Belvidere introduces Dr. Daniel Woestman as new school superintendent

By C.L. Smith
Reporter
BELVIDERE – The Belvidere School Board put together a meet-and-greet for newly announced Belvidere school superintendent Dr. Daniel Woestman.
Members of the Belvidere community were given the chance to meet their new superintendent on Tuesday, Jan. 2, in the Belvidere High School Performance Arts Center lobby. Around 100 people attended the welcome reception to introduce themselves and to congratulate Dr. Woestman on his new position.
“I had hoped we would have a good turnout, but obviously, I didn’t have any expectations,” Dr. Woestman said. “It just goes to show the strength of this community and how much they care.”
Some big names were on hand to show their support, including school board president Robert Torbert and Boone County state’s attorney hopeful Tricia Smith.
Dr. Woestman left his position with the Rockford School District, where he oversaw strategic planning. Prior to that, he worked as an English teacher as well as assistant principal in the Hononegah district. His education includes a bachelor’s from Brigham Young University, his master’s from the University of Cincinnati, and his doctorate from Northern Illinois University.
Woestman was one of 30 candidates considered for the position, and after months of focus groups, surveys, and interviews conducted by the Board of Education, Daniel was selected to fill the opening left by previous superintendent Michael Houselog. Houselog vacated the position to become director of graduate programs in education at Rockford University.
“Dr. Woestman stood out among a group of well-qualified candidates interviewed by the Board of Education,” Torbert said in a press release. “We were impressed with his enthusiasm and vision for our students and are excited about the future of Belvidere schools.”
With the warm reception over, Woestman plans on jumping in and getting to work, but it doesn’t include a lot of talking.
“You know, one thing that I say often is, there’s a lot of people in the world that want to talk and few that want to listen. And I think I am going to take the next couple months and make sure that I’m listening to people, and that’s going to be a real strength I hope that I bring to the district, is a willingness to listen,” Dr. Woestman said.
Dr. Woestman will officially begin his duties as superintendent on July 1, 2016. His contract terms are three-years with an initial salary of $175,000.