IMSA Announces Second President --- Dr. Glenn W. "Max" McGee to Succeed Dr. Stephanie Pace Marshall
For Immediate Release, Press Release
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AURORA, IL, May 22, 2007 - The Board of Trustees of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® (IMSA), chaired by Dr. Luis Nuñez, chemist at Argonne National Laboratory, is pleased to announce that Dr. Glenn W. “Max” McGee will be the second president of IMSA.
McGee, currently superintendent of Wilmette School District 39 in Wilmette, IL, will assume his duties on July 1.
“Dr. McGee has demonstrated strong leadership, exceptional commitment and impressive results in Illinois education for 32 years,” Nuñez said. “We are delighted that our national search has resulted in the identification of a distinguished Illinois educator to lead IMSA into our third decade."
“The Board was very impressed by Dr. McGee’s credentials and his thinking about IMSA’s work and future,” Nuñez added. “We were aided significantly in our decision by the input of our Presidential Search Committee, IMSA faculty, staff, alumni, students and parents, and directors of the IMSA Fund for Advancement of Education.”
McGee said, “I am thrilled beyond words to assume the Presidency of IMSA and especially at a time when science, technology, engineering and mathematics education is back on the state and national agenda in a big way. Excellence in STEM teaching and learning is essential to ensuring near- and long-term economic vitality of Illinois and the U.S., and IMSA is well positioned to play an even greater leadership role as a result of its 20 years of bold ideas and world-class results.”
McGee, who serves on the Governor’s Illinois Educational Excellence Task Force and Task Force for Education Accountability, is chairman of the Golden Apple Foundation Board of Directors. He is an author and frequent presenter at state and national professional conferences on topics such as the achievement gap and leadership for literacy and learning.
Previously he served as state superintendent of education, senior research associate at Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies, and superintendent, principal and teacher in several school districts.
McGee’s accomplishments include leading the successful legislative initiative to incorporate the ACT into the Prairie State Examination, revamping the Teacher Retirement System leadership team and policies to improve dramatically the TRS return on investment, and conducting and publishing a scholarly research study of “Golden Spike” high performing, high poverty schools.
McGee received his B.A. in Political Science from Dartmouth College, M.A. in Educational Administration from The University of Chicago, and Ph.D. in Educational Administration from The University of Chicago.
This year, McGee served as an external member of the IMSA Strategic Planning Team, helping craft the institution’s strategic plan for 2007-2012. The Board of Trustees is scheduled to take action on the proposed plan and on McGee’s appointment as IMSA’s second president on May 23.
A resident of Lake Barrington, IL, McGee will succeed Dr. Stephanie Pace Marshall of Wheaton, IL, who steps down as IMSA’s president on June 30. Marshall, who has led IMSA since it opened in 1986, will become president emeritus and continue to advance and position IMSA as an active volunteer.
“Dr. Marshall has served with great distinction as our founding president,” Nuñez said. “Her passion for our work, her expertise in learning and talent development, and her broad and deep networks and contacts will continue to be tremendous assets for IMSA and the State of Illinois going forward.”
The internationally recognized Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® (IMSA) develops creative, ethical leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As a teaching and learning laboratory created by the State of Illinois, IMSA enrolls academically talented Illinois students (grades 10-12) in its advanced, residential college preparatory program, and it serves thousands of educators and students in Illinois and beyond through innovative instructional programs that foster imagination and inquiry. IMSA also advances education through research, groundbreaking ventures and strategic partnerships. (www.imsa.edu)