Meet the Board

  • The Board of Education establishes a vision for the community’s schools that reflects a consensus of the board, community, and district staff. The school board has a wide variety of additional responsibilities, including, but not limited to, adopting a balanced annual budget, adopting the school calendar, negotiating contracts with employee unions, and approving curriculum programs. Some questions the school board asks when determining this vision include: What philosophy of education do we want our local schools to have? What should our students know and be able to do when they graduate? How can schools best educate students who come from diverse backgrounds?

     

    School board meetings must be open to the public with the agenda publicly posted in advance in accordance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act (5 ILCS 120/). A lot can be learned about your district’s policies, successes, and challenges by attending a meeting.
Woodridge 68 Board of Education

  • Pictured left to right: Scott Coley; Michael Toohey; Steven Gustis, President; Dr. L. Cricel Molina De Mesa; Thomas Ruggio, Vice President; Stuart Vanorny; Joshua Christ

Phone: 630-795-6804

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

Steven Gustis

President

Board Member Since: 2015

Current Term Expires: 2023

 

Steve Gustis earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Marquette University and a Master of Science in nonprofit management from Spertus College. He currently works at College of DuPage as the Manager of the Career Services Center. Steve also volunteers for several community organizations. He serves as a Board member of Parents Alliance Employment Project, an organization that works to find employment for adults with disabilities; Chairperson of the nonprofit steering committee of Giving DuPage, an organization dedicated to increasing volunteerism across DuPage County; and a Board member of The Backpack Project, which works to eliminate homelessness in Chicagoland.

 

Mr. Gustis and his wife, Melissa, live in the Meadowview attendance area and have been residents of Woodridge since 2002. They have two children who attend school in Woodridge 68. Mr. Gustis is serving his second term as a Board member.

 

 

Phone: 630-795-6804

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

Thomas Ruggio

Vice President

Board Member Since: 2005

Current Term Expires: 2025

 

Tom Ruggio and his wife Coni have lived in Woodridge since August 1979. They have three children, Nadine, Heather and Tom, who benefited from the educational opportunities they received while going through the Woodridge school system. During his 38-year career in the education field, Mr. Ruggio has been a teacher, a building administrator, a district administrator, and an educational consultant; he retired in June 2004.

 

He earned degrees from Illinois State University and Northeastern Illinois University as well as completing course work at both Concordia College and Northern Illinois University. Mr. Ruggio is currently a member of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association (IRTA), and Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) where he now serves as the Director of the DuPage Division.

 

Phone: 630-795-6804

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

Joshua Christ

Member

Board Member Since: 2021

Current Term Expires: 2025

 

Josh Christ earned a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management from Illinois State University. He currently works for BEAR Construction Company as a Project Executive in Chicago. He has served on other boards including Illinois State University Construction Management Advisory Board, Naperville Covenant Church, Beverly Covenant Church and Svecia Country Club. He volunteers his time through coaching in the Woodridge Park District and being a mentor to students through BuildOn.

 

Mr. Christ and his wife, Bridget, live in the Murphy attendance area and have been residents of Woodridge since 2010. They have two children who attend school in Woodridge 68. Mr. Christ is serving his first term as a Board member.

Phone: 630-795-6804

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

Scott Coley

Member

Board Member Since: 2017

Current Term Expires: 2025

 

Scott Coley has been a local small business owner for over 25 years. He has a master’s degree in business from Benedictine University and a Bachelor of Arts in math and sociology from Lycoming College.

 

Mr. Coley previously served on the Woodridge 68 School Board for eight years and is an avid community volunteer. He served on the Woodridge Soccer Board and coached soccer for 15 years and volunteers with the Boy Scouts and at many Woodridge events.

 

Scott has lived in Woodridge School District 68 for over 35 years with his wife and four children, who all attended Woodridge 68 schools.

 

 

Phone: 630-795-6804

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

Dr. Lourdes Cricel Molina De Mesa

Member
Board Member Since: 2019
Current Term Expires: 2023
 
Cricel Molina De Mesa grew up in Woodridge and attended Meadowview and Thomas Jefferson Junior High. She received a BS in Psychology from Loyola University Chicago, a Masters in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a PhD in Public Health from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Currently, Dr. Molina De Mesa is a professor in the Department of Health Sciences at DePaul University, where her teaching and research focuses on epidemiology, aging, and health disparities. 
 
Dr. Molina De Mesa and her husband, Khalil, live in the Willow Creek attendance area with their daughter.
 

Phone: 630-795-6804

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

Michael Toohey

Member

Board Member Since: 2016

Current Term Expires: 2023

 

Michael Toohey is a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional and the Superintendent of Villa Olivia for the Bartlett Park District. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Recreation Management from University of St. Francis in Joliet. Mike has also contributed to the community by serving on the Board of Directors for the Lisle Area Chamber of Commerce, including as Chairman in 2017, and the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association. He is an active parent volunteer at Edgewood School.

 

Mr. Toohey and his wife, Cheryl, live in the Edgewood attendance area and have been residents of Woodridge since 2001. They have two daughters.

Phone: 630-795-6804

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

Stuart Vanorny

Member
Board Member Since: 2019
Current Term Expires: 2023
 
Stuart Vanorny has a master's degree in humanities from the University of Chicago and a bachelor's degree in English from Winona State University. He has worked in the education field for over 20 years and is currently the Director of Learning Design for LearningMate where he helps colleges and universities across the country architect and implement innovative educational solutions to improve teaching and learning.
 
Since 2014, he's been a frequent volunteer baseball, basketball, flag football, and soccer coach. Previously, Mr. Vanorny served as Secretary of the Woodridge Soccer Association Board for 4 years and is a former head coach for the Woodridge Storm Soccer Club. In 2017, Mr. Vanorny was selected as Woodridge Park District's Coach of the Year.
 
Mr. Vanorny and his wife, Julie, live in the Willow Creek attendance area with their two children. They have lived in Woodridge since 2009.