IASB Briefs for July 2025
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Date PostedJuly 15, 2025
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CategoryNews
Association Announces Staff Changes
The Illinois Association of School Boards welcomes two new individuals to the staff and announces other staff changes.
Kristin Fitzgerald joins IASB as Senior Director of the Governmental Relations team, focusing primarily on federal education policy in Washington, D.C. along with time in the Lombard office working to support school board members’ advocacy efforts. Prior to joining IASB, Fitzgerald was a Naperville CUSD 203 school board member for 12 years and an active participant at IASB. Previously, she served as a federal policy staffer at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce along with several Members of Congress, and the Healthcare Leadership Council. She has also performed federal policy lobbying and advocacy services through her own consulting firm, Fitzgerald Consulting. Fitzgerald is a graduate of Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.
Kirby Hale has also started with the Association this summer. Hale is the newest member of the IASB Policy Services Department, joining the team as a Customer Service Specialist and based in the Springfield office. She previously worked in Springfield SD 186 for eight years as a substitute teacher, teachers assistant, and a coach for the Springfield High School girls track and field team. Hale received her bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.
Other staffing changes have been announced:
IASB congratulates Thomas E. Bertrand, Ph.D., who has retired from the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA), at which he has served as Executive Director since 2023. Bertrand was the IASB Executive Director from 2018 to 2023.
Kathy McFarland, Ed.D., formerly the Executive Director of the Ohio School Boards Association, is COSSBA’s new Executive Director.
IASB is a founding member COSSBA, a non-partisan, national alliance made up of state school board associations to share resources and information to support, promote, and strengthen school board associations that serve local school districts and school board members.
Updated Court and Agency Decisions
IASB's Office of General Counsel has updated the Recent Court and Agency Decisions webpage.
The webpage includes summaries chosen from the Illinois Supreme and Appellate courts, federal court, agencies, the Illinois Public Access Counselor, and other tribunals issuing interesting decisions. Information in the summaries is limited to a brief synopsis and is not intended for purposes of legal advice.
The Illinois Association of School Boards welcomes two new individuals to the staff and announces other staff changes.
Kristin Fitzgerald joins IASB as Senior Director of the Governmental Relations team, focusing primarily on federal education policy in Washington, D.C. along with time in the Lombard office working to support school board members’ advocacy efforts. Prior to joining IASB, Fitzgerald was a Naperville CUSD 203 school board member for 12 years and an active participant at IASB. Previously, she served as a federal policy staffer at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce along with several Members of Congress, and the Healthcare Leadership Council. She has also performed federal policy lobbying and advocacy services through her own consulting firm, Fitzgerald Consulting. Fitzgerald is a graduate of Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.
Kirby Hale has also started with the Association this summer. Hale is the newest member of the IASB Policy Services Department, joining the team as a Customer Service Specialist and based in the Springfield office. She previously worked in Springfield SD 186 for eight years as a substitute teacher, teachers assistant, and a coach for the Springfield High School girls track and field team. Hale received her bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.
Other staffing changes have been announced:
- Nick Baumann has been promoted to Senior Director of the Policy Services Department. Baumann began with Policy Services as a Consultant in Spring 2020.
- Carla Bolt, Director of Events Management for IASB, has now moved into a consultancy role with the Association. Bolt has announced her retirement for December 2025.
- Natalie Duke has dropped “designee” from her title and is stepping in to Bolt’s former role. Duke is now the Director of Events Management in the Outreach, Training & Events Department.
- Patricia Sullivan-Viniard has retired from the Executive Searches Department, where she served since 2019 as a Consultant and the Director of Executive Searches.
- Linda Zulaski, a longtime member of the Outreach, Training & Events Department, has been promoted to Assistant Manager of Training Development, continuing and advancing in her role of bringing Online Learning courses to IASB members.
IASB congratulates Thomas E. Bertrand, Ph.D., who has retired from the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA), at which he has served as Executive Director since 2023. Bertrand was the IASB Executive Director from 2018 to 2023.
Kathy McFarland, Ed.D., formerly the Executive Director of the Ohio School Boards Association, is COSSBA’s new Executive Director.
IASB is a founding member COSSBA, a non-partisan, national alliance made up of state school board associations to share resources and information to support, promote, and strengthen school board associations that serve local school districts and school board members.
Updated Court and Agency Decisions
IASB's Office of General Counsel has updated the Recent Court and Agency Decisions webpage.
The webpage includes summaries chosen from the Illinois Supreme and Appellate courts, federal court, agencies, the Illinois Public Access Counselor, and other tribunals issuing interesting decisions. Information in the summaries is limited to a brief synopsis and is not intended for purposes of legal advice.
