LM April 2024

Dr. Bridges with mentor, Dr. Heidi Wennstrom

Bridges ... cont’d.

When she begins at IASA on July 1, Dr. Bridges said her top priority is to

said. “Ms. Kelly and Mr. Johnson showed me the real impact an educator can have on a child. They were courageous and passionate leaders who put the needs of students first.” After graduating from Benedictine University in Lisle, Dr. Bridges began her career in education at Schiller Park SD #81, where she taught middle school language arts. While there, she was encouraged to become a Department Chair and later focused her efforts as a primary level reading specialist. That experience of helping students and teachers across multiple grade levels brought her to Antioch CCSD #34 and later to Community Consolidated #181, where she served as

gather feedback by listening to superintendents about what professional development opportunities they want to see moving forward. She also hopes to learn more about existing IASA academies, workshops and cohorts. One area of PD she could see incorporating more in the schedule is developing opportunities for superintendents to conduct site visits to schools to learn about successful programs firsthand. “I have big shoes to fill,” Dr. Bridges said. “Dr. Orzel has built a robust PD program and figured out different ways to support superintendents across our large geographical state and from diverse backgrounds.

Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for five years. During that time, she earned her doctoral degree, deciding to focus her research on building collective efficacy in school districts through the creation of leadership teams and ongoing professional development.

For me, a lot of listening in the beginning and then continuously looking for opportunities to best support IASA members. It’s an honor to take the torch from her and continue to build on what she’s developed.”

Welcome to the IASA staff, Dr. Bridges!

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LM April 2024