Board
Mary Beth Arzac – President
Mary Beth and her husband Joe have lived in Highland Park for the past 17 years with their two children Christopher (HPHS ’20) and Andrew (HPHS ’23). Mary Beth currently works as a consultant supporting healthcare manufacturers and startups. She currently serves on the Advisory Board at NeuroPath serving people who live with Parkinson’s Disease, and serves on the Advisory Board at Inference Analytics, unlocking the potential of unstructured text in health systems. Mary Beth also serves as a Midwest Co-Chair for the University of Chicago Alumnae New Venture Challenge (ANVC).
Dan Chamberlin – Deerfield High School Teacher Liason
Dan Chamberlin is a dedicated educator with a 20-year tenure at Deerfield High School. His journey at DHS began as a special education teacher, and over the years, he demonstrated his commitment to the school community by transitioning into various leadership roles. For six years, he served as the dean and then transitioned into the Special Education Department Chair for nine years, where he made significant contributions to the department’s growth and success. Currently, Dan Chamberlin holds the role of Assistant Principal at Deerfield High School. Beyond his administrative responsibilities, he has been an active force in extracurricular activities, sponsoring clubs such as the Student Council, Human Rights, and Role Game Club. It’s worth noting that Dan’s roots at Highland Park High School run deep, as both he and his daughter, a 2021 graduate, are proud alumni of the school.
Meredith Deutsch – Deerfield High School Student
Luisa Espinosa-Lara – Grants Committee and Executive Board Member
In the summer of 2023, Luisa Espinosa Lara became a member of The 113 Education Foundation, driven by her desire to give back to the community that welcomed her and her passion for education. Currently, she works as a School Parent Liaison at Highland Park High School. Luisa holds a BA in Advertising from Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano in Bogotá, Colombia, and a Master’s in Liberal Studies with a Spanish concentration from Lake Forest College. She has been serving the Latino community in the Highland Park and Highwood areas since 2000, and her bilingual and bicultural background makes her passionate about providing access to quality education. Luisa enjoys using her skills to help and support others. She believes that the Foundation plays a crucial role in promoting innovation in classrooms by offering grants to teachers. This belief motivated her decision to join the board. Her husband and children graduated from Highland Park High School. It is an honor to serve on the board of such a wonderful organization, which is dedicated to fostering innovation in teaching. Luisa looks forward to encouraging teachers to apply for grants and our community to support them by raising funds for grants.
Aaron Ferrer – Community Volunteer and Executive Board Member
Aaron and his wife Yvonne have lived in Highland Park for since 2010 with their two children, Aaron Jr. (HPHS ’16) and Ayiana (HPHS ’22). Aaron is currently employed with Peoples Gas based out of their headquarters in Chicago, IL. Prior to joining Peoples Gas, Aaron served 22 years in the United States Army and Illinois Army National Guard. He holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Arkansas State University and B.S. in Public Administration from Roger Williams University.
Jack Gordon – Highland Park High School Student
Janea Harris – Recruitment Chair and Executive Board Member
Janea and her husband have resided in Highland Park with their two children for the past 5 years. She is an author and poet who loves writing for children and adults of all ages. Janea is the owner of SupHERbooks, LLC and has published two children’s books. Additionally, her works of poetry have been published in several Highland Park Poetry anthologies. Previously, Janea spent over 15 years as an educator at both the secondary and post-secondary levels. She currently serves on the Board of Reach Out and Read, IL, is the President of D112’s PTO Presidents Council and was recently appointed to the City of Highland Park’s Human Relations Advisory Group. Janea holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Mercer University and a Master of Education from Notre Dame College.
Dr. Chala Holland – Superintendent
Prior to joining District 113, Dr. Holland served as the Assistant Superintendent Administrative Services – High Schools in Naperville Community Unit School District 203. In this capacity, she advocated for educational reforms that not only enhance growth and achievement outcomes for all students but also to redefine the very nature of learning and teaching in the modern age.
Prior to D203, Dr. Holland served for six years as Principal of Lake Forest High School, where she championed a culture of inclusivity and academic excellence, leading significant efforts to enrich student experiences and foster a school environment where every learner can thrive. During her four years as Assistant Principal for Instruction at Oak Park and River Forest High School, Dr. Holland spearheaded initiatives to enhance teaching methodologies and student engagement. Dr. Holland began her career at Evanston Township High School, where she spent a decade laying the foundation of her educational philosophy as both a teacher and an administrator, weaving her passion for teaching and learning into the fabric of the institution.
Dr. Holland earned a B.A. in Secondary Education with a focus on History from Northwestern University. She received her M.A. in Social and Cultural Foundations in Education from DePaul University, and holds an Ed.D. in Urban Educational Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Holland enjoys traveling with her husband, visits with family and friends, working out, listening to live music, browsing art exhibits, and watching sports.
Karyn Karel – Community Volunteer
Karyn has been working as a school social worker in District 112 at Braeside School in Highland Park since 1999. She is an alumnus of Deerfield High School Class of 1991, and lives in Deerfield with her husband and two daughters (DHS ’22 and ’24). She is excited to be a part of the District 113 Education Foundation as she values education and community partnership.
