Community High School District 155
Community High School District 155 Administration
Dr. Jill Hawk, Superintendent
John Lutsch, Asst. Superintendent, Business & Finance
Jeff Carr, Business Manager
Dr. Randy Davis, Director of Human Resources
George DiVenere, Director of Technology
Stephen Dunk, Coordinator of Instructional Technology
Dr. Steven Koch, Director of Staff Development
Mark Kovack, Director of Student Services
Scott Kubelka, Director of Curriculum & Assessment
Jeffrey Puma, Director of Communications
Dr. Jill Hawk began her service to Community High School District 155 in 2002 as the director of curriculum. During her three years in this role, Hawk focused on aligning the curriculum between the four district high schools to ensure that all students received the same superior education regardless of which high school they attended. In 2005, the Board of Education selected Hawk as superintendent.
Prior to joining District 155, she worked in DeKalb, Roscoe, and Rockford, including time as an assistant superintendent and principal. Hawk also served as the founding director of the Regional Learning Center, which included four alternative high schools for dropouts in the Rockford area. As a teacher, Hawk taught incarcerated delinquent youth in a residential setting. Early in her career, she was a truant officer and director of programs for at-risk youth in a mental health facility.
Hawk received her bachelor's degree in education from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., two master's degrees in education from Northern Illinois University, and her doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
As assistant superintendent for business and finance, John Lutsch serves as the chief financial officer and treasurer for the school district. In his more than 30 years with the district, Lutsch continues to be a driving force behind the organization's financial stability. He has engineered grants, cost-saving measures, and other funding mechanisms that have helped to build new schools, expand existing buildings, and improve classroom technology and expand educational programs. Lutsch is responsible for creating budgets, advising the Board of Education and superintendent on financial matters, negotiating contracts, and working with municipalities and other local groups to ensure the district and community work in chorus to provide a positive learning experience for students. He joined District 155 in 1975 as assistant business director, and has held positions of increasing responsibility during his tenure. A graduate of Crystal Lake Community High School, he holds a bachelor of science degree in business management and a master of science in school business management both from Northern Illinois University, and is a Type 75 certified administrator as a chief school business official.
The district's business manager joined D155 in summer 2008 to manage the planning, operations, and evaluation of buildings and grounds, as well as oversee architectural work, district fee structures, and purchasing/contracting services and bid management. Jeff Carr joined the district from Special Education District of McHenry County (SEDOM), where he served as associate superintendent of business services. Prior to that position, he served Cary School District 26 as operations manager, and held various other supervisory positions throughout his career. Carr holds a bachelor of science degree from Illinois State University, a master's of education degree from Northern Illinois University, and a Type 75 Certificate for chief school business officials.
Since July 2007, Dr. Randy Davis has been responsible for coordinating employment of the district's more than 650 employees. Prior to becoming D155's director of human resources, Davis spent ten years in administration as a high school principal, associate principal, and dean of students. As a teacher, Davis taught English and social studies. He has also coached both football and track at the high school level, serving as both an assistant and head coach in track and assistant in football. Davis received his bachelors in communication studies from Northwestern University, his masters in educational administration from Northern Illinois University and his doctorate in educational leadership from National-Louis University. While at Northwestern, Davis was a member of the Wildcat football team.
George DiVenere joined the District 155 team in April 2009 as Director of Technology. DiVenere has a master's degree in information technology from Northwestern University, 15 years of IT leadership experience, and vast technical knowledge and experience. His professional experience from the corporate world is helping District 155 initiate best-practice solutions to modernize the district's infrastructure and enhance student learning.
Steve Dunk initially joined District 155 as an English teacher, progressing to dean of students and vice principal before assuming various technology roles. Dunk is able to use his education background and classroom experiences to ensure that both teachers and students benefit from the implementation of proactive technology. He has degrees and/or certifications from Augustana College, Northern Illinois University, and Loyola University, Chicago.
Dr. Steven Koch joined District 155 in 2001 as a Prairie Ridge English teacher. He served as English department chairman from 2005 until 2008, when he assumed his current role as the district's director of staff development. Dr. Koch received both a BA in secondary English education with a minor in rhetoric and an MA in English literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has both an Educational Specialist degree and a Type 75 certification from Northern Illinois University. Koch earned his Educational Doctorate from NIU for his work concentrating on public school officials' authority over student cyberspeech. Koch's wife, Katie, is a member of Prairie Ridge High School's math faculty, and together they have two young sons.
Mark Kovack brings a strong and varied background to the District 155 administrative team. Kovack is responsible for leading the district’s programs, interventions, and services for students. This includes special education, guidance, alternative education, psychological, social work, and health/wellness services as related to the overall District 155 educational programming. Kovack joined District 155 for the 2009-2010 school year after serving nearly two decades in various capacities within Township High School District 211. He began his career as a police officer for the Village of Palatine, and in 1990 became the police consultant for William Fremd High School. While in this role, Kovack became intrigued with the role of special education in the high school setting—an interest that motivated him to earn a master’s degree in special education from Northern Illinois University in 1994, and subsequently to become a special education teacher at Schaumburg High School. After nine years in the classroom, Kovack became dean of students at Schaumburg and later technology coordinator and student services director at William Fremd High School. He has a bachelor of science degree from Western Illinois University, a master of science from Northern Illinois University, and a master of arts from Roosevelt University.
Scott Kubelka began serving Community High School District 155 as director of curriculum and assessment in the summer of 2005. Kubelka oversees all curriculum and assessment matters including, but not limited to, the development of curriculum maps and local common assessments. He holds a Northern Illinois University bachelor's degree in elementary education and a Northern Illinois University master's degree in educational administration. Prior to serving CHSD 155, Kubelka was an elementary principal and teacher.
Jeff Puma joined the district in his current position in July 2006. Puma is a 1994 graduate of Crystal Lake Central High School. Prior to returning to the district as an employee, he worked in corporate-, executive-, and marketing-communications for Siemens Transportation Systems, Inc. and Siemens Corporation in Washington, D.C., Sacramento, Calif., and Buffalo Grove. While with Siemens, he assisted with media relations for the prestigious Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Science, Technology, and Mathematics. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame where he received a bachelor of arts degree in government & international studies, with a concentration in the Hesburgh Program in Public Service. While at Notre Dame, Puma earned a Varsity Monogram as a member of the Fighting Irish Track and Field team, and was honored as a BIG EAST Conference Academic All-Star.