Board of Education
Board Email
Emails sent to boe@hinsdale86.org will automatically be forwarded to all seven current board members and copied to the superintendent. If you email the BOE, an automated reply will be sent at most once every four days. This is a limitation of the email system and cannot be changed.
Kindly be advised that any communication received may constitute a public record, which might be released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) when and if applicable. In addition, please note that communications may be forwarded to other district employees who can help the board answer questions, provide information or assist with responses.
Catherine Greenspon
President
cgreenspon@hinsdale86.org
Elected: 2023 – 4 years (first term)
Term Expires: April 2027
Committee Participation: Member of the Finance Committee and Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee
Peggy James
Vice President
pjames@hinsdale86.org
Elected: 2021 - 4 years (first term)
Term Expires: April 2025
Committee Participation: Chair of the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee and Policy Committee; member of Closed Session Minutes Review Committee
Peggy James has more than 20 years of experience in the areas of strategic execution and business process initiatives.
She has served as a volunteer for a number of community and school programs. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Michigan State University, and has been a resident of Hinsdale since 2004. She currently lives in the village with her husband and children, all of whom are either alumni or current students in District 86.
Asma Akhras
Secretary
aakhras@hinsdale86.org
Elected: 2023 - 4 years (first term)
Term Expires: April 2027
Committee Participation: Member of the Facilities Committee and Policy Committee
Asma Akhras is a certified K-12 math teacher and licensed administrator in Illinois who currently works as an implementation leader at the non-profit curriculum company Great Minds. Prior to joining Great Minds, Akhras used her knowledge and experience as a longtime educator to serve students at all levels from elementary school through college. She worked as an instructional coach and curriculum coordinator, was an adjunct instructor at Moraine Valley Community College and was a student-teacher supervisor at Benedictine University. Akhras has also consulted on a variety of curricular projects and presented at national and international workshops and teacher training sessions.
Akhras graduated summa cum laude from Saint Xavier University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a minor in math education. She also has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Benedictine University.
Akhras currently resides in Darien with her husband and three children.
Kay Gallo
kgallo@hinsdale86.org
Elected: 2023 - 4 years (first term)
Term Expires: April 2027
Committee Participation: Member of the Human Resources Committee and Policy Committee
Debbie Levinthal
dlevinthal@hinsdale86.org
Elected: 2021 - 4 years (first term)
Term Expires: April 2025
Committee Participation: Chair of the Closed Session Minutes Review Committee and Finance Committee; member of the Human Resources Committee
Terri Walker
twalker@hinsdale86.org
Elected: 2021 - 4 years (first term)
Term Expires: April 2025
Committee Participation: Chair of the Facilities Committee and Human Resources Committee; member of the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee
Terri Walker is an accomplished executive with more than 20 years of experience in human resources. She currently serves as the senior vice president of the corporate functions people leader team at Nielsen. In this role, Walker and her team will operate as strategic advisors to the corporate functions business leaders globally. Prior to joining Nielsen, Walker was the vice president of human resources for McGraw-Hill’s higher education and professional business units.
Walker was a member of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council for Syneos Health, which is a fully integrated biopharmaceutical solutions organization. She served as a board member for The Cara Collective, which works with job seekers, employers, and other organizations across the country to break the cycle of poverty through the power and purpose of employment. She was also a room parent volunteer at her children’s school.
Walker holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She currently lives in Hinsdale with her husband and two sons, one who attends Hinsdale Central and another who attends Hinsdale Middle School.
Jeff Waters
jwaters@hinsdale86.org
Elected: 2021 – 4 years (first term)
Term Expires: April 2025
Committee Participation: Member of the Facilities Committee and Finance Committee
Jeff Waters is a professional derivatives trader who has been a member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) since 1996. Waters was one of the first members to be included in the CME’s electronic trading liquidity market making program. He also served on the CME Group’s Electronic Trading Oversight committee, which was responsible for orderly electronic trading and the transition from trading pits to the electronic trading platform called Globex. After spending eight years as an independent trader, Waters co-founded the Eldorado Trading Group in 2004, which is a proprietary trading firm.
Waters has been actively involved in the community since moving here in 2004. He has helped advance the work of several local charitable organizations, including Horizons for Youth, the Wellness House and Feed My Starving Children. He has also coached various youth sports programs and served on the Hinsdale Little League Board for five years.
Waters earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is the proud father of two current students (Dean and Natalie) and an alum (Hayden) of Hinsdale Central. His hobbies and interests include skiing, scuba diving and biking.