CHAMPAIGN COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT #4

The Champaign Unit 4 Board of Education is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Judy Wiegand as the next Superintendent for Champaign Unit 4 Schools. The Board successfully completed the finalist interviews during the week of December 12, and after careful review of all of the input from community and staff members, the Board agreed that Dr. Wiegand best fit the profile developed by the community to lead this District.

Dr. Wiegand has served in the Champaign Unit 4 School District since 1987, beginning as a special education teacher. Since that time she has also served as Dean of Students, Assistant Principal and Principal of Centennial High School, and Director of Secondary Education, Assessment, and Professional Development. She currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Achievement and Pupil Services. Dr. Wiegand earned her Doctorate in Education and Organizational Leadership from the University of Illinois in 2003.

Board of Education president Sue Grey said, "Judy has a great vision for what this District can become, and much of that is based on her unique perspective of where we have been for the last 25 years. We are very fortunate to have a leader with her level of experience and commitment as the first female Superintendent in Unit 4 history. She is the right person to lead us into the future."

The Board of Education interviewed nine initial candidates. Three finalists were interviewed during the week of December 12. Candidates were interviewed based on the profile developed by the search firm developed from over 1,000 responses to the community survey distributed by the Board at the beginning of the search process.

A community committee was directly involved in the interview process. In addition, several more groups representing the community participated in the interview process including representatives of the City of Champaign, the Chamber of Commerce, the University of Illinois and Parkland College. Teams representing Unit 4 staff members also interviewed the candidates.

The Board of Education is very pleased with the selection of the next person to lead this District. According to Board President Grey, "Dr. Wiegand received strong support by the members of the community and staff members during the interview process. I am thankful to our community and to those who work at Unit 4 who gave their time and energy to making this process work. I am proud of our Board, and how we came together to do what's best for the students of our district."