
Executive Director Dr. Brent Clark. “These are school leaders who make a difference day in and day out for their school districts, their communities
and, most importantly, for their students.”
The 2018 honorees are identified by the IASA region they represent:
Abe Lincoln—AdamN. Ehrman
Blackhawk—Scott D. Kuffel
Central Illinois Valley—Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat
Cook North—Dr. Daniel E. Cates
Cook South—Dr. Sheila Harrison-Williams
Cook West—Dr. Glenn T. Schlichting
Corn Belt—Gary R. Tipsord
DuPage—Victoria L. Tabbert
Egyptian—Timothy P. O’Leary
Illini—Dr. Jean M. Neal
Kaskaskia—Brad Skertich
Kishwaukee—Rick A. Schmitt
Lake—Dr. Michael Lubelfeld
Northwest—Dr. PJ Caposey
Shawnee—Christopher S. Grode
Southwestern—Jonathan Tallman
Starved Rock—Mark R. Cross
Three Rivers—Dr. Patrick M. Halloran
Two Rivers—Dr. Kevin Blankenship
Wabash Valley—Julie L. Kraemer
Western—Jodi L. Scott
Dr. David R. Schuler of High School District 214 was named the 2018 National Superintendent
of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). He is first Illinois
Superintendent to be named to such honor. He also holds the title of 2018 Illinois Superintendent
of the Year for the Illinois Association of School Administrators. Schuler is nationally known for
leading AASA’s Redefining Ready!, an initiative to introduce new research-based metrics to
more appropriately assess that students are college ready, career ready and life ready. Schuler
oversees the state’s second-largest high school district with more than 12,000 students at six
high schools and four specialized learning programs in the northwest suburbs of Cook County.
During his 12-year tenure as Superintendent of District 214, all six high schools have been
consistently ranked among the best in the state and country.
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