Kate Vogus, President

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Kate was born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and attended Northern Illinois University where she earned her bachelor's degree. She has lived in Downers Grove since 2019 with her husband, Mike and their daughter's Maggie (3rd) & Lucy (Kindergarten). She was an executive assistant for over 20 years and just recently started consulting for a marketing company. This is Kate's first year serving on the PTA but she brings her experience as the co-head of the Kingsley Playground Committee during the 2022-23 school year over to the PTA. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling to Maui as much as possible, and gardening. 

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Megan Tripodi, Vice President

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Megan was born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and attended Indiana University where she earned her bachelor's degree in finance. She has lived in Downers Grove since 2016 with her husband, Luke, and their kiddos, Sammy (3rd) and Maddie (1st).  Megan spent 15 years working in the banking industry with a focus on lending to mid cap public and private companies along with a stint managing a portfolio of distressed commercial loans before taking a pause in her career to put a renewed focus on her family.  In her free time, she enjoys cooking, gardening, reading and spending time with family and friends. Megan is excited to take on this new role with the PTA Board and serving alongside her fellow PTA Board members.

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Sarah Wilhite, Vice President, Standing Committee

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Sarah was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago and attended Loras College and Saint Xavier University.  She has lived in Downers Grove for 10 years with her husband Dane, their daughter Madelyn (3rd) and dog Molly.  Sarah is starting her 23rd year teaching 8th grade in Berwyn South School District 100. In her free time she enjoys time with family, and friends, and traveling. Sarah is looking forward to 2nd year on the PTA board. 

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Meggen McKenzie, Co-Vice President, Ways and Means

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​Meggen grew up in Schaumburg, IL and attended Winona State University in MN. Meggen and her husband (Tim) moved to Downers Grove in 2014. She has three daughters – Abby (8th), Brynley (4th) and Cailey (2nd). Meggen has 15+ years experience in the marketing industry and is currently employed with Fetch, a mobile rewards app. In her free time, Meggen enjoys vacationing at her lake house on Table Rock Lake, reading, and DIY house projects. This is Meggen’s third year serving on the PTA board with Lindsay as co-chairs Ways and Means.

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Lindsay Garrity, Co-Vice President, Ways and Means

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Lindsay was born and raised in Chicago and attended Western Illinois University. She moved to Downers Grove 9 years ago with her husband, Ryan and their son's Keegan (5th), Patrick (4th) and Theo (2nd). Lindsay has 15+ years of comprehensive experience in event management in and serving professional and trade associations. Lindsay currently serves as the Manager of Events for the Water Quality Association. In her free time she enjoys interior design, reading and lake adventures with friends and family. Lindsay is thrilled to be serving the PTA for her 3rd year with Meggen as co-chairs of Ways and Means. 

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Jeff Leesman, Vice President, Finance

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Jeff and his wife Jennifer have been Kingsley parents since moving to Downers Grove in 2017. Jeff is a proud girl dad to daughters Jenna (8th) and Jeris (3rd). Jeff is a Principal with IMEG Consultants, a building design and engineering firm. He enjoys spending time with family and neighbors/friends in the Kingsley community. In his remaining spare time, he can be seen driving his kids around town to various activities.

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Ryan Garrity, Membership

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Ryan was born and raised in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago.  He attended Eastern Illinois University where he earned his BA in English.   After college, he met his wife Lindsay.  Shortly after they married, he returned to school to earn his MBA from Benedictine University.   They moved to Downers Grove in 2015.   Together they have 3 sons Keegan (5th), Patrick (4th) and Theo (2nd).   After spending several years working in Financial Services, Ryan recently switched gears in his career and has found a home at Advocate Aurora Health. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with their boys, coaching, fishing, golf, craft beers and vacationing at their family cabin in Sister Lakes, MI.  This is Ryan’s 5th year on the PTA board, he served 2 years as President and now moves over to membership.

 

 

 

Liz Penner, Secretary

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​Liz moved to Downers Grove from Chicago in 2017 with her husband, Jake, and their kids -  Ari (4th), Jaiden (2nd), and Meera (Preschool).  Liz attended University of Illinois at Chicago for her BS and then received her MBA from DePaul. She currently works at TransUnion as Vice President of Global Operations. While new to the PTA this year, she brings with her experience from the Kingsley Playground Committee (2022-2023). In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling (usually always thinking of the next vaca), and is a fitness enthusiast. 

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