Jon Mall – Community Volunteer
Jon is a social studies teacher in Highland Park (since 2003) at Northwood Jr. High School and a life-long resident of the community (HPHS ‘91). He graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Journalism and has his Master of Arts in Teaching from National Louis University. In 2018 Jon was awarded the Highland Park Community Foundation Golden Apple Award for excellence within the teaching profession. Over the years he has written and received several grants from the 112 Education Foundation and is looking to pay it forward by helping to “promote and support innovative educational opportunities” for Highland Park and Deerfield High School students as part of the 113 Education Foundation Board. Jon and his wife Jamie (DHS ‘91) have twin boys, Jacob (HPHS ‘22) and Eli (HPHS ‘22), and two dogs, Willy and Rudy.
Andrea Martin – Secretary and Executive Board Member
Andrea resides in Highland Park with her husband and daughter (HPHS ’27). She is the owner of two educational service-based companies, Smart Boost Tutoring Enrichment and Smart Boost Marketing for higher educational institutions.Additionally, she serves as the Associate Director of a youth based non-profit organization, OMNI. Alongside her roles at Smart Boost and OMNI, Andrea is also an active volunteer in the community with several organizations including Bernie’s Books, and Youth Mentorship.
Lindsey Meyer – Highland Park High School Teacher Liason
Lindsey Meyer lives in the Northshore with her husband and their two daughters. They love exploring the local parks and dining at the area’s diverse restaurants. As the Library Director at Highland Park High School, Lindsey also serves as the club sponsor for the Book Club, Yearbook Club, and the Holocaust Remembrance Club. Her experience as a grant recipient has given her a firsthand understanding of the impactful work of the Foundation Board, which she is proud to be a part of, fostering innovation at the school level.
Julia Nathanson – Highland Park High School Student
Jen Pontikes – Executive Director and Executive Board Member
Ameeta Reed – Treasurer and Executive Board Member
Ameeta and her husband Dan have lived in Deerfield since 2016 with their two children, Nishant (DHS ’27) and Nalini (DHS ’29). Ameeta is currently employed with Roberson and Associates as a Lead Platform Architect and is also part of a startup in Schaumburg, IL. Prior to that Ameeta’s career included a role as a System Architect at Nokia and that of a Principal Staff Engineer at Motorola. She holds a Master of Science in Embedded Software Engineering from Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania, and Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering from University of Mumbai, India.
Yumi Ross – Past President and Executive Board Member
Yumi is an architect who has lived in Highland Park for more than 23 years. She served two terms on the NSSD 112 school board and was board representative to: the North Suburban Special Education District, the City of Highland Parks Human Relations Commission, Community the Anti-Drug. She serves on the 112 Education Foundation’s Board. She is President of The Art Center Highland Park, has served on the Women’s Board of the Museum of Contemporary Art for 23 years and is on the MCA’s Exhibitions Committee. She is a board member of CPS Lives. Yumi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bryn Mawr College and a Master’s in Architecture degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. She and her husband Doug have twins—Camryn (HPHS ’17) and Ian (HPHS ’17).
Merari Ruiz – Deerfield High School Student
Sahana Shah – Deerfield High School Student
Tiffani Siegel – Grants Committee and Executive Board Member
Tiffani is an attorney with a broad background in law, technology, philanthropy and human resources, which she brings to her role with the District 113 Foundation. A Highland Park resident since 2010, Tiffani and her husband, Ryan (HPHS ’99), are thrilled to be raising their two children (HPHS ’28 and ’32) in the District. Tiffani earned her JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and graduated with honors from the University of Iowa with a BA in Global Studies and French. She is a strong advocate for education and finds joy in the pursuit of lifelong learning.
George Spathis – Past President and Executive Board Member
George, and his wife, Lisa, have resided in the District since 1995. Their three children are graduates of Highland Park High School (classes of 2011, 2014 and 2017). George has been a practicing attorney for more than twenty-six years. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana (B.A. Political Science), and earned his J.D. (with High Honors) from Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he served as an Executive Articles Editor for the Law Review. George is a partner in the Chicago law firm of Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC, and for the last four years, he has been a volunteer coach for the HPHS Mock Trial Team.
Aparna Vasanthakumar – DHS Events Committee
Aparna Vasanthakumar is a scientist and researcher at Abbvie Inc. where she heads up genetic and genomic work to support Neurology and Virology trials. She is originally from Chennai, India and moved to the United States to pursue her PhD at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She then worked at the University of Chicago before moving on to Abbvie. She has been an active volunteer at many events organized by the Kipling and Shepard PTOs including the biggest annual fundraiser for Kipling PTO, Pumpkinfest. She and her husband Vinu have lived in Deerfield for 7 years with their two children Vihaan (8th grade at SMS- DHS ’28) and Rhea (5th grade at Kipling- DHS ’31) and their Superpup Carson.