Meet the Board
Board Member Bios
Board President Joseph Ruffner
Term expires 2025:
Mr. Ruffner has resided in Skokie since 2013, where he and his wife Jen have two daughters, one attending Old Orchard and one attending Niles North High School. An active volunteer, he has chaired the Jane Stenson silent auction, helps raise money annually with Unconditional Giving, and participates in community theater at Devonshire Playhouse.
Vice President Katrina Bell-Jordan, PhD.
Term expires 2027:
Dr. Bell-Jordan has resided in District 68 since 2003. She and her husband have a child who attended District 68 schools and graduated from Niles North High School. Dr. Bell-Jordan currently serves as President of Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, and is Professor of Communication, Media and Theatre.
Secretary Jeffrey Sterbenc
Term expires 2027:
Jeffrey Sterbenc has resided in District 68 since 2012. He and his wife have three children who attended elementary and junior high school in District 68 who now attend Niles North High School. Mr. Sterbenc is a supervising attorney at the Cook County Office of the Public Guardian, and he is also the Public Guardian's Director of Community Outreach for their Juvenile Division.
Member Maeydah Hayat
Term expires 2025:
Maeydah Hayat grew up in Morton Grove and has been a Skokie resident since 2013. She and her husband have four children, two that currently attend Old Orchard Jr. High and another at Jane Stenson. The youngest will soon join community schools in the district. Ms. Hayat received her bachelor’s in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she attained her certification in teaching and then went further on to receive certification in ELL. Ms. Hayat brings experience from extensively traveling and teaching English abroad, where she has worked with community members and educators to strengthen community relations.
Member Noelle Sullivan, Ph.D.
Term expires 2025:
Dr. Noelle Sullivan has been a resident of District 68 since 2012. She received a BA in anthropology and history, an MA in African and African American Studies, and an MA and Ph.D. in anthropology. She has two children attending Old Orchard Junior High, and one child who attended D68 and Niles North High school who recently graduated. Dr. Sullivan is faculty at Northwestern University in the Program in Global Health Studies.
Member Anne Warshaw
Term expires 2025:
Annie Warshaw resides in D68 (Devonshire) with her husband and is a proud Dolphin parent. She currently has one student at Devonshire and two more who will join the community in a few years. Annie currently works for Leadership for Educational Equity and serves as their Director, National Candidate Recruitment and Development. She is a serial entrepreneur with a track record of helping build mission driven companies. Due to her work in her businesses and education she is an expert in mindfulness for children and has done extensive work to shift the landscape of SEL support. She is also a former Gender Studies Professor at Roosevelt University. Prior to founding her companies she taught second grade and high school on the southside of Chicago. When she is not working, she volunteers her time with a number of social justice and political organizations in the Chicagoland area.
Member Emily Lonigro
Term expires : 2027
Emily Lonigro resides in District 68, where she lives with her wife and three children, two of whom are in the District's schools. She has been a social justice-focused entrepreneur since 2004. Emily is the President of LimeRed, a Certified B Corporation, WBE and LGBT social impact branding agency, and Co-founder of Even Made, teaching home construction skills "to everyone else". Previously, was an entrepreneurial mentor at 2112 and 1871 for many years and has taught in the Media department at Columbia College.
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