Woodland D-50 announces staff changes

GURNEE – Woodland School District 50 announced new leaders are joining the team.

Elizabeth Sanchez-Szepesi will step into the role of director of Curriculum, Assessment & Accountability following the retirement of Victoria Reizman at the end of June. Sanchez-Szepesi has been a valued member of the Woodland team since 2014, most recently serving as the director of language acquisition. Before joining Woodland, she served as associate principal in Hawthorn School District 73. She began her career in education as a bilingual second grade teacher in Waukegan School District 60 and later taught middle school bilingual education in Gurnee School District 56.

Following the promotion of Sanchez-Szepesi, Yamilette Sosa becomes the new director of language acquisition. Sosa joins Woodland from Oswego Community Unit School District 308, where she served as the assistant director of multilingual learners. She is a passionate and experienced educational leader with a strong background in supporting multilingual students and programs. Before her work in Oswego, Sosa served as director of multilingual programs in North Chicago, overseeing services for multilingual students in grades PK–12. Throughout her career, Sosa has focused on strengthening dual language and English Learner programs, supporting educators and engaging families.

Tia Martinez will be stepping into a new role as Woodland’s director of educational supports and innovation, following the retirement of Ms. Levy-Gilbert. Martinez brings more than 20 years of experience in special education to this position. She has served as a special education teacher and held leadership roles as both an assistant principal and principal at a therapeutic day school. Most recently, she served as assistant principal at Woodland Middle School. Martinez earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and her master’s degree in educational leadership along with a Director of Special Education Endorsement from Aurora University.

Nicole “Niki” Scofield is the new principal of Woodland Primary, following the retirement of Stacey Anderson in early July. Scofield brings nine years of administrative experience at primary and elementary level schools. For the past five years, she has served in North Shore School District 112 as the teaching and learning coordinator, director of early childhood programming and director of the extended school year program. Her previous roles also include serving as an instructional coach in Buffalo Grove and an elementary principal in Gavin School District 37 in Ingleside.

The board approved the hiring of Cretia Kirkwood as the assistant principal/early childhood supervisor for Woodland Primary at the June 26 meeting. Kirkwood most recently served in an assistant principal role for School District U-46 and she also has experience working to support early childhood programs in Waukegan. Kirkwood’s collaborative leadership style and passion for equity, early learning and instructional excellence make her a wonderful addition to the Woodland team, according to the release.

Katie Satterlee is joining the Woodland community as the new assistant principal at Woodland Middle School. Satterlee comes from McHenry Middle School, where she most recently served as a sixth grade special education teacher and strategic plan team leader. She will be stepping into the role previously held by Martinez. Satterlee brings a strong background in special education and educational leadership. During her five years at McHenry, she played a key role in developing and implementing behavior analysis systems, school safety procedures and emergency response plans.