Legal Leadership: Lake Forest Lawyers Appointed To District 67 Board

LAKE FOREST, IL — The Lake Forest School District 67 board is back to full strength following the appointment of a pair of attorneys as its new members this week.

Shyama Parikh Chauhan and Gregory Adamo were sworn in to the public elementary school board at Tuesday's meeting, Superintendent Matt Montgomery announced.

The appointments come after former Board President Annie Geraghty Helms and Vice President Alice Levert resigned from one elected office in order to step into another one.

Helms recently joined the board of Lake Forest Community High School District 115, while Levert was sworn in as a 3rd Ward alderman on the Lake Forest City Council.

Parikh Chauhan is a Waukegan-based attorney with experience on several boards, including A Safe Place and the Lake County Bar Foundation and children who attend Everett School. She also owns and operates multiple businesses in Milwaukee, according to Montgomery.

“I intend to partner with the community to address the diverse values and needs of our students and vow to bring my knowledge, experience, and positive attitude with me each and every day as I begin working in this pivotal role,” Parikh Chauhan said in a statement.

Adamo is a Wheaton-based attorney with extensive experience advising financial institutions. He has represented clients in DuPage County Court when they are unable to pay, according to Montgomery. A father of children in the district, Adamo has also coached youth soccer and served on the board of the DuPage County Bar Association.

“I look forward to working with the current school board to maintain the District's current trajectory," Adamo said. "Any school board is certain to face challenges, but I'll do my best as a board member to make sure our schools operate in the best interests of the students and community.”

The new board members will serve until the next school board election in April 2025. Following the appointments, the board elected Mark Remus as president, Emily Bernahl as vice president, and Carl Kirar as its secretary.

"I am honored to lead this Board,” Remus said. “Together, we will uphold our responsibility of oversight while remaining steadfast in our commitment to academic excellence, wellbeing, and the growth of every student."

The appointments took place at a portion of the school board meeting that district staff did not record. According to the agenda, discussion topics also included disciplinary guidelines, an update about a health and life safety and enhancement accessibility study and board goals.

Related: Lake Forest School Board Creates New Vacancy While Filling Vacant Seat