District 214’s Lopez to head foundation, Wheeling principal promoted
There will be turnover in the top administrative ranks at Arlington Heights-based Northwest Suburban High School District 214 in the new year.
Longtime administrator Laz Lopez — a co-interim superintendent for a brief stint, the associate superintendent for teaching and learning since 2013, and Wheeling High School principal and John Hersey High School teacher for the 13 years before that — will become executive director of the District 214 Education Foundation. He will also oversee the district’s Center for Career Discovery, effective July 1, 2025.
He’ll get a pay bump with the new gig, from $248,439 to $262,745.
The foundation, which is the district’s nonprofit charitable wing supporting student scholarships and other causes, has been without an executive director since Michael Happ joined Chicago-based LINK Unlimited Scholars as vice president of advancement over the summer.
The career center, which pairs students with apprenticeships, internships and other work-based learning experiences, is an outgrowth of the district’s Career Pathways program that Lopez helped create.
Lopez, who has also been chair of the Illinois Community College Board since 2015, is set to retire from District 214 in June 2027, officials announced.
His replacement as associate superintendent — charged with overseeing all academic programming for nearly 12,000 students at six high schools — will be Bradford Hubbard, the current Wheeling principal. His new salary hasn’t been set, but he’s currently making $211,064.
“Dr. Hubbard’s ability to build relationships and inspire collaboration has had a transformative impact on the Wheeling community,” Superintendent Scott Rowe said in a statement. “We are confident that his expertise and passion for public education will strengthen our district’s instructional programs and continue to drive innovation.”
Hubbard was the Antioch Elementary District 34 superintendent for two years before exiting his contract early to become Wheeling principal in 2022. He spent nearly three years as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at Antioch Community High School District 117, and four years as principal at Antioch High School. He started his career in 2002 as a Chicago Public Schools science teacher.
A job posting for Hubbard’s successor went live last Friday.
District officials are also looking for a new associate superintendent for business services, after Tim Keeley announced his resignation effective June 30, 2025. Keeley, hired in 2023, will continue in his role through the end of the school year to ensure “a smooth transition and continued progress on key initiatives,” officials said.