Lemont High School District 210 names new superintendent

The Lemont High School District 210 Board of Education Tuesday selected Matt Maxwell as the district’s next superintendent.

Maxwell currently serves as superintendent of Central Community Unit School District 4, which covers a large area in Iroquois and Kankakee counties in east central Illinois, including the communities of Ashkum, Chebanse and Clifton, according to a news release.

Maxwell will become the 17th superintendent in District 210′s 135-year history, and will succeed Mary Ticknor, who will conclude a 13-year tenure as superintendent when she retires on June 30, 2025. Ticknor is the second-longest tenured superintendent in District 210 history.

“Selecting District 210′s next superintendent is one of the most important decisions the board of education will make, and we were fortunate to interview a pool of highly qualified candidates,” board President Kurt Korte said in the release. “Matt has accumulated more than a decade in educational leadership positions, and we are excited to see how his experiences will benefit our district.”

Maxwell and the board agreed on a three-year contract, which the board approved at its Dec. 16 meeting. Maxwell will assume his post on July 1, 2025.

Maxwell is in the middle of his second year at Central CUSD 4, having taken the reins in 2023. His first 18 months on the job have been filled with activity, including negotiating and finalizing collective bargaining agreements with three unions, revamping human resources screening and hiring processes, securing a new district architect and overseeing an emergency repair to Central High School’s gymnasium, according to the release.

Maxwell serves on the boards of the Kankakee Area Career Center and Kankakee Area Special Education Cooperative, and has planned and implemented a professional development process aimed at continuous improvement in curriculum delivery. In addition to his role as superintendent, he has fulfilled Chief School Business Official duties, including developing and managing the district’s annual budget and levy, according to the release.

Maxwell arrived at Central CUSD after serving six years as principal of Grant Park Middle School and Grant Park High School in Grant Park, Ill. In that role, he led school improvement processes in the area of student achievement, and conducted professional development in subjects ranging from teacher improvement utilizing Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching to assessment literacy. Maxwell was the catalyst in securing high school students’ dual-credit opportunities through Olivet Nazarene University and Kankakee Community College, and was instrumental in expanding academic and extracurricular offerings at both schools.

Maxwell was elected president of Grant Park’s athletic conference, the River Valley Conference, and pursued a variety of activities to enhance school culture. He was responsible for orientation activities for both sixth graders and high school freshmen, and implemented an advisory period for enrichment and intervention.

Maxwell spent the first 10 years of his career at Bradley-Bourbonnais High School in Bradley, Ill. He served as a social studies teacher for six years, a period during which he held assistant coaching roles within the baseball, football and wrestling programs. Maxwell also was a dean in his final year in the classroom. He then spent four years as an assistant principal.

Maxwell earned a bachelor of arts degree in history from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2007, as well as a master of arts degree in educational administration from Saint Xavier University in 2010. He was awarded a doctor of education degree from Aurora University in 2021, and picked up a chief school business official certification from the University of Illinois-Springfield in 2021.

Maxwell is a native of Tinley Park and an alumnus of Andrew High School. He and his wife, Liz, have four children.