Madison County Regional Superintendent of Schools Sworn In for Second Term

EDWARDSVILLE - Robert Werden, the Madison County Regional Superintendent of Schools, was sworn in Monday morning to begin his second term.

In Werden’s speech, he thanked many people in the Madison County Regional Office of Education as well as other local educators and program leaders.

“I truly do love my job,” Werden said. “I love working for the taxpayer and I love working for the residents of Madison County.”

He noted that he titled his speech “I Love My Job” and joked that he appreciates the people who work with him, especially those who deal with the “crazy parents [and] crazy administrators.”

Dr. Tricia Blackard was sworn in as the assistant regional superintendent. Blackard previously served as the assistant principal at Collinsville High School. Judge Amy Maher performed the ceremony.

“It’s a joy to wake up every day and be excited to go to work,” Blackard said.

Werden thanked a long list of attendees, including his wife Nancy, his children Bobby and Remington, his sisters, his mother and two of his own teachers. He took a moment to speak directly to his staff at the Madison County Regional Office of Education, calling them out by name and eliciting laughter from the crowd as he praised them.

“You all make it your mission every day to make me look good and make our county look good, and you do a great job every day. I can’t thank you enough,” Werden said. “Not one day goes by that I don’t hear laughter in our office. I hear laughter, and a lot of the time it’s because Tammy [Kruse] has told a borderline inappropriate joke, but there are other reasons, too. We have fun, we get the job done and we enjoy each other’s company. That is rare these days.”

Werden grew up in Madison County and previously taught agriculture at Staunton High School. He started his first term as the county’s regional superintendent in 2019, and he expressed his appreciation for the people he has worked with throughout his term and the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Werden reflected on his first term, he said that he improved the relationships between his office and Lewis and Clark Community College and Southwestern Illinois College. He has worked with Southern Illinois University to recruit teaching students, and he noted that they are working with local businesses to gauge what they want from employees so that schools can guide Madison County graduates.

Werden said that more projects are in the works and he is excited to embark on his second term as Madison County Regional Superintendent.

“I really do enjoy working for the county,” Werden said. “As a lifelong resident of Madison County, I’ve seen the impact county government can have on the quality of life for residents. My goal is to provide a top-notch financially responsible public service to our residents, and I believe our schools are doing that. People are moving to this county for our schools.”

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