From the School Board President
Update on newly appointed Board members
April 24, 2025
Dear Winnetka Families, Staff and Community Members,
I would like to provide an update on the School Board position, announced to our school community in March following the immediate resignation of Katherine Myers-Crum. Per policy 2:70 the Board was required to appoint a replacement to serve the two-year remainder of the term. As previously shared with the community, the Board began a process outlined below:
A notification of the open role was sent via email on March 19, 2025, immediately following the March Board meeting.
An overview of the application and selection process was posted on The Winnetka Public Schools website, emailed to the school community, and was included in the Village of Winnetka newsletter on April 4, 2025. Each of these communications contained a call for applications to be completed by April 10, 2025.
12 applications were received. All applicants met the minimum requirements for Board Membership. More importantly, we had 12 highly qualified candidates demonstrating an understanding of the role of a Board member, the District’s mission and a passion to advocate for continued improvement for all students.
Each Board member reviewed the applications, scoring them based on a common rubric including the following dimensions:
Desire to serve and engagement with the schools
Board governance experience
Financial acumen and facilities experience
Identification of district priorities
Relevant/transferable skill sets
Demonstrated understanding of the district mission
All 12 applicants were scored against the aforementioned metrics on a common rubric as well as qualitative comments. The Board then selected seven candidates to interview in person.
On April 17th and 18th, the Board conducted interviews with each candidate, lasting roughly 35 minutes each.
In Board-only closed sessions (posted and held on April 18th and April 21st), the Board discussed each candidate’s qualifications, focusing on who would be best suited to immediately support the goals outlined in the District’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan. The discussions were robust and extensive.
Per policy, the Board held a vote in the open session. The majority of the Board voted to recommend the appointment of Ms. Jackie McLaughlin to the remainder of the open term.
At the April 22, 2025 Board meeting, the Board affirmed Ms. McLaughlin’s appointment in a voice vote.
Please join me in welcoming Ms. McLaughlin to the Board. She is a resident of the Hubbard Woods neighborhood, with her first child entering Kindergarten at Hubbard Woods School in the fall. Her strong financial, legal and management experience will be an asset to the Board. Ms. McLaughlin most recently served as EVP and Chief Legal Officer at UL Solutions and played an instrumental role in both crisis management and their recent IPO, along with all other aspects of legal functions. Prior to that, she was a Partner at the law firm Winston and Strawn. She received a B.S. in accounting from the University of Illinois and a J.D. from University of Illinois College of Law. Ms. McLaughlin also serves on the Board of the Metropolitan Family Service and the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago. I am confident that Ms. McLaughlin, along with newly elected Board member Mr. Andrew Hotz, will be effective strategic partners as the Board continues to navigate the path forward for The Winnetka Public Schools.
On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank the thoughtful, engaged and highly-qualified group of individuals who applied for the unexpected vacant position. This process has illuminated the dedication of the community we are fortunate to serve.
Best Regards,
Dan Waters, School Board President