Eight candidates have filed petitions to run for four seats on the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 board in the upcoming municipal election. In District 202, only three incumbents have filed petitions, while the fourth seat remains open.

The filing period for board elections, Dec. 14 to Dec. 21, has passed, and the election will be held April 6. Below is a list of all confirmed candidates.

DISTRICT 65

Angela Blaising: Blaising is the vice president of capital markets at Hyatt Hotels Corporation and a mother of two D65 middle schoolers. In an interview with the Democratic Party of Evanston, she said her background in finance would help her balance the district’s budget and strategies for safely reopening schools immediately. Blaising emphasized that she believes in safely reopening schools, and that doing so is the equitable choice for supporting Black and brown students, who have been disproportionately academically affected by remote learning.

Joseph “Joey” Hailpern: Hailpern, who lives in the Walker Elementary community, is a school principal in Lake County and the father of four children. He has served on the D65 board since 2017 and is the chair of the finance committee. According to his campaign Facebook page, Hailpern believes fiscal responsibility helps maintain the long-term health and safety of the school district. In an interview with the Democratic Party of Evanston, Hailpern said he wants to open schools for students who need it, but also supports students who want to stay in remote learning.

Soo La Kim: Kim has over 20 years of teaching and administrative experience in higher education, and is currently the assistant dean of graduate programs in the School of Professional Studies at Northwestern University. Kim, who is a founding member of Lincoln Elementary School’s equity committee, is running on a platform of supporting vulnerable students and advocating for more diverse hiring in D65 schools. Kim filled a vacancy on the board in April 2020, and is running to keep her position.

Elisabeth “Biz” Lindsay-Ryan: Lindsay-Ryan is an equity, diversity and inclusion consultant, trainer, and professor. As a consultant, she has helped groups prioritize equity, diversity and inclusion into curriculums, facilitations and policy evaluations. Lindsay-Ryan leads the PTA Equity Project, which reallocates funds from the highest revenue D65 PTAs to other D65 schools. An incumbent board member, she was appointed in August 2019.

Ndona Muboyayi: Muboyayi is a D65/D202 alum, parent, and fifth-generation Evanstonian. A financial business consultant, she is also on the civic engagement committee of the Evanston NAACP. In an interview with the Democratic Party of Evanston, Muboyayi emphasized reallocating virtual learning resources to parents of students with IEPs and learning differences.

Donna Wang Su: Su is the associate director of operations/program manager and adjunct lecturer for the Farley Center at Northwestern. Within the district Su is the district’s PTA Council president and serves on the PTA Equity Project enrichment committee. According to her website, she will bring fiscal management skills and data-driven education decisions to the Board.

Kate Magrino Voorhees: In an email to the Daily, Voorhees (Bienen ‘01, SESP ‘05) emphasized the importance of reopening D65 as soon as possible, balancing the D65 budget and addressing declining test scores throughout the district. Vorhees, who has studied child development and trauma-informed care, also said keeping schools closed has disproportionately harmed Black and brown students.

Marquise Weatherspoon: In an interview with the Democratic Party of Evanston, Weatherspoon discussed consistent engagement with school when hybrid learning starts, better communication about school budgeting and developing equitable policies. The lifelong Evanston resident also said that while she understands the importance of in-person learning, the district made the safe choice for family members, teachers and staff by remaining closed.

DISTRICT 202

Gretchen Livingston: Livingston is a former partner with Jenner & Block with a practice in environmental litigation, and a mother to two ETHS graduates. She has served on both the finance and policy committees and the joint D202/D65 committee. Livingston was first elected to the board in 2009, and served as president from 2013 to 2015.

Patricia Maunsell: Maunsell (SESP ‘92) has more than 20 years of nonprofit management experience and is currently the CEO of M2 Communications Consulting, a public education communication firm. She is a mother to two ETHS grads. Maunsell was first elected to the board in 2017 and is running to retain her seat.

Pat Savage-Williams: Savage-Williams is a high school special education coordinator and parent to two ETHS graduates. She has been involved in the Evanston community as a staff member and facilitator for the National SEED Project (Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity), a board member for the Learning Bridge Early Education Center and a Girl Scout co-leader. Savage-Williams, the current board president, was first elected to the board in 2013 and is running to retain her seat.

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