Congratulations to these alumni of the NIU College of Education!
Ryan Berry, M.S.Ed. School Business Management, ’12, has been named assistant superintendent for Business Services in River Trails School District 26. He begins July 1. Berry has served Since 2011 as assistant superintendent of business services/CSBO for Skokie District 68. He previously worked for Skokie School District 69 and Barrington District 220.
Patience Bertana, M.S.Ed. Instructional Technology, ’13, is the next associate principal at Sherwood Elementary School in North Shore School District 112. She begins July 1. Currently an Instructional Technology coordinator in West Northfield School District 31, she previously worked in various roles (including special education teacher) in Mundelein Elementary School District 75.
Gail Cappaert, Ed.D. Curriculum and Instruction, ’18, was named a WIDA Fellow for 2023-2024. The program, launched in 2019, brings expert educators and WIDA staff together in a collaborative effort to enhance the development of WIDA products and services. Cappaert is a multilingual case manager for English learners at DeKalb High School and an instructor of ESL methods in the NIU Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Beginning her career teaching Spanish and German, she also worked for two years at the American School of Quito, Ecuador.
Jennifer Cogdill, B.S.Ed. Elementary Education, ’02, was named Cherokee County School District’s Library Media Specialist of the Year in Georgia. Cogdill is the specialist at Woodstock High School, where she previously was honored as the 2017-18 Woodstock Zone Media Specialist of the Year.
Emma Donatille, M.S.Ed. Adult and Higher Education, ’12, was named director of Development at Waubonsee Community College. She previously served as director of Advancement at the Science & Arts Academy. Before that, Donatille held various roles in account management, alumni and institutional relations and donor engagement.
Ramona “Romy” DeCristofaro, M.S.Ed. Educational Administration, ’08, M.S.Ed. Special Education, ’06, and B.S.Ed. Special Education, ’03, was named assistant superintendent for Student Services in Des Plaines-based Community Consolidated School District 62. DeCristofaro comes to the district with two decades of experience in special education, having most recently served as assistant superintendent of Student Services in Evanston/Skokie School District 65 for the last five years. She previously worked in Wilmette School District 39 and Sycamore Consolidated School District 427.
Jessica Herrmann, Ed.D. Educational Administration, ’18, and M.S.Ed. Educational Administration, ’10, received the Illinois School Counselor Association’s School Administrator Award. Herrmann is director for Student Services in Arlington Heights-based High School District 214. She previously held the same title in Mundelein High School District 120 and also worked as a bilingual school psychologist.
Jamaal Hines, M.S.Ed. Sport Management, ’17, was among the honorees of the “30 Under 30” recognition program conducted by the National Recreation and Park Association Young Professional Network and Parks & Recreation magazine. Hines, who joined Prince William County Parks and Recreation in 2023, currently works as the program manager of children’s programs at Chinn Aquatics & Fitness Center.
Kurt Johansen, M.S.Ed. Adult and Continuing Education, ’03, B.S.Ed. Special Education, ’01, will become the next superintendent of Community High School District 94. Johansen begins July 1. Currently the principal of South Elgin High School, his more than 20 years in education include experiences as a special education teacher at East Leyden High School in Franklin Park and dean of students and assistant principal at Glenbard East High School.
Molly Kettelhut, B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education, ’16, received a Golden Apple teaching award from the Rockford-area Golden Apple Foundation. Kettelhut teaches seventh-grade social studies and English Language Arts at Galapagos Charter School in Rockford.
Kris Kloepping, B.S.Ed. Physical Education, ’11, received the Outstanding Young Professional Award from the North Carolina Recreation and Parks Association. Kloepping, the recreation superintendent for the City of Mebane, N.C., is a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional through the National Recreation and Park Association and a Certified Youth Sport Administrator through the National Alliance for Youth Sports.
Jessica Lombard, M.S.Ed. Curriculum and Instruction, ’99, and B.S.Ed. Elementary Education, ’94, is the new superintendent of Huntley School District 158. Appointed interim superintendent in May 2023, she previously spent five years as associate superintendent. Her roles have included assistant superintendent, director of curriculum, principal at Mackeben Elementary School and principal and assistant principal at Leggee Elementary School.
