JTHS Welcomes Dianne McDonald as JTHS Assistant Superintendent

At last night’s Joliet Township High School Board of Education meeting, Curriculum Director Dianne McDonald was unanimously approved as the next Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services. Effective July 1, McDonald will take over for current Assistant Superintendent Dr. Karla Guseman who has served as both Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent since February of this year.

“It has been a very busy first three months serving as the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent while navigating a pandemic,” said Guseman. “I am so excited to welcome Dianne to this role. Her wealth of curricular knowledge, expertise and proven record of success will positively shape our educational programming for the future.”

McDonald has served as the JTHS Curriculum Director for Science, Applied Life, and Assessment since 2011. Additional roles in the district include Strategic Plan Co-Facilitator, Summer School Coordinator, and Science Instructional Team Leader. McDonald holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Loyola University and two master’s degrees in educational leadership and education from the University of St. Francis.

McDonald is active in the community, serving as a Joliet Junior College Foundation Executive Board Member. During her time in the district, McDonald led curricular projects such as the implementation of the JTHS Summer Academy Program, Be an Engineer partnership with ExxonMobil, sender school assessment and 9th grade placement coordination, and implementation of the district-wide assessment system.

“JTHS has been my family for over 15 years,” said McDonald. I am honored to serve the district and community in this role. This summer brings many challenges to our community as we plan for the different phases of re-opening. The Office of Educational Services will continue to provide an engaging and relevant education to all students no matter what barriers this pandemic may try to put in place.”