PRESIDENT

Ann Lopez-Caneva is a graduate of LTHS, Joliet Junior College, and Governors State University. She has served multiple boards including the Kelvin Grove District 91 Board of Education, the White Oak Library District, and the Guardian Angel Community Services. Having served on the LTHS School Board in the capacity of Vice-President for several years, she assumed the position of President in 2018. She is also a member of the Lockport Woman's Club. Ann is married to Dr. Daryl Caneva and the mother of three children. She is an advocate for education, especially the fine arts, and wants to strive and maintain the best education for our students that will prepare them for life beyond school while overseeing the school budget and programs. Ann looks forward to working with her fellow board members to overcome the challenges that LTHS is facing with unfunded mandates and school safety.

COMPLETED TRAINING/DEVELOPMENT: Open Meeting Act Training (Office of the Attorney General State of Illinois); Orientating New School Board Members; Professional Development Leadership Training; and Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) Training for School Board Members.

VICE PRESIDENT

Dr. Veronica Shaw has lived in Lockport for more than 20 years and is a graduate of LTHS. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and her Doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of St. Francis, allowing her to receive her Superintendent's endorsement from the State of Illinois. At Lincoln-Way High School, she has served as the Associate Principal of Discipline & Operations, Spanish teacher, and is currently the Associate Principal of Curriculum & Instruction. She is also certified in Special Education and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of St. Francis. She is a member of the District 210 Strategic Planning Committee, the Welcome Basket Coordinator for the National Association for Down Syndrome at Silver Cross Hospital, and a Parent-Wise Volunteer at the Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hospital. At LTHS, she serves on the District Curriculum Committee as a board representative.

She and her husband Jason returned to Lockport after college to raise their family because of the high academic standards set forth by the District. Dr. Shaw looks forward to addressing the challenges of maintaining the high standards already in place and assisting the district in its mission to provide an equitable and challenging environment for all students to achieve their life goals.

SECRETARY

As an LTHS alumna, Dr. Sandra Chimon Rogers acquired the skills needed to succeed in her career choices. Currently, serving as the Dean of the College of Professional Studies at the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) in Illinois, Dr. Rogers oversees the College of Professional Studies, along with its curriculum, accreditation standards, assistant deans, chairs, and faculty. Dr. Rogers has held director and administrative positions at the University of Illinois at Chicago, DePaul University, and Calumet College of St. Joseph. She has extensive experience working with faculty, students, and all aspects of programs, from development to accreditation.

Dr. Rogers obtained her post-doctoral fellowship Ph.D. in analytical chemistry and her Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of Illinois. She specializes in bioanalytical nuclear neurochemistry, focusing on finding various orthomolecular (natural products in their purest form) compounds that may be possible as preventatives for Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Rogers was elected president of the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC) Board of Directors. Dr. Rogers has been recognized for her innovation in academic curriculum overhaul by the Congressional House of Representatives and the Society of Innovators, along with presenting a TEDx Talk on changing how we teach and learn. Currently, in her spare time, Dr. Rogers and her former research assistants are working on completing her project with NASA/ISS/CASIS to see the effects of anti-gravity as a possible prevention for Alzheimer’s disease.

MEMBER

Lou Ann Johnson was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, and retired from Nicor Gas. Since 2005, Lou Ann has served as a trustee at Second Baptist Church in Joliet, serving in the finance ministry and as a youth mentor. She also serves on many boards including National Hook-Up of Black Women (NHBW), Inc.; Joliet Area Congregation Based Organization Body; Northeastern Illinois Agency on Aging, Community Life Ministries, Second Baptist Church; Church Women United; Guardian Angel Community Service Board; and Advocates United for Joliet Children. Lou Ann's goal is to provide the tools and resources needed for today's students to become tomorrow's leaders.

COMPLETED TRAINING/DEVELOPMENT: Basics of Governance; Law on Board Meetings and Practices; Basics of School District Finances; Leadership - Board's First Responsibility; Open Meeting Act Training for School Board Members; LeaderShop Symposium; Transforming the Paradigm of Education Children - Superintendents' Commission for the Study of Demographics & Diversity Leadership;Training for School Board Members (Attorneys of Sraga Hauser, LLC); Leadership Training for Community Engagement; Leadership Symposium 2014 - The Talk, The Truth, The Crucial Conversations About America's Schools; IASB Master Board Member Award; LeaderShop Training - Organizational Health; LeaderShop Training - Get Your Message Out: Your role in Crafting an Effective Public Image; and LeaderShop Training - The R Factor: How to Manage the One Thing You Control.

MEMBER

Zyan Navarra is a life-long Lockport resident and a 2014 graduate of LTHS. He attended Joliet Junior College, graduating in 2016, as well as Loyola University, where he completed his bachelor's degree in Information Systems (2019). During his time at Loyola, he studied with an emphasis on management courses. Through his educational experiences, being part of a team environment, leadership opportunities became a passion and the basis for wanting to have the privilege to serve on the LTHS Board of Education. As an outside interest, he often becomes involved in group projects, taking the lead to be successful through collaboration with others. He is employed by Amazon and also a Lockport Precinct 10 Committee Member. He is active in supporting local political organizations with a common ground working toward the improvement of the Lockport community. More recently, as he has a strong interest in the trends of Technology he has become active in assisting others with Social Media and on-line streaming Platforms.

As a Board Member, he is committed to providing an educational experience that brings inspiration to our students and seeing them develop into strong student advocates and community leaders through enhanced education. He wants to continue the efforts of the Board, developing school policies that are in line with the current trends and needs of todays’ students, so they are in the best position to succeed after they graduate.

MEMBER

Michael Travis is a lifelong citizen of the city of Lockport, and is a proud graduate of Lockport Township High School. He and his wife Rebecca have three children, all graduates of LTHS, and two grandchildren. He is employed with Canadian National Railroad and is an active member of the Lockport community.

He has served as a committee chairperson at his church, and is excited to be serving the community in the capacity of Member of the Board of Education. He plans to work to ensure effective, transparent, and fair handling of all Board matters. He looks forward to addressing such issues as health, education, and welfare for all students. His top priority is to ensure that our students are served well.

MEMBER

Lance Thies is a multi-disciplinary landscape architect and planner and is currently employed as the Director of Community and Economic Development for the City of Lockport. He possesses a Bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture from Ball State University and a Master's in Business Administration from Concordia University Chicago. Thies and his wife have lived in Lockport since 2000, and their two children graduated from Lockport Township High School.

STUDENT MEMBER

Chelsea Osei is a senior at LTHS and lifelong Crest Hill citizen. She engages with her Lockport community in various ways including being a board member for LTHS Student Equity Action Committee, founder and active member of the Advance Placement Advisory Board, and Captain of the Speech team, active member of the National Spanish Honors Society. Outside of Lockport, Chelsea partakes in multiple community-driven organizations. Within Civics Unplugged, she serves as a Spring 2021 Alumni, Mentor, and Civics Innovator Academy Alumni at Georgetown University. Within the Southwest Suburban Immigrant project, she serves as a Changemaker Alumni and Class Instructor. Like Civics Unplugged, in Citizens' University she is a Youth Collaboratory member and founded an organization, GenerationAMP, that highlights social issues through art. She is also an Executive Director of the Youth Council at Living Room Conversations, an organization that works to connect others through conversations.

STUDENT MEMBER

Victoria DalPonte is a senior at LTHS who is interested in pursuing a career in the medical field. She is the Co-President of LTHS’s Best Buddies and Model UN, as well as serves on LTHS National Honor Society’s Board as the Community Service Coordinator. She is extremely passionate about the Special Education Program at Lockport and is involved in the Special Olympics and was previously an ACES Leader during her junior year. Additionally, Victoria serves on the Board of Directors of A Giving Heart Foundation whose mission is to give kids with Congenital Heart Disease their childhood back.

STUDENT MEMBER, CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

McKenna Orrico is a senior at LTHS who wishes to pursue a career in Healthcare Administration. She has been the editor-in-chief of the Porter Press since her sophomore year and will serve through graduation. Along with the Porter Press, McKenna is the Co-Secretary General of Lockport's Model United Nations Club. Through Model UN, the two Secretary Generals were able to create the Lockport Model UN Summer Program as a means of exposing middle school students to Model UN. Outside of school, McKenna has been volunteering and employed at Marian Village for two years. After establishing herself, she was able to start her own service project called The Stories of Marian Village. This project looks to capture the stories of residents to make sure that they know that their stories will continue to shape the lives of many for generations to come.

On the Curriculum Committee, McKenna hopes to make sure that all students no matter their background have their learning needs met so that they too can be successful in their future. Because at LTHS, all students deserve to have the foundation and support for the future that they want.

STUDENT MEMBER, FINANCE & FACILITIES COMMITTEE

Akash Patel is a senior at LTHS. He stays involved in the LTHS community by participating in a wide variety of athletics and clubs such as Football, Math Team, and Track and Field while being the NHS president. Through his wide range of extracurriculars, Akash brings many different perspectives to the committee. As a student committee member, he is committed to ensuring the student's voice is heard.