IASB Appoints Kimberly A. Small as Next Executive Director 

The Board of Directors of the Illinois Association of School Boards has announced the Association’s next Executive Director.  

Currently General Counsel and Associate Executive Director of the Office of General Counsel and Policy Services for IASB, Kimberly A. Small, J.D., will succeed Thomas E. Bertrand, Ph.D. as Executive Director on July 1, 2023. She will be the first woman and eighth full-time Executive Director in the Association’s 110-year history. The Association board of directors announced Small’s selection at its quarterly meeting on March 3.  

“Kimberly brings 17 years of association experience with her focus being member centered,” said IASB President Simon Kampwerth Jr. “Being the first female Executive Director in IASB's 110-year history, she will provide an organizational perspective which will allow for growth, and a perspective which will be the catalyst moving this association into the next decade.”  

Small began her employment at IASB in 2005. During her tenure with the Association, she has served as Policy Consultant, Assistant General Counsel, General Counsel, and Associate Executive Director, Policy Services. She is secretary of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys (ICSA). Prior to IASB she was the Supervisor of the Juvenile Courts Division in the DuPage County Public Defender's Office.  

“I have always been passionate about children receiving a quality, public education so that as they grow into adults they can make good choices for themselves, their families, and their communities,” Small said. “I am grateful for the opportunity and honored to serve the Association in a new role. I look forward to supporting IASB team leaders and staff and collaborating with external stakeholders to continue the Association’s work in Lighting the Way to excellence in local school board governance to positively impact the almost two million students that IASB members educate.”    

As Executive Director, Small will lead 68 full- and part-time staff members in the Association’s Springfield and Lombard offices. She will be responsible for Association operations and represent its positions in state and national public school policy management on behalf of 849 member districts and nearly 6,000 elected Illinois school board members.    

Small and her husband James reside in Downers Grove and have two children. Small graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1997 and earned a Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law. She is currently working towards an Executive Scholar Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Northwestern University's Kellogg Center for Nonprofit Management and is expected to receive this in 2023.  

Small will follow Bertrand, who announced his departure from IASB last fall, and in January was named the first executive director of the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA).   

“The search committee was looking for a candidate that mirrored the Board of Directors' commitment to provide excellence in school board governance,” Kampwerth said. “We are honored that Kimberly Small will be that executive director and expand our state's rich history of helping school boards in Illinois while being a collaborative voice nationally.”