Caucus Endorses Jody Elliott-Schrimmer, Anne Neumann and Dan Struck for Township High School District 113 Board of Education in April 2023 Election
In the upcoming April 2023 municipal election, four of the seven school board seats will be up for election on the Township High School District 113 Board of Education serving Deerfield High School and Highland Park High School. During each election cycle, the District 113 Caucus gathers a large and representative group of interested community members to carefully consider prospective candidates and recommend qualified candidates to fill the available school board seats.
Three prospective candidates – each an incumbent board member – submitted a Caucus application. On November 16, 2022, the Caucus interviewed all three applicants and, after deliberations, endorsed Jody Elliott-Schrimmer, Anne Neumann, and Dan Struck based upon each receiving more than the requisite two-thirds majority of Caucus member votes.
Jody Elliott-Schrimmer, a Highland Park resident, was appointed to fill a vacancy on the District 113 Board of Education in June 2022. She currently teaches AP Literature, Humanities, and a college readiness course at Evanston Township High School. She is also an educational researcher and Ph.D. Candidate (2023) at DePaul University, with a focus on gifted education. Ms. Elliott-Schrimmer is active in the non-profit organizations Jack and Jill of America (a provider of youth and family support) and The Balance Project (a mental health services and education provider). She also established the parent advocacy group, Increasing Multicultural Parent Awareness and Culturally Responsive Teaching (IMPACT). She holds a Master of Arts in School Leadership degree from Concordia University including an Illinois General Administrative Endorsement certificate, a Master of Science in Education degree from Northwestern University, with a focus on English Arts, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from George Washington University. Ms. Elliott-Schrimmer has three children attending District 112 schools.
Anne Neumann, a Deerfield resident, was appointed to fill a vacancy on the District 113 Board of Education in June 2021 and currently serves as vice president. She is the business owner of Verde Communications, a video production and visual media company. Previously, she worked as an independent public relations contractor, a director of product management for healthcare software at McKesson Corporation, and as vice president of operations for Medline Industries. Ms. Neumann currently serves on the board of the local non-profit Community Action Together for Children’s Health (CATCH), fostering youth resilience and emotional wellness. She also held PTO co-president positions at Deerfield High School and Walden Elementary School, served as youth mentor with Destination Imagination, and served on the board of Christian Beginnings. Ms. Neumann holds a Bachelor of Arts Communications degree from Loyola University of Chicago. She has three children, two at Deerfield High School and one in college.
Dan Struck, a Highland Park resident, was elected to the District 113 Board of Education in May 2019 and currently serves in the role of secretary. He is a partner in the law firm of Culhane Meadows, PLLC. Mr. Struck’s extensive legal career included roles as partner in the law firms of Arnstein & Lehr LLP and Much Shelist, PC, as well as a judicial clerkship with the late U.S. District Court Judge Brian Duff, Northern District of Illinois, and as assistant corporation counsel in the New York City Department of Law. He has been actively involved in civic and community organizations. He served on the board of North Suburban Synagogue Beth El; worked with NSSD 112 Reconfiguration 2.0 Committee, Moving 112 Forward Committee, and NSSD 112 Caucus; and also provided pro-bono civil rights advocacy for the Settlement Assistance Program and National Immigrant Justice Center. Mr. Struck holds a Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law, attended the Catholic University of America, School of Philosophy, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in Philosophy from University of Dallas. He has three children, one at Highland Park High School, and two in college.
The Caucus believes these three candidates each bring unique and valuable skills to the District 113 Board of Education and they demonstrate both the qualifications and commitment to serve on behalf of all community stakeholders.