Right at Home: Keisha Campbell has strong local ties as District 205 superintendent

By Chuck Fieldman

It would be completely accurate to say that Keisha Campbell has felt right at home in her position as superintendent of Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205.

When she was chosen in April 2021 as the district’s top administrator, starting work on July 1 of the same year, it was a homecoming for Campbell, who attended Bryan Middle School and York High School, from which she graduated in 1997. While returning as superintendent to District 205 was a homecoming for Campbell, she already was right at home in the Elmhurst community, as she lives in the city and has children attending District 205 schools.

Campbell said it definitely has helped her, having been a former student of the district in which she now works. “Just having the personal connection and added layer of context is helpful in the awareness of what are possible strengths and areas of opportunity,” she said. “My history and connection provide a unique opportunity to draw on my memories and experiences to ensure that we remain student-centered.”

Campbell said she has positive memories of being a student at District 205 schools after starting her attendance in middle school. “Overall, I had a very positive experience as a student at both Bryan and York,” she said.

“It was difficult leaving my friends behind and transitioning to a new school community as a middle school student, but I quickly made friends and got involved. I attended a small private school from kindergarten through fifth grade, so I was initially intrigued by the size of the school and the number of students. Being an extrovert, I quickly made friends and got involved in various activities.”

While at York, Campbell participated in the Invite to Teach program, speech team, varsity cheerleading, and in both the varsity band and marching band. She also was the recipient of the school Citizenship Award during her junior year.

“I took great pride in having co-founded the REALITY club at York,” she said, adding that REALITY stood for Realizing Equality and Learning Individuality Through Youth and that the club provided a space for young people to develop their cultural and social awareness and further create a warm and inclusive school environment for all students.

While a student at York, Campbell was nominated by several teachers for the Golden Apple Scholarship, which at the time was available for only 60 students in Illinois, via a highly rigorous process to receive a scholarship to study in the field of education. “I am extremely grateful for the wonderful education, exposure, and friendships that were made throughout my journey as a D205 student,” she said.

Campbell said she wanted to be an educator “for as long as I can remember.”
“My mom often states that I have consistently said I wanted to be a teacher since preschool,” she said. While she now is the top administrator for a unit school district, Campbell said she never made a conscious decision to become an administrator rather than remaining a teacher.

She came to District 205 after most recently working as the Director of School Leadership with the Academy for Urban School Leadership in Chicago, a network of 31 schools with more than 16,000 students. AUSL is a private organization that partners with Chicago Public Schools and other districts nationally, focusing on teacher training and leadership development to help schools make significant advances in academic achievement and school climate.

“At my core, I still consider myself a teacher, and the terminology administrator focuses my support on the adults that have a direct connection to students across multiple classrooms and grade levels,” she said.

“I have been fortunate to have several professional mentors along my professional journey who saw a natural ability and talent to lead. Over the span of my career, I have had mentors and coaches invite me to join their team, their school, and the district’s literacy office due to my passion, commitment, skill, and ultimately, student outcomes and results.”

Campbell said she has most enjoyed the relationships and connections she has with staff, families, and community members throughout District 205. “Our school community knows this isn’t just a ‘job’ for me,” she said. “My investment and commitment runs extremely deep as an alum and current parent of the district.”

District 205 Board President Athena Arvanitis said the community is very fortunate to have Campbell as its superintendent. “Dr. Campbell has brought a refreshing energy and enthusiasm that permeates throughout the Elmhurst community,” Arvanitis said. “Perhaps one of her strongest attributes, Dr. Campbell’s quality leadership, is rooted in what is best for students.”

Arvanitis said Campbell leads her work by identifying where students are in their learning and creating environments in which all students have the opportunity to grow and reach their highest potential.

“Her extensive background in education has given her the tools to understand what is needed to elevate student learning,” Arvanitis said. “Her holistic approach to looking at the whole child, meeting their individual needs, and building positive relationships with staff, teachers, and the entire community has helped drive student growth.”

“From knowing what excellent teaching looks like to student support services and fiscal responsibility, Dr. Campbell is a well-rounded educational leader who leads with care and compassion for others, making her a dynamic, high-quality superintendent,” she added.
Arvanitis said Campbell was chosen as superintendent because of her leadership capacity and her experience in elevating student learning.

“Although District 205 has a sound history of being a strong educational provider, the district and community were looking for someone who could move our district forward by amplifying the opportunities available to students and ultimately maintain our high-quality educational environment,” Arvanitis said. “And she has certainly shown that the Board of Education made the right decision.”

Campbell said she was in the car with her two daughters when she received a call informing her of the decision that she had been chosen as superintendent of District 205.
“I was overcome with emotion; I cried,” she said. “Actually, my girls thought something was wrong. I said a few words, and then I was overwhelmed with emotions.

“It was truly a ‘dream come true’ moment. I was elated and a bit in shock. After a few minutes of realizing that this was not a dream, I took a few deep breaths and embraced the idea that this assignment was so much bigger than me. But, I was more than ready and capable to lead our amazing district and school community.”

Campbell said she didn’t have many specific expectations of the job when she began her role as superintendent. “I entered the role eager to learn and listen,” she said. “The Board had done a tremendous job of engaging our school community throughout the search and hiring process.

“I had some idea of what the community communicated they needed and wanted in the next superintendent. But, honestly, I wanted to connect with the hearts and minds of people and begin building a shared vision and plan for how we would move forward together as a community.”

“Honestly, my expectations were less about the job and more about the expectations I had for myself and how I wanted to consistently show up and serve our school community, coming out of two extremely difficult and divisive years due to the global pandemic, “she said.

While she has only been superintendent for just over two years, Campbell is pleased by the positive changes she has seen in that time. One of those is the alignment and clarity provided through the creation and adoption of the district’s strategic plan. “We have a common framework for what we do, why we do it, and how we will measure impact, which directly drives our yearly priorities, recommendations, and decisions,” she said.

Another improvement, Campbell said, is the collective use of student data to examine and monitor student growth and proficiency to support individual and student academic, social-emotional needs through varied programs and supports. Also, she mentioned the emphasis and importance of relationship building across the entire District 205 community, which has had significant implications on the overall district culture and climate in a positive way.

When she is away from her job, Campbell said she enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, going for a bike ride through the forest preserve, hanging out in her family’s backyard while playing music and reading a book, and watching her daughters dance at their dance studio and local dance competitions.

On the same personal note, Campbell said it was quite a memorable experience having one of her daughters begin middle school this fall. “The first day of school was an especially memorable experience for me and my family,” she said. “My daughter is walking the same halls that I walked, and to be the superintendent and have an opportunity to see her grow and experience so many of the same things that I did is a feeling that is hard to put into words.” ■