Rachael Mahmood, Ed.D. Curriculum and Instruction, ’17, was named the Illinois State Board of Education’s Far West Suburbs Regional Teacher of the Year and is a finalist for Illinois Teacher of the Year. Mahmood is a fifth-grade teacher at Georgetown Elementary School in Indian Prairie School District 204. She was given the Michael Feldman Educational Leadership Award from Elmhurst University and the Rising Star Alumni Award from Benedictine University. (Read the NIU Alumni Associaton’s article about Rachael!)
Kat Martin, M.S.Ed. Sport Management, ’10, has joined Southern Illinois University Saluki Athletics as director of Development. Martin previously worked on the development team at Westminster Academy in St. Louis, where she also served as the head girls basketball coach, and as the women’s basketball coach at Saint Louis University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She began her coaching career at Kishwaukee College before joining SIU in 2017 as recruiting coordinator for women’s basketball.
Dave Moyer, Ed.D. Educational Administration, ’04, Ed.S. Educational Administration, ’02, and M.S.Ed. Educational Administration, ’00, was appointed in January as superintendent of the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District in New York. He most recently served two years as superintendent of the Arlington Central School District in LaGrangeville, N.Y., which was named to the 2023 AP Honor Roll. Before going to New York, Moyer served as a superintendent in Illinois and Wisconsin, most recently in Elmhurst, Ill., from 2015-2021. He was named an Illinois superintendent of Distinction in the State of Illinois in 2015.
Kimberly Y. Nixon, M.S.Ed. School Business Management, ’23, was named director of Financial Services by the Alton School District. Nixon begins work July 1. She currently serves as Alton’s assistant business manager and Board of Education treasurer. Nixon, who also holds NIU’s Chief School Business Official certification, previously worked in school finance for the Bethalto and Collinsville school districts.
Philip Robb, Chief School Business Official endorsement, ’19, is the next superintendent of Richland School District 88A. Robb, who joined the Crest Hill-based district in 2009 and currently services as its chief school business official, will begin July 1. Until 2017, he led the district’s band program as conductor and director of bands.
Vice Adm. Ann E. Rondeau, Ed.D. Adult and Higher Education, ’10, will continue to lead the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) as president. While Rondeau’s term as the 49th president was set to expire, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro extended Rondeau for another five years. NPS is part of the Naval University System, the Navy’s primary path to deliver naval-unique education to the force. Prior to her 2019 appointment, Adm. Rondeau served as the sixth president of the College of DuPage.
Christine Trendel, Ed..D. Educational Administration, ’22, and Ed.S. Educational Administration, ’20, is the next director of Curriculum and Instruction in River Forest School District 90. She begins July 1. Trendel has served seven years as principal at Jackson School at Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205. Her experience includes serving as an assistant principal, district curriculum specialist, K-8 grade instructional coach and teacher at both Naperville School District 209 and Arlington Heights School District 25.
Andrew Vondran, Ed.S. Educational Administration, ’21, is the next principal at Carl Sandburg Middle School in Mundelein Elementary School District 75. Vondran begins July 1. Currently in his seventh year as an assistant principal at Hubble Middle School in Wheaton Warrenville School District 200, Vondran also taught middle school math and social studies.
Sarah Wolf, M.S.Ed. Curriculum and Supervision, ’82, retired in January after 43 years as executive director of Rockford’s Discovery Center Museum. During Wolf’s administration since the Discovery Center opened in 1981, the museum welcomed nearly 5 million visitors and served almost 6.5 million children and families including its school and outreach programs. She also oversaw the creation of the nation’s first community-built outdoor science park; formed long-term partnerships with NASA; established Fun for Everyone events for children with disabilities and their families; and mentor memberships for area social service agencies serving children and families, providing hundreds of people opportunities to enjoy free visits.
Matthew Zediker, M.S.Ed. Educational Administration, ’08, Ed.S. Educational Administration, ’22, is the next superintendent of Yorkville Community School District 115. He begins July 1. Zediker is the chief Human Resources officer for Rockford Public Schools 205, where he began work in 2005. Previous roles in District 205 include elementary school teacher, middle school teacher, athletic coach, assistant principal, principal and executive director of Elementary Education. Before coming to Rockford, he worked at schools in Iowa City, Iowa, and Freeport, Illinois. (Read the NIU Alumni Association’s article at Matt!)
If you’re a College of Education grad with news to share, please let us know – and send a photo! Our email address is ceduEdNews@niu.edu.
