Ultimate magazine theme for WordPress.

Mya Wilkins Appointed To Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board

EVANSTON, IL — For the second time in less than a month, school board members in Evanston/Skokie School District 65 filled a vacancy created by a member’s resignation.

Mya Wilkins, executive director in marketing research at JP Morgan Chase and a parent of two students in the district, was unanimously selected at a special school board meeting Monday.

“I want to thank you for again being brave enough to join this board and help us continue the work of embedding and operationaliz[ing] equity across the system,” said board president Sergio Hernandez. “We thank you for the sacrifice, and your family as well for allowing you to be a part of this incredible work that we’re doing in this district.”

Wilkins was appointed to the seat vacated by Anya Tanyavutti. Tanyavutti announced her immediate resignation on Sept. 19 at the same meeting in which the board voted to appoint Tracy Olasimbo to the board.

Olasimbo was one of 13 candidates who applied to succeed Marquise Weatherspoon following her resignation. Weatherspoon was appointed to the board herself after missing out on one of the four seats available by fewer than 140 votes in the April 2021 elections.

Instead of re-opening the application process following Tanyavutti’s resignation, board members decided to pick her replacement from the candidates who have already applied. The Evanston RoundTable obtained the applications through a public records request and provided a summary of all 13 applications.

Superintendent Devon Horton said each board member is a critical member of the district team.

“Our [b]oard drives our mission and vision,” Horton said. “The [b]oard that has been assembled will lead us into a more equity-centered future for our students here in [District 65].”

Wilkins is a native of Ohio and the daughter and sister of teachers who has lived in the Evanston area for the past 18 years and attended business school at Northwestern University, district officials said.

While a District 65 parent, she has been involved in the groups PTA Equity Project, or PEP, the African Black and Caribbean parent group, or ABC, and Walker Black Students Achieve.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve on the District 65 School Board,” Wilkins said in a statement announcing her appointment. “I am looking forward to partnering with Dr. Horton and members of the Board to continue providing the support needed to make sure every child can achieve academically.”

The seats held by Wilkins, Olasimbo and Hernandez are all up for election in April. Both of the newly appointed board members signaled their intention to run for four-year terms on the seven-member board in the spring.

Earlier: Anya Tanyavutti Resigns, Tracy Olasimbo Appointed To District 65 Board

Comments are closed.