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Board of Education

George Karagozian - President

George

George has been a Morton grove resident since 1977 and a District 70 Park View Graduate. He and his wife Ani have four children, three of which are currently at Park view, and their oldest a 2015 Park View Graduate. George has been a small business entrepreneur for most of his working career with an extensive background in small business management. He has also been serving on the Morton Grove Traffic Commission since 2012 and has an inherent commitment to serve his community. Term end date 5/1/2027.

Paul Torres - Vice President

Paul

Paul moved to Morton Grove in 1994 as an 8th grader and graduated from Niles West High School. He and his wife moved back to Morton Grove in 2004 and raise their two children here. Mr. Torres has a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Illinois (Chicago) and a Masters Degree in Curriculum from National Louis University. Mr. Torres has been teaching and coaching at Niles North High School for over 15 years. Term end date 5/1/2025.

Claudia Popielarczyk

Claudia Popielarczyk

Claudia Popielarczyk and her husband, Bill, have resided in Morton Grove since 2015. They have two boys currently attending Park View. Claudia has a B.S. in Special Education with a minor in English as a Second Language from Illinois State University and M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership. She has been employed at Highland Park High School since 2003, initially as a Special Education teacher and for the last 10 years as Dean of Students. Term end date 5/1/2027.

Mark Thannert

Mark Thannert

Mark was selected by the Board of Education to fill a vacant seat on May 18, 2015. Mark has lived in Morton Grove for over 10 years and has been a Park View parent since 2008. He has a Bachelors in Business from Indiana University and a Masters in Information Technology from Northwestern University. As an IT professional Mark has worked for several large employers in Chicagoland while attempting to balance the needs of a busy family life. Term end date 5/1/2025.

Kate Pichon

Kate Pichon

Kate was selected by the Board of Education to fill a vacant seat in May 2022. Kate moved to Morton Grove with her family in 2015; two of her children are current Park View students (her oldest is in 4th grade and her second is in 1st grade) and her youngest child will be old enough to attend Park View in a couple of years. Kate works in the IT department at the American Bar Association, directing business analysis and operations for the organization. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and French from the University of Notre Dame and a master's certificate in Business Analysis from Villanova University. Term end date 5/1/2027.

Pamela Alper

Pamela Alper

Pamela grew up in Morton Grove and was a Niles West High School graduate. She moved back to Morton Grove to begin a family, and has been a resident of District 70 since 2008. She holds a B.S. in Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a M.Ed from American College of Education in Differentiated Instruction. She was elected to the Board of Education in 2021, and is also a Special Education Teacher at the Maine Township Transition Program in District 207. She has two sons who are currently elementary students at Park View, and one “future PV warrior” daughter. Term end date 5/1/2025.

Jeremy Wilson

Jeremy Wilson

Jeremy was born and raised in Southwest Louisiana where he lived until moving to Chicago in 2003. After the birth of their daughter in 2010, he and his wife decided to leave the city and settle down in Morton Grove. Jeremy has a BS in Business Administration from Colorado Technical University and a MBA in IT Management from Western Governors University. Jeremy has been an IT professional for the past 20 years, working primarily in the field of business intelligence and analytics. He was elected to the board in 2021. Term end date 5/1/2025.

Board Committees

IASB Representative – George Karagozian (Pamela Alper alternate)

NTDSE Representative – Pamela Alper (George Karagozian alternate)

Facilities – Paul Torres and Claudia Popielarczyk

Policy – George Karagozian and Kate Pichon

Finance – Mark Thannert and Jeremy Wilson

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