District 58 superintendent earns prestigious recognition

Downers Grove Grade School District 58 Superintendent Kevin Russell was named the 2024 Superintendent of Distinction by his colleagues in the DuPage Region of the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA).

Russell, who was appointed superintendent of District 58 in 2019, will be honored by the IASA at an awards ceremony in Springfield in April. He also was honored by his DuPage County colleagues at a luncheon.

“I am truly honored and humbled by this award. I’m very grateful to work alongside so many talented superintendents in DuPage County and am thankful every day to work with such a committed group of families, staff, students and Board of Education,” Rusell said in a news release.

“The Board is ecstatic to see Dr. Kevin Russell honored for his service to the district and we offer our heartfelt congratulations on being named the 2024 Superintendent of Distinction for DuPage County,” said Board of Education President Darren Hughes. “It is a privilege to have such a visionary leader guiding our district. We are immensely proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition with him.”

Dr. Russell, who began his career in District 58 as a teacher, has been an educator for 24 years. Before joining District 58, he served as superintendent of Chicago Ridge School District 127.5 and previously held several administrative roles in School District 181 in Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills, including assistant superintendent of learning, director of curriculum, assessment and instruction, and principal and assistant principal.

Russell has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Francis, an executive board member for the South Cook County IASA and an executive board member for the Superintendents’ Roundtable of Northern Illinois. He is a presenter at major education conferences and most recently was inducted into the Educational League of Illinois (ELI), a 142-year-old educational organization of distinguished educational leaders who promote learning, share collective expertise and advance educational interests in Illinois.

Russell earned his doctor of education degree and his administrative certificate in educational leadership from Aurora University. He also earned a master of education degree in curriculum and instruction from National-Louis University, a bachelor’s degree in history from Northern Illinois University. He completed a fellowship at the Illinois School for Advanced Leadership.

A graduate of Downers Grove North, Russell lives in Lisle with his wife and their seven children.