Dr. Steven Isoye was appointed as the Chair of the Illinois State Board of Education by Governor JB Pritzker in 2022. His term will expire in January 2027. Dr. Isoye is a retired educator having worked in Illinois high schools for 37 years—from science teacher to department chair, curriculum leader, principal, and superintendent. Most recently, he served from 2016 to 2022 as superintendent of Niles Township High School District 219 in Skokie, where he oversaw the development of curricular and programmatic changes as well as the district’s work to develop and secure technology infrastructure.
Dr. Isoye was previously superintendent of Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 in Oak Park from 2010 to 2016. He earned his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb in 2011.
Dr. Isoye served on the Board of Trustees for the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy from 1998-2021, including as chair for four years, and on ISBE’s State Assessment Review Committee and Performance Evaluation Advisory Council. When the pandemic hit, he became a member of the Illinois Association of School Administrators’ COVID-19 SWAT team to assist district leaders throughout the state.
Among his many honors, Dr. Isoye was named Illinois High School Principal of the Year in 2010, Illinois Teacher of the Year in 1998, and 1997 Milken Educator.