David Conrad, Ed.D.

Ed.D. in Educational Organization and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2018)

Graduate Certificate in Legal Aspects of Education, University of Illinois at Springfield (2009)

M.A. in Educational Administration, Governors State University (2004)

MMEd in Music Education, Illinois State University (1999)

BSME in Music Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1996)

Dr. David Conrad joined the faculty of Governors State University in 2018 and served six years as Program Coordinator of Educational Administration, successfully leading the program through two Specialized Program Accreditation (SPA) reviews. He teaches graduate courses for aspiring school leaders and supervises principal leadership interns. From 2024-2027, he served as Assistant Dean in the College of Education and Human Development, supporting faculty with new program development and policy reform. He is a two-time recipient of the Faculty Connection, Collaboration, and Celebration Award.

Dr. Conrad’s scholarship focuses on education policy and leadership preparation. He has contributed articles to several journals, including the International Journal of Educational Reform, Leadership and Policy in Schools, Journal of School Administration Research and Development, International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, Journal of Education Human Resources, Phi Kappa Phi Forum, NFHS Music Journal, and The Irish Music Teacher. He has presented his scholarship at conferences for the International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership (ICPEL), University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA), American Educational Research Association (AERA), Education Law Association (ELA), Illinois Principals Association (IPA), Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), and Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA). Additionally, he serves as president of the Illinois Council of Professors of Educational Administration and on the national boards of both ELA and ICPEL. 

Dr. Conrad advocates for educators and collective bargaining. As a member of the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) Local 4100, he serves as a Trustee and member of the House of Delegates. At GovState, he serves on the local chapter’s executive board, negotiating team, and communication team. During his public school career, he was a two-term union president for the Manteno Education Association, served on the Illinois Education Association (IEA) Region 44 board, and was a four-term elected delegate to the National Education Association (NEA) Representative Assembly. He has negotiated on several collective bargaining teams for both labor and management, specializing in salary and benefits.

Dr. Conrad presents research and best practices at state and national education conferences, including sessions for the Education Law Association (ELA), International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership (ICPEL), University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA), American Educational Research Association (AERA), Illinois Principals Association (IPA), Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), and Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA). His articles have appeared in the International Journal of Educational Reform, Leadership and Policy in Schools, Phi Kappa Phi Forum, National Federation of High Schools Music Journal, and Irish Music Teacher. He also reviews articles for peer-reviewed education journals. 

During a 22-year public school career, Dr. Conrad taught music for 10 years. He was known as a master teacher of beginning bands and founder of the “The Main Event” show choir competition at Manteno (IL) High School. In 2018, the Manteno Show Choir Boosters honored Dr. Conrad by naming the Grand Champion trophy in his honor. For twelve years, Dr. Conrad served as a building principal at a 680-student middle school. Among his leadership accomplishments, Manteno Middle School implemented an early 1:1 Chromebook program and served as a model training site for other school districts. For this pioneering work, the Iroquois-Kankakee Administrators Association awarded him the Alan G. Lemon Award of Excellence in 2015. He also supported the district in various business management roles, including tax levy creation, building construction and demolition projects, analyzing financial projections and bond ratings, and negotiating collective bargaining agreements with his expertise in salary and benefits. He served two terms as president of the Kan-Will Conference and served as their scheduling coordinator. 

Dr. Conrad continues his passion for music education by conducting the River Valley Wind Ensemble, directing a church choir, and emceeing summer band concerts and show choir competitions. He performs on trombone in various brass and jazz ensembles. He judges school music contests in marching band, concert band, and choir throughout Illinois and the Midwest. He is a proud inductee into the Phi Kappa Phi and Kappa Delta Pi honor societies.

Conrad, D. L. (2026). Say what you score and score what you say: Crafting legally defensible evaluations. Law & Policy in Schools, 2(1), 20-22. https://www.educationlaw.org/lapis

Conrad, D. L. (2025). Beyond teacher leadership: Enhancing educator career pathways with individual contributors. International Journal of Educational Reform. https://doi.org/10.1177/10567879251326545

Conrad, D. L., Smith, C., & Howell, G. L. (2025). Mock interviews: A win-win partnership for districts and pre-service educators. Journal of Education Human Resources, 43(4), 763-767. https://utppublishing.com/doi/10.3138/jehr-2023-0055

Sharp, S., & Conrad, D. L. (2025). Developing a classroom to support culturally responsive teaching: A culturally responsive aspiring teacher assignment. Journal of Applied Disciplines, 3(1), 1-51. https://opus.govst.edu/jad/vol3/iss1/1

Wagner, A. B., & Conrad, D. L. (2025). Stress and burnout: Voices of Illinois educators. Illinois School Board Journal, 93(4), 20-23. https://www.iasb.com/about-us/publications/journal/2025-illinois-school-board-journal/july-august-2025/stress-and-burnout-voices-of-illinois-educators/

Conrad, D. L., & Hackmann, D. G. (2022). Implications of Illinois teacher evaluation reforms: Insights from principals. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 21(3), 565-584. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2020.1802761

Conrad, D. L., & Klomes, J. (2021). Reform under turbulence: Leveraging accreditation for improvement of principal preparation programs. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 16(1), 106-121. https://www.icpel.org/uploads/1/5/6/2/15622000/ijelp_volume_16_number_1__spring_2021_.pdf

Conrad, D. L. (2020). Reexamining “perfect” attendance in schools. Journal of School Administration Research and Development, 5(S1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.32674/jsard.v5iS1.2614