Dr. Jim F. Chadwell is in his 14th year of serving as Superintendent in ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÉç. During his tenure, the district has grown from 23 schools and 16,600 students to 31 campuses and a student enrollment of more than 23,400. Under his leadership, the district has worked to strategically plan for future growth while increasing programs and opportunities for students at all grade levels through a community-designed strategic plan, first known as Aspire 2022, then Aspire 2025, and now progressed to Aspire 2027.
Dr. Chadwell was born in Fort Worth and attended the Fort Worth and Birdville schools, graduating from Richland High School. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees all from Texas Christian University. During his 31-year education career, he has served in various teaching and administrative roles including teacher, coach, high school principal, and executive director for elementary and secondary instruction in Northwest ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÉç. Prior to coming to EMS ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÉç as Superintendent, he served as Deputy Superintendent for Grapevine-Colleyville ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÉç. His education leadership experiences also include a teaching internship in Hamburg, Germany, and Fulbright Scholarship in Altötting, Germany.
He has earned many honors during his tenure, including being selected as 2023 Region 11 Superintendent of the Year, High School Principal of the Year by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals and the Saginaw Citizen of the Year. He also is active with various civic and professional organizations. He currently serves as secretary of the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Education Foundation, board member of Blue Ribbon Schools, Inc., board member for Junior Achievement, board member for The Equity Center, advisory board member for Community Link Mission, and member of the Board of Visitors of the School of Education at Texas Christian University. In addition, he holds a Lifetime membership in the Texas PTA and is an honorary member of the EMS Retired School Employee Association.
Dr. Chadwell is a lifelong education leader who believes in the power of public education as a great equalizer for all children, regardless of backgrounds or circumstances. He is a tireless advocate for Texas public schools and a champion for the 5.7-plus million children it serves. He and his wife, Julie, have been married for 24 years. Julie is a clinical social worker and they have two children, Graeson and Emerson, who both graduated from EMS ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÉç and now attend Texas A&M University.
