Adrian B. Talley accepts a gift from the Stamford Board of Education after being named the new superintendent of Stamford Public Schools on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
STAMFORD — The superintendent of an Illinois school district with roughly 26,000 students was named the new leader of Stamford Public Schools Tuesday night.
Adrian B. Talley, who is finishing his sixth year as the superintendent of Indian Prairie School District 204 in Illinois, was unanimously approved by the Stamford Board of Education as the new superintendent, replacing outgoing Superintendent Tamu Lucero. Lucero will stay in her role through the end of June and then become director of the International School of Kenya, a private school in Nairobi.
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After Talley was appointed the new superintendent, Lucero offered him her chair to deliver his first remarks as leader of the school system.
“Whenever there is a change in leadership everyone wants to know what does this mean?” Talley said. “What will be the actions of the new superintendent? I come into this position as a collaborative person. I come wanting to partner, I come ready to engage with you as you help me to ensure the success of our children.”
Talley thanked his parents for instilling in him a love of learning.
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“To the greater community of Stamford Public Schools, I believe this district is a great district,” Talley said. “I come to this position hoping to enhance the great work that has been done and continue to move the district to higher levels.”
The new district leader will officially join Stamford Public Schools, which has a population of just over 15,000 students, on July 1 on a three-year term.
As the superintendent of Indian Prairie School District 204, Talley oversaw three high schools, seven middle schools, 21 elementary schools, one preschool and one alternative high school from the communities of Aurora, Bolingbrook, Plainfield and Naperville, according to the district’s website.
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A press release from Stamford Public Schools states that Talley is known for his “strategic acumen, collaborative approach, and commitment to student equity, achievement, and well-being.”
“Adrian B. Talley is a community-centered educational leader with decades of experience guiding large suburban, urban, and global public-school systems,” the release reads.
As a superintendent in Illinois, Talley was named the the DuPage County 2025 Educator of the Year and also won the 2023 DuPage NAACP Education Award and the Dr. Scott J. Helton Excellence in Educational Leadership Award.
Prior to his current role, Talley was the director of community schools and executive director of student services for Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland. Before that, he served military families as the principal deputy director and associate director of education for the Department of Defense Education Activity, a federal school system headquartered in Virginia.
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“In this role, he was the second-in-command of a global school system serving 84,000 children in 181 schools throughout the world,” the press release read.
Talley also spent six years in Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland as a community superintendent and associate superintendent.
Stamford’s new superintendent began his education career as an elementary school teacher in Fairfax County, Va.,ig and later was an assistant principal and principal at elementary schools in Maryland and New York.
“In addition to his work as a school district leader, Dr. Talley has helped shape future generations of educators as an instructor at American University and The George Washington University, where he taught graduate-level courses focused on effective leadership,” the press release read.
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Talley has a bachelor of science in elementary education from the University of Virginia, a master of arts in higher education administration from Boston College and a doctor of education degree in education administration and policy from The George Washington University.
Talley emerged as the finalist for the Stamford superintendent job out of a field of 27 candidates from 11 different states. That group was whittled down to six semifinalists in March.
The Board of Education conducted in-person interviews with all of the finalists, who also underwent a vetting process that included background checks by consultant firm Zeal Education Group.
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Zeal hosted 74 community meetings that helped build a blueprint for the ideal candidate. The job posting for the position went up in January and the leadership profile developed by Zeal called for a candidate who will be visible as the new superintendent, as well as “emotionally intelligent” and engaged with the community.
