District 65 School Board Appoints Chris Van Nostrand As Newest Member

EVANSTON, IL — Evanston/Skokie School District 65 officials announced the appointment of a new School Board member on Monday.

Chris Van Nostrand, a parent of two children attending school in D65, will be seated at the Feb. 9 Committee of the Whole meeting and will serve on the board until the April 2027 election. Van Nostrand ran for school board last spring, placing fifth in the race for four open School Board seats.

"We believe that Chris's perspective as a D65 parent and his administrative experience will be extremely beneficial to our governance discussions. In addition, he has a strong commitment to the Evanston/Skokie community and a desire to positively serve District 65," Board President Pat Anderson and Vice President Nicole Pinkard said in a statement.

The position became available following the resignation of former board member Omar Salem in November, taking the board from seven members to six.

In a statement, Salem said his family was offered a unique opportunity that would take him out of Evanston for several months, and he wouldn't be able to serve in his role remotely.

"Initially, I hoped to continue serving remotely, but after much reflection, I realized that wouldn’t be fair to the board or to the community. This role requires full presence and engagement, and I wouldn’t be able to meet that standard from afar," Salem said.

The Board received 28 applications from a diverse group of community members interested in the position. Board members did not come to a consensus for a board appointment within the required amount of time, so the matter was forwarded to the Regional Superintendent of Schools, who has the authority to fill the vacancy within 30 days.

Regional Superintendent of Schools April Jordan notified the School Board on Monday of the decision to appoint Van Nostrand to fill the vacancy.

Van Nostrand has experience in management, having worked in higher education administration for more than 20 years, primarily in marketing and admissions. He spent time at Northwestern University and UC Berkeley, where he led the creation of revenue-generating academic programs.

He also served as Chief Marketing Officer at an independent law school in California, where he helped increase enrollments during an industry-wide downturn. In 2020, Van Nostrand founded his own fitness company, Strength Wise Barbell.

Van Nostrand holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Kenyon College and a master's degree from the Kellogg School of Management.

"Chris has shared his excitement in joining the school board and we look forward to working with him to promote an equitable and high quality education for every student in District 65," Anderson and Pinkard said.