The Downers Grove Grade School District 58 Board of Education appointed three candidates to fill administrative positions during the June 14, 2021 Board meeting. The following individuals will begin working for District 58 on July 1, 2021.
- Dr. Sonali Patil: District 58 Manager of Business Services
- Eleni Gajewski: Kingsley School Assistant Principal/District Curriculum Coordinator
- Samantha Inglima: Herrick Middle School Assistant Principal
“I am happy to welcome these three outstanding professionals to District 58,” said Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell. “District 58 conducted a full review of candidate applications, three rounds of team interviews for each candidate, and reference checks. Each candidate brings strong experience and a student-centered approach to their work. I am confident they will each do a fantastic job in their new roles!”
Dr. Sonali Patil currently serves as the accounts payable and transportation specialist for Mount Prospect District 57 and as a chief school business official (CSBO) intern for Grayslake High School in District 127. She also has served on the Hawthorn District 73 Board of Education since 2015, and led as its board president from 2017-19. She holds a doctoral degree in Pharmacology from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Medicine and a bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Bombay, India. She expects to receive her CSBO endorsement from Northern Illinois University this summer.
Eleni Gajewski is the assistant principal of Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Glen Ellyn District 41. She previously served as a differentiation specialist in Consolidated Community School District 181 (Hinsdale), as a literacy coach in Schaumburg District 54 and as an elementary school teacher in Chicago Public Schools. She earned a Principal Professional Educator License (PEL), a Type 10 Reading Specialist Certification and a Type 10 English Language Learner Curriculum Adaptation Specialist Certification from National Louis University. She also earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Iowa.
Samantha Inglima has worked as a history teacher at Wauconda High School since 2007. She has also served in the capacity of dean and school attendance supervisor, and she has coached basketball at Wauconda Middle School and Wauconda High School. She earned a master’s degree in European History from American Public University, a master’s degree in School Leadership from Concordia University and bachelor’s degrees in History and Secondary Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.