District 181 Names Chief Academic Officer For 2018-19 School Year

HINSDALE, IL — The District 181 Board of Education approved the employment of Joan Woolwine as Chief Academic Officer of the District for the 2018-19 school year. Woolwine is currently the District's Interim Assistant Superintendent of Learning (Curriculum and Instruction).

Superintendent Dr. Don White said in a release that Woolwine currently has a 100-day contract, and she will have a 100-day contract in her new role, because she is a retired school administrator and is therefore limited to 100 days in the position due to Teachers' Retirement System restrictions.

Woolwine and Dr. Cynthia Heidorn, also a retired administrator, were hired in May 2017 to jointly address a
vacancy with the Assistant Superintendent of Learning (Curriculum and Instruction) position following the
resignation of Kelley Gallt. At the time of Gallt's resignation, it was too late in the year to complete a thorough
process to find a full-time replacement, Dr. White said in a release. A full-time Assistant Superintendent of Learning position will be posted, and as Chief Academic Officer, Woolwine would partner closely with that
individual to ensure a seamless transition into the next school year.

"We have great work happening in curriculum, instruction, and assessment," Dr. White said. "It is critical the
District is able to sustain those efforts, stay the course with the District's Strategic Plan goals in the area of Academic Success, and continue to move forward."

According to the district, Woolwine was an Assistant Principal, Principal, and Director of Curriculum and Instruction before coming to District 181. She has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with a focus on literacy from Saint Xavier University and a Master's degree from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. She is also a certified diversity trainer and holds a Reading Recovery certificate.

Photo provided by District 181.