- Lake Villa School District 41
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Lake Villa 41 has an outstanding seven-person board. The majority of the members have served multiple terms allowing the district to benefit from stability as well as experience. These seven dedicated volunteers have received multiple personal and group recognition from the Illinois State Board of Education for their work on board governance, leadership training and professional development all aimed at continuous improvement for the district. They have attended countless training sessions and meetings at both the state and national level as to advances the district. Their hard work is evident. Over the past ten years, this board has received the state's two year Board of Governance Award, four times.
Meet the Board
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Michael Conway, President
Mr. Conway joined the school board in April 2007. He and his wife
have lived in Lake Villa since 1995. Their two daughters have
both graduated from District 41. Mr. Conway is very passionate
about District 41 schools maintaining a path in a positive direction
in every regard.
Mr. Conway is an Attorney licensed to practice law in Illinois since
1992 and he has had his own law office since 1999 with
experience in many areas of law, including Juvenile Law, Family
Law and DCFS cases, among other criminal and civil areas. Mr.
Conway received his Law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law
School in Lansing, Michigan.He graduated from the University of Illinois Champaign with a Bachelor of Arts degree and graduated
from the College of Lake County with an Associate of Science
degree. He grew up in Waukegan and Graduated from Waukegan
East High School.
Mr. Conway has been a part-time faculty member in the Business
and Social Sciences Division of the College of Lake County since
1999. He is a former Treasurer for the Lake County Bar
Association, and he has served on the Board of Trustees and
Staff Parish Committee as well as attended many mission trips for
his church.
Mr. Conway has been involved in the community by sponsoring
the Lake County Adopt-a-Highway cleanup of Monaville Road
since 1999 with the help of many of his friends, neighbors and
volunteers. He has also been a volunteer manager/coach for Lake
Villa Township Baseball/Softball and Girls Iceless Hockey with his
daughters’ teams.
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Kurt Hansen, Vice President
Kurt Hansen was elected to the Board of Education in 2009. He has been employed by Sallie Mae for 25 years and manages a sales, compliance, contract and operations team that is responsible for the company’s bank and credit union customers.
Mr. Hansen and his wife Terry have lived in Lake Villa for 23 years and have been active volunteers in the PTO, schools, past referendum committees and youth sport teams. They have five children all of which attended District #41 schools since kindergarten. Their oldest three children are now in college and the remaining children attend Lakes Community High School. Mr. Hansen is passionate about District #41 schools and serves the Board as Vice President. He is also a represents the Board by servicing on the Insurance, Negotiations and Facilities committees.
Mr. Hansen attended the University of Missouri Columbia School of Business and graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science Business Administration Finance degree with an emphasis in Economics.
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Joe Dunne, Secretary
Joe Dunne joined the School Board in July 2010. Joe achieved Master School Board Member in 2013. He is employed by a local business and is the CFO. Prior to his current position, Joe worked in the insurance industry.
Joe and his wife live in Lake Villa. They have a blended family with four children. All 4 of them have attended or are still attending Lake Villa #41 schools. Joe was an active volunteer before joining the board. Joe continues to serve on several board committees. He grew up in Buffalo Grove and graduated from Buffalo Grove High School.
Joe attended Illinois State University and graduated from Northeastern Illinois University. In his spare time, Joe enjoys coaching Iceless Hockey, watching the kids’ soccer games, spending time with his family, and getting beat by his oldest daughter at golf.
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Joanne Osmond, Board Member
Joanne Osmond is dedicated to making the world a better place because she has passed this way. She is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and innovator. Joanne received her Bachelor of Science
degree from Purdue University. She continued her education earning an MBA and a master’s in
information systems.
Joanne serves the students and community of Lake Villa Elementary District 41 including the special
needs students of the district who attend SEDOL. At SEDOL she serves as a member of the Governing
and Executive Boards.
Joanne served as the Director of the Lake Division of the Illinois Association of School Boards until
November 2015 when she was elected the Vice-President of the IASB and served as an officer until
November 2021.
Joanne is a certified business development advisor and online instructor for Brigham Young University –
Idaho. She assists entrepreneurs in moving their businesses to the next level. She is an instructor, author, and course designer for a series of online courses used nationally by Small Business Development Centers. Based on her corporate and entrepreneurial experiences, Joanne develops
strategic planning tools and processes for small businesses.
Joanne continues to support Scouting, the Chamber of Commerce, and most importantly her Church.
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”
Anatole France.
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Debbie Walsh, Board Member
Mrs. Walsh was elected to the Board of Education in 2015. Mrs. Walsh, her husband and their two daughters have lived in District #41 since 2011. Their daughters attend Martin School.
Mrs. Walsh is an active volunteer at school and enjoys helping out in her daughters’ classrooms. She is the Box Tops and Labels for Education Coordinator and regularly volunteers at book fairs, casino night, and makes popcorn at the PTO sponsored movie nights. Mrs. Walsh was recognized as parent volunteer of the month for Thompson School in January 2014.
Mrs. Walsh received her B.S. in Accounting with a minor in Economics from the University of Detroit. She enjoys spending time with her family, riding her bicycle, reading, cross-stitching and watching Blackhawks hockey. Mrs. Walsh is also an active member of her church.
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Mark Aleckson, Board Member
Mr. Aleckson was appointed to the board in July 2016. He and his wife, who teaches in Lake County, have lived in District 41 for the past 12 years. His two girls currently attend Thompson School.
Mr. Aleckson has a business finance degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He currently is a lieutenant/paramedic at a fire department in the Northwest suburbs. In addition to the school board, he is on the pension board at the fire department as well as the board for his subdivision.
In his spare time, Mr. Aleckson enjoys supporting his girls who are actively in soccer, gymnastics, dance, theater and softball. He also enjoys spending time with his family and seven siblings on their wooded property in northwest Wisconsin.
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Ed Liberman, Board Member
Mr. Liberman was elected to the Board of Education in 2017. Mr. Liberman and his 4 children have lived in District #41 since 2000. All 4 of his children have attended Lake Villa District #41 schools and have attended Hooper, Thompson, Martin, and Palombi schools.
Mr. Liberman has been an educator in the technology field since 1998 and currently is a technical author for LinkedIn Learning.
Mr. Liberman has always been an active volunteer in the district and used to volunteer in various classrooms up to 3 times a week. He regularly volunteers at various PTO events and is a volunteer coach for the Boys Iceless Hockey league. Mr. Liberman served on many committees before joining the Board and continues to serve on many Board committees today.