Dr. Connie (Welsh) Neale is superintendent of Illinois School District U-46 in Elgin. When Dr. (Welsh) Neale assumed that position in 2002, the district was financially bankrupt, and many of its schools were at risk of being sanctioned by the state for academic deficiencies. During Dr. (Welsh) Neale's tenure, the district became solvent and student test scores improved dramatically. Says Dr. (Welsh) Neale: "The future of public education is at stake and we can make a difference in that battle." Previously, Dr. (Welsh) Neale served as superintendent of the Wichita Falls School District in Wichita Falls, Texas, earning a Texas Education Agency Recognized District rating in 2000. During her tenure there, the district was recognized by the Dana Center and the Texas Universities as one of four Texas school districts that were most effective in raising the achievement of impoverished and minority children. Dr. (Welsh) Neale also served as assistant superintendent of elementary education, personnel, and curriculum for the Conroe Independent School District in Conroe, Texas and as principal of Collins Intermediate School in Houston. As a former principal of Greenwood and Brookridge Elementary Schools and Antioch Middle School in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, Dr. (Welsh) Neale began a career-long pursuit as a catalyst for educational reform, focusing upon partnerships between parents, community members and the schools. Dr. (Welsh) Neale was named Administrator of the Year by the Shawnee Mission Administration Association in 1990. In 1989, Brookridge was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.
1989 PhD. University of Kansas
1976 University of Kansas, M.S.
