During its regularly scheduled meeting April 27, the District 97 Board of Education welcomed three new members and selected new board officers to serve for the next year.
Nancy Ross Dribin, Jeremy Duffy and Venus Hurd Johnson were officially sworn in following their election on April 6. They will each serve four-year terms.
Additionally, the board voted unanimously to elect former board vice president Jung Kim as its new president. She replaces outgoing board member Keecia Broy. Duffy was unanimously elected as the new vice president. Kim and Duffy will both hold their positions through 2022.
District 97 recognizes and thanks outgoing board members Rob Breymaier, Keecia Broy and Katherine Murray-Liebl, who each provided invaluable leadership during their four years serving the board.
Meet the New Board Members
Jeremy Duffy, Vice President
Jeremy Duffy is a school law attorney and currently works as an attorney to the Board of Education for Waukegan Public Schools. Throughout his career as an attorney, he has advised school boards and school district administrators throughout the state of Illinois on a wide range of issues related to school law. He began his career as an elementary and middle school teacher in Los Angeles before moving to Chicago to continue teaching on the west and south side of the city.
Duffy earned a bachelor's degree in international studies with a minor in Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a master's degree in elementary education from Loyola Marymount University, and a Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law.
Duffy and his wife have three children, one of whom currently attends Hatch Elementary School.
Nancy Ross Dribin, Board Member
Nancy Ross Dribin has nearly three decades of experience in education research and resource development with a focus on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM). Her career has included classroom research and resource development with the EDC Center for Children and Technology and practical implementation and leadership at Shedd Aquarium, the Chicago History Museum, and Adler Planetarium, where she served as the Director of Interactive Media. She has conducted observations and completed data collection in schools and school districts across the country.
As Director of Interactive Media at Adler Planetarium, Ross Dribin oversaw all new media projects, including distance learning programs, technology camps, the Adler Night and Day podcast, Adler Teens, exhibition multimedia interactive development, and the redesign of the Adler website. Most recently, Ross Dribin worked as a senior research analyst conducting user experience research and synthesis with a number of large nonprofit companies. She is currently staying at home to help her children with school as needed during the pandemic and work on writing projects.
In addition to her work, Ross Dribin has spent significant time volunteering with District 97. She and her husband, Dave, have two children at Beye Elementary School. At Beye, Ross Dribin served as a room lead, vice president of technology for the PTO, stage hand for the talent show, and tutor with BeyePASS. Two years ago, she joined the district-wide iLearn technology committee. Additionally, she volunteered with OPEF to assist with fifth-grade robots instruction in schools across the District.
Ross Dribin holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from Wellesley College and a Master of Professional Studies in interactive telecommunications from New York University Tisch School of the Arts.
Venus Hurd Johnson, Board Member
Venus Hurd Johnson is an account executive for Vitas Healthcare, with a focus on end-of-life care. She has more than 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical and healthcare sales and helped to bring novel medicines to market in diabetes and cardiovascular medicine. She is a proud alumna of Howard University, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration-marketing.
Prior to joining the school board, Hurd Johnson was actively involved in District 97 schools as a parent leader for eight years, holding co-president roles in the Mann PTO, PTO Diversity Council and PTO Council. She has lived in Oak Park for the past 15 years with her husband Oscar and two sons, who currently attend Julian Middle School and Oak Park River Forest High School. She enjoys travel, crafting and tennis.