Board of Directors
A board of directors governs Chicago Friends School. The board adopts school policies and is legally responsible for the financial health and operation of the school. The executive committee is comprised of a clerk (chair), recording clerk (secretary), and treasurer.
The board holds monthly meetings at the school, which are open to members of the Chicago Friends School parents, staff, committee members, and volunteers.
Director Biographies
Rebecca Conant (Clerk), is a Chicago-area educator and lifelong Quaker. She was born into the 57th Street Meeting and raised in Quaker meetings around Chicago. She is currently a member of Clear Creek Friends Meeting in McNabb, Illinois. She has spent most of her professional career in the field of education at museums and other nonprofits (including Grande Prairie Public Library, The Field Museum, The Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Lincoln Park Zoo, The Adler Planetarium, and the Lincoln Park Conservancy). She also had her own classroom at Near North Montessori, where she taught middle school science. Rebecca has a B.S. in geology, art history and studio art, an M.S. in environmental biology, and an M.P.A. in nonprofit management.
Neil Lichtman, who grew up in the Jewish faith, attended Quaker schools in New Jersey — Haddonfield Friends School through 6th grade and Moorestown Friends School through 12th grade. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (B.A.), the University of Virginia (M.A. in foreign affairs), and the Harvard Business School (M.B.A.). A Unitarian Universalist, Neil has been president of the DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church and co-chair of their capital campaign, and he is currently co-chair of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Generosity Network. His business career was primarily in advertising, marketing, and business strategy with 23 years at Leo Burnett and eight years at Maddock Douglas.
Andrew R. Lines (Treasurer), a proud parent at Chicago Friends School, earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from Syracuse University and is an associate member of the Appraisal Institute. He is a partner at CohnReznick, a full-service national audit, tax, and advisory firm, where he leads valuation strategies for a variety of real estate property types, including residential, commercial, industrial, and special-purpose properties. Andrew is also an active member of the Syracuse University Regional Council and a founding member of the World Business Chicago Fellowship Alumni Network.
Kate Connor (Recording Clerk) is the proud parent of a Chicago Friends student. She serves as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Services at Truman College, is a leader on the Chicago Early Childhood Workforce Scholarship effort, and works on multi-agency initiatives seeking to build capacities in the early childhood field. For over twelve years, Kate taught in the faculty ranks for the Early Childhood and Human Development disciplines at City Colleges. She has a background in project management, curriculum development, and assessment. Kate holds a B.S. degree in Human Development from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.S. degree in Child Development from the Erikson Institute. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the Erikson Institute.
Jen Enriquez is mom to Helena (12) and Luke (10). She is an attorney by formal education but now works primarily with children and youth at an Episcopal church. She began focusing on teaching children skills and giving them tools for finding peace in themselves and bringing peace and kindness to their world in 2017. She discovered a passion in herself and a yearning in her community. Peace Camp was born in Oak Park and in 2019 included La Grange and Brookfield locations. Jen teaches a “Little Peacemakers” class at a preschool and is working on an anti-bias/anti-racism with children. Jen and