ECUSD7 Board of Education Members
Jill Bertels
– President
Moro Township
Re-elected to the Board April 4, 2023
Jill Bertels was elected to the Board of Education in August 1999. She has lived in this district all of her life. Mrs. Bertels, along with her husband, operate a farming operation with the home base being in Dorsey, located in the northern part of the district.
Mrs. Bertels has served the board as its secretary, vice president and president. She has served on various board committees, currently on the finance and facilities committees and as a diversity and equity liaison. She was a member and chairman of the building committee when there was major construction/renovation of school buildings throughout the district.
Throughout her time on the board the district has gone through many highs and lows. The board has made tough decisions that were criticized or unpopular by some members of the community, but each of those decisions was made in the best interest of our students and the school district. The district was given a financial boost when the voters passed the Prop E referendum. Mrs. Bertels will always be thankful to the taxpayers for trusting the board with those new tax dollars. It gave the district opportunities to initiate our technology plan, do repairs and improve the safety in and around our buildings. District 7 was able start our curriculum review cycle. And most importantly we paid off our debt and started building reserves.
Mrs. Bertels is an active member of the FFA Alumni at EHS. Presently, she is the treasurer of the group and longtime chairman of our annual dinner auction. You will see her at a variety of extracurricular events throughout District 7.
Mrs. Bertels is currently the treasurer/secretary of the Dorsey Community Improvement Association, a member of Greater Edwardsville Foundation and a CAREE (Ag in the Classroom) partner.
Mrs. Bertels and her husband are both EHS alumni. Their three sons and one granddaughter graduated from EHS. She has two granddaughters who attend District 7 schools. She has three other grandchildren who live in the district, and will attend District 7 schools when they become of age.
Mrs. Bertels’ drive is to keep finding ways to improve District 7. Her dedication to the district is true. Her commitment to the students, staff and taxpayers is to make Edwardsville School District a better place tomorrow than what it was yesterday.
Terri Dalla Riva – Vice-President
Edwardsville Township
Re-elected to the Board April 6, 2021
Terri Dalla Riva was elected to the Board of Education in April 2015. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Creighton University, and a certificate in paralegal studies from the College of Saint Mary. She has lived in Edwardsville since 1994, when her oldest daughter started kindergarten and raised her four daughters here.
Ms. Dalla Riva brings the experience of chairing the finance and policy committees to the role as a board member. She has also served on the curriculum and facilities committee, and recently joined the CAC. Currently, Ms. Dalla Riva works as a realtor for Coldwell Banker Brown Realtors and teaches at the Gateway Academy of Real Estate.
Jennifer Brumback – Secretary
Edwardsville Township
Re-elected to the Board April 6, 2021
Jennifer Brumback was elected to the Board of Education in April 2019. One of the many benefits of being married to a U.S. Air Force career member has been the professional educational opportunities offered through national and international military assignments.
After earning a BA in Mathematics with a concentration in Secondary Education, Ms. Brumback taught middle school math in the Texas public school system, the Department of Defense Dependent Schools in Panama and a New Jersey private Christian academy. During their assignment in Germany, she served as a high school math teacher at Ramstein High School and was able to earn a M.Ed. in Administration, Supervision, and Curriculum Development. Once her husband retired, she had the chance to work with a program in Oklahoma that promoted at-risk students earning their high school diploma while achieving CTE industry certifications.
In 2012, the Brumback family relocated to Edwardsville. After unpacking their boxes for the last time, Jennifer accepted a position with East St. Louis District 189 where she was eventually promoted to Chief Academic Officer in charge of curriculum, assessment, school improvement, and oversight of technology, special services and Title and partnership grants.
The moment her children enrolled in District 7, they were blessed with an incredible education, fueled by dedicated teachers and a committed community. Their experience at Edwardsville High School fully prepared them for their leap into secondary education. Ms. Brumback’s son, a former EHS band member, is currently studying illustration at Columbia College Chicago while her daughter, a former interact member treasurer, is attending Quincy University studying criminal justice.
During her kids’ time at District 7, Ms. Brumback volunteered for school-based activities to support the programs they were involved in, including a role as EHS Band Booster treasurer. With both of her kids in college, she still found a way to participate in the educational scene in Edwardsville by joining the District 7 School Board in 2019 and working toward the continued development of our community and schools.
During her time on the Board, Ms. Brumback has worked to help District 7 enhance our CTE program offerings, start a much-needed equity conversation to address disparities in education, and navigate our students and teachers through the COVID-19 crisis. She hopes to guide District 7 in adapting to a constantly-evolving education environment and improving communication at every level – while maintaining a focus on educational equity for all.
Edwardsville Township
Re-elected to the Board April 6, 2021
John McDole was elected to the Board of Education in April in 2019. In 2021, he was re-elected to a four-year term. John served on the finance, facilities, and policy committees from 2019-2021 and in April of 2021 was elected President of the board and currently serves in that capacity.
John and his wife, Karla, both graduated from Edwardsville High School and currently have two children in elementary schools in District 7. John earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Bradley University and a MBA from SIU Edwardsville. After working in Finance at Boeing for several years he made the transition to banking in 2006 and currently is a VP of Commercial Lending at a bank in Edwardsville.
Community is very important to John and over the years he’s volunteered for many organizations including the Edwardsville Rotary Club. From 2017 to 2021 he was on the Plan Commission and Land Use Committees for the City of Edwardsville, also serving as Chairman for both groups. He feels strongly that the relationship between a school district and its communities is symbiotic, where when one has success the other will benefit as well. His approach is that not only are quality school districts vital to the upbringing and nourishment of our children, but it helps maintain and further the quality of life of the communities it serves.
Hamel Township
Elected to the Board April 4, 2023
Bob Paty is from Bristol, Tennessee and graduated from The Asheville School in 1989. He received a BA in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1993 and was commissioned as a Naval Officer in the United States Navy through UNC’s NROTC Program. He met his wife Michele Meckfessel while serving together on Counter Drug Operations in the Caribbean.
After 4 years of active duty and a couple years of Industrial Sales experience in Savannah, GA, Bob received his MBA from Virginia Tech in 2001 with a concentration in Corporate Finance. He went on to become a Business Analyst with Corning Cable Systems in Hickory, NC and later a Financial Planning & Analysis Analyst and Manager with Lowe’s Companies at their Corporate Office in Mooresville, NC.
Bob was a Stay-at-home Dad while his wife began her teaching career as a Professor of Accounting at Case Western University in Cleveland, OH. In 2014 they moved to Glen Carbon for a teaching opportunity for Michele at the University of Missouri – Saint Louis (UMSL). Bob became involved with multiple Parent Teacher Organizations in District 7 and was a part of the Prop-E team. Bob then received his Master of Science in Information Systems at UMSL in 2018 and accepted a position as an IT Program Manager for the Federal Government where he currently serves.
Bob and Michele have 3 children in District 7 schools.
Pin Oak Township
Elected to the Board April 6, 2021
Kristen Pfund was elected to the Board of Education in April of 2021. She is the co-owner of both Pfund Construction and The Ink House an event venue both in Edwardsville.
Kristen currently serves as an ambassador for the Ed Glen Chamber of Commerce, on the board of directors for the Edwardsville Community Foundation, and Edwardsville CEO Program. Mrs. Pfund has also previously been involved with The Main Street Community Center, Ed Glen Junior Service Club, Habitat for Humanity, and PTO president.
Kristen is a graduate of Edwardsville High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communications from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. She and her husband Matt, have three children Laynie, Jack and Charlie. Watching her kids grow up in the same school system she attended has been enlightening. Mrs. Pfund has been constantly amazed by how much more is available to them now, and the quality of our school district. Her focus will be to continue to build on that and prepare our students for their future endeavors.
Edwardsville Township
Elected to the Board April 4, 2023
Lynne Sanderson moved to Edwardsville 34 years ago to attend Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Early on she realized this was the community she wanted for her family. Her three children and most of her grandchildren are products of District 7.
She started her nursing career as a Public Health Nurse (PHN) doing home visits and community work in high-risk communities. As she advanced in her public health career, she became the PHN Nursing Supervisor, then was promoted to a Bio-Terrorism Regional Response Planner. This position was created in response to September 11th and the anthrax attacks. Her collaboration skills and ability to create consensus led to a position upgrade to Bi-State Regional Response Planner for Missouri and Illinois.
Due to her team’s reputation of relationship building with first responders, Lynne was recruited as a Senior Research Scientist for a White House Initiative. This study was in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control to research Bio-Terrorism Response. She continued in her role after the project until she was invited to return to her previous agency as a Public Health Administrator.
Responsibilities included oversight for multiple programs, including Behavioral Health, Corrections Medicine, Student mentorship, Social Services, Contracts and Grants, WIC and Nutrition and several others. She was also a member of community boards and committees and continued in her administrator role until she retired in 2019.
Lynne has spent her nursing career in public health assuring the most vulnerable members of society have a voice. She’s collaborated with individuals, schools, programs, agencies, and communities to identify solutions to community issues. She feels that education and schools are the foundation of our community because thriving students become successful community members.
