Terry R. Wells

Director Wells currently serves as Mayor of the Village of Phoenix.  He was elected in 1993 and is presently in his eighth term in office, making him the longest-serving African American mayor in the State of Illinois. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of South Suburban College and is President of the South Suburban Regional Mayoral Black Caucus. In 2010 he served as President of South Suburban Mayors and Managers. 

In May 2018, Wells retired from Thornton High School where he worked as a History teacher and Work Based Coordinator. In 2019, he was the recipient of The Jefferson Award for Academic Excellence by a Teacher. In November 2019 he was inducted into Thornton High School Hall of Fame. In 2021, he was named as one of the Chicago Defender’s Men of Excellence.  

Director Wells is a graduate of Illinois State University and holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in education.  Terry and his wife Loretta, life-long residents of the Village of Phoenix, have been married for 39 years and have three children.

On Pace's Board of Directors, he represents South Suburban Cook County. He has served on the Pace Board since 2005.