Grit2 Advisory Board
Sara Courington
Downers Grove South High School
Associate Principal
Prior to her role as Associate Principal for Student Services at DGS, Sara was a classroom special education teacher, Dean of Students, Special Education Department Chairperson and an Associate Principal for Curriculum and Instruction. She received her BS from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and M.Ed. in special Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a M.A. in Educational Leadership from North Central College. She is a resident of Downers Grove.
Michele Doose
Herrick Middle School
Educator
Michele is an ELA Instructor at Herrick Middle School. She grew up in Downers Grove, attending Highland, Herrick and DG North. She has been a teacher in D58 since 2003, experiencing
both the middle school (Herrick) and elementary settings. Michele holds a BA from Lewis University and a Masters from St. Francis.
Jade Parks
Downers Grove Public Library
Teen Services Coordinator
Jade manages the Teen material collections, provides outreach services, and coordinates programming for middle school and high school students. She holds a BA in Writing and Literature from SFUAD and a Masters of Library and Information Science from Dominican University.
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Dr. Erin Ludwick
Downers Grove North High School
Associate Principal
Erin currently services as Associate Principal of Student Services at Downers Grove North High School. She earned her Bachelor's degree at Illinois State University and two Masters degrees at the University of Illinois. She is currently working towards her Doctorate in Equity and Education Policy at the University of Illinois.
Tricia Miller
Whittier Elementary
Educator
Trish is a sixth grade teacher at Whittier Elementary and has been teaching for more than 30 years in a variety of settings. She earned a Bachelors of Arts from St. Bonaventure University in New York and Masters of Education from Buffalo State College. Trish grew up on the east coast and has lived in Downers Grove for 20 years with her husband and six children.
Sandra McDonnell
Navigate Adolescence
Executive Director
Leslie Murphy
M.A., CALP, LBS
Education Specialist
Leslie Murphy works as an Education Specialist in a partial hospitalization program helping patients who struggle with mental health. She also is a certified Dyslexia Specialist who has worked with children of all ages for over 15 years. In addition to being a lifelong educator and learner, Leslie is a mother of two boys ages 16 and 13 years old and a 10 year-old girl.
Matt Neustadt
O'Neill Middle School
Educator
A lifelong resident of Downers Grove, Matt is currently teaching 7th grade math at O'Neill. He earned his Bachelor's Degree at National Louis University, Master's Degree from Northern Illinois University, and a second Master's Degree at Western Governors University. He lives in Downers Grove with his wife and two teenage sons.
Peggy Tomchek, M.S., LCPC
Owner/Therapist
Peggy has lived in Downers Grove for ten years, and is a married mother of two teenagers. As a Licensed Professional Counselor she enjoys working with adolescents and wants to make a lasting impact on the well-being of our teenagers while working to foster real connections.