Former Principal Lisa Elliott Named Greenfield Superintendent

Updated 8:55 a.m. Tuesday, April 16

The search for the Greenfield School District’s new leader has ended with a familiar face rising to the top.

Lisa Elliott, a former principal at Maple Grove Elementary School who worked for the district for 20 years, was introduced as the district’s new superintendent at a School Board meeting Monday.

"I have truly been blessed and very lucky to be a part to this district and even more blessed to come back," said Elliott, who was joined by her husband Mike, daughter Emily and son Joe.

Elliott beat out Dr. Lynette Zimmer, who has been the superintendent of Prairie Grove Consolidated School District 46 in Crystal Lake, Ill., since 2010.

Elliott has been the Director of Curriculum and Instruction of the Nicolet School District for the last two years. Her selection concludes a three-month process that began .

Nearly 20 applicants expressed interest in the opening, and of the six candidates brought in for interviews, only Elliott did not have previous experience as a superintendent.

Elliott, who received a nice ovation from a School Board meeting audience that included several principals and other district administrators, said she was honored to be named superintendent of a district she spent so much time previously serving.

“Throughout my previous 20 years with the district and most recently throughout the interview process, I’ve always been impressed with the students, staff, community members and the Board of Education and their passion for providing a high-quality education for all schools in the district,” she said. “This reality was why I was drawn to returning to the School District of Greenfield.”

Elliott said it was a privilege to serve in a K-12 district with a diverse student population such as Greenfield and plans to bring a positive attitude to her new position as she begins working with all of the district’s stakeholders.

“I look forward to getting started on new tasks, welcoming new challenges to ensure that collectively we are providing every child in the School District of Greenfield the opportunity to experience success today, tomorrow and in the future,” she said.

Elliott was the principal at Maple Grove Elementary from 2006-11, and before that was an assistant principal at Greenfield High School beginning in 2002. She also taught chemistry for 11 years at the high school, where she was the department chair. During that time, she was also a high school volleyball, basketball and track coach.

Elliott also has been an adjunct lecturer in the Administrative Leadership Program at Alverno College since 2004. She received a bachelor’s degree at Carroll College in 1990 and her masters from Alverno in 2002. She has also served on various Department of Public Instruction statewide committees.

She began work on her doctorate at Cardinal Stritch University last June.

"We believe that her experience in local school districts and her participation on various Department of Pubic Instruction statewide committees will be helpful in leading the Greenfield School District into the future as we continue to serve the educational needs of our students," School Board President Bruce Bailey said in a statement.

Bailey added the timely completion of the search to replace Farner will foster a smooth transition for Elliott, whose first official day will be July 1. Her contract runs through June 30, 2015.

Patch will update this story with more information as it becomes available.