Board of Education Members:
(L to R: William Bazianos, Board Vice President Rosanne Ullman, Michael Knippen, Board President Jeffrey Greengoss, Rick Zelinsky, Henry Kingwill, and Sherry Wallingford)
Joseph Porto, Superintendent and Board Secretary
Board Member Bios
William S. Bazianos (Member) – My wife, Patrice, and I are Glenview residents and the parents of two children. Stephan, age 11, is in sixth grade at Marie Murphy School, and Harrison, age 7, is in second grade at Avoca West Elementary School. I continue to coach soccer in the Wilmette Park District and baseball in the Wilmette Baseball Association. I earned my Bachelor’s degree from DePaul University and my Juris Doctor’s degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. I have been practicing law for more than 16 years. I am a corporate and transactional attorney and a partner in a Chicago law firm. I concentrate my practice in business transactions, including real estate acquisitions, sales and financing, as well as corporate, partnership and limited liability transactions, and day-to-day operations and financing. I believe my legal background and my negotiating skills benefit the School Board. I am working with the other Board members to ensure that the Avoca School District continues to maintain its goal, which is to maximize the unique potential of each child that is served, and taxpayers receive the most for their tax dollars.
Jeffrey A. Greengoss (President) – My wife, Donna, and I are 27-year Avoca residents. We have sent four children through the Avoca School system and have been involved in numerous volunteer activities and committees. I am a retired futures, options and securities trader and have been a member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange since 1970. I am currently in my ninth year on the Avoca Board of Education. I have served as chairman of the Finance Committee and Negotiations Committee, as vice president and, most recently, was elected board president. I also served on the 2003 and 2007 District Technology Committees that brought so many exciting and effective technology initiatives to Avoca. My desire is for the school district to always maintain the delicate balance of providing the highest quality education for our children while being fiscally responsible to our taxpayers.
Henry Kingwill (Member) – My wife, Denise Kamberis-Kingwill, and I are Glenview residents and the parents of two children ages 6 and 11. My son, Henry, is currently a second-grader at Avoca West, and my daughter, Sophia, is a seventh-grader at Marie Murphy School. My undergraduate degree was earned from Drake University, where I majored in corporate finance and accounting. I am the publisher/owner of a local publishing company that I started up 12 years ago with my brother. Prior to this venture, I served as a police officer at the Skokie Police Department for five years. I am also a martial arts instructor for over twenty years and head instructor for a training center in Northbrook. I am a certified referee through the USAT, which is the governing body for the United States Olympic Committee. With my unique business background and many years of public service, I hope to bring a new perspective to the many issues facing the Board.
Michael S. Knippen (Member) – My wife, Anne Nagle, M.D., and I are Wilmette residents and the parents of two children currently attending Marie Murphy School. Jamie, age 11, is in sixth grade, and Michael, age 13, is in eighth grade. I earned my Bachelor’s degree from St. Norbert College and my Juris Doctor’s degree from DePaul University. I have been a practicing lawyer for more than 25 years. Currently, I am a corporate trial lawyer and partner in a Chicago law firm. As an attorney, I have represented individuals and companies on employment law issues. As a partner, I am a business owner who deals with budgetary issues on an ongoing basis. My professional affiliations include the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, Society of Trial Lawyers, Defense Research Institute, and the Chicago Bar Association. I believe the school board works together with the administration to effectively coordinate the overall strategy for the school district and acts in an oversight capacity for all of the important components of the district – students, teachers, administrators, and voters – so that the goal of providing quality education within the constraints of the district’s budget can be achieved.
Rosanne M. Ullman (Vice President) – This is my second term on the Avoca District 37 Board of Education, and I am currently serving as board vice-president. On the board, my committee work has included Community Relations, Language Arts Curriculum Development, and Food Services. I also participated in the creation of the district’s current strategic plan. I have lived in Wilmette with my husband, Keevan Morgan, since 1977 and in District 37 since 1984, where our three now grown daughters attended school from kindergarten through 8th grade before continuing on to graduate from New Trier High School. While my girls attended school in District 37, I was an officer and active member of the Parents’ and Teachers’ Club, as well as a room mother. Professionally, I am a freelance writer and editor with various corporate and trade publication clients and a faculty member at New Trier Extension, where I teach an adult education class in grammar and business writing.
Sherry L. Wallingford (Member) – My husband, Daniel, and I are longtime Wilmette residents and the parents of three children ages 17, 21, and 24. All three children attended Avoca followed by New Trier. Now, two of them are in college and one is in graduate school. During their years at Avoca, I participated in the typical parental volunteer opportunities and was the co-founder and sponsor of the Avoca Chess Club. I have been a member of the Avoca School Board for the past 7 years and have served in the capacity of Vice President and President. In terms of my career, I worked for many years as a home health nurse. Over the past two years I have transitioned into a senior management role as the Senior Manager of Education for the National Association for Healthcare Quality and the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses. I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve our community. In all decisions that I make on the board, I embrace our mission ”to maximize the unique potential of each child we serve,” balanced with the board’s fiduciary responsibility to our community.
Rick Zelinsky (Member) – My wife, Faith, and I are Northfield residents for the past nine years and are parents of two sons. Adam is a 6th grader at Marie Murphy and Noah is a 4th grader at Avoca West. I am a technology professional by trade and, for the past twenty years, have been fascinated by the unprecedented growth in availability, adoption and advancement of technology. My initial involvement with District 37 began in 2003 as a parent representative for the District 37 Technology Committee. As a cross-functional team, we established the original long-term technology plan for the district, involving one of the most progressive initiatives (1:1 student-to-laptop) in district history. I look forward to sharing my industry insights around technology to realize its full potential in the educational experience. My priorities for District 37 are quite simple: Continue to provide an excellent education to the entire student body; maintain fiscally responsible spending practices; expand students’ potential with innovative teaching methods; use of technology; and an expanded curriculum. Faith and I have been actively involved in many aspects of our children’s Avoca experience, and, as a new board member, I intend to share my business and parenting experiences to ensure District 37 continues to provide the best possible education.
