Lemont High School will have a new leader July 1, when Tinley Park native Matt Maxwell joins the district as superintendent.

Maxwell is wrapping up his second school year at Central Community Unit School District 4 in east central Illinois, according to a district news release.

“His first 18 months on the job have been filled with activity, including negotiating and finalizing collective bargaining agreements with three unions, revamping human resources screening and hiring processes, securing a new district architect and overseeing an emergency repair to Central High School’s gymnasium,” the district said.

Maxwell also developed and managed the district’s annual budget and levy and serves on the boards of the Kankakee Area Career Center and Kankakee Area Special Education Cooperative, the district said.

Maxwell will replace Mary Ticknor, who is retiring after 13 years at the district. He agreed to serve under a three-year contract approved Dec. 16 with a starting salary of $192,500.

He was principal of both Grant Park Middle School and Grant Park High School for six years in Unit School District 6. Among his achievements there was securing high school students dual credit opportunities at two nearby colleges, the news release said.

“Selecting District 210’s next superintendent is one of the most important decisions the Board of Education will make, and we were fortunate to interview a pool of highly qualified candidates,” School Board President Kurt Korte said in the release. “Matt has accumulated more than a decade in educational leadership positions, and we are excited to see how his experiences will benefit our district.”

Maxwell spent the first 10 years of his career at Bradley-Bourbonnais High School in Bradley. He was a social studies teacher for six years while being an assistant coach in the baseball, football and wrestling programs. Maxwell also was a dean in his final year in the classroom, then spent four years as an assistant principal.

Maxwell is a native of Tinley Park and an alumnus of Andrew High School. He and his wife, Liz, have four children.

Maxwell earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2007 and a master’s degree in educational administration from Saint Xavier University in 2010. He also has a doctorate from Aurora University in 2021.

The next District 210 Board meeting is scheduled for Jan. 25 at 800 Porter St., Lemont.

ostevens@chicagotribune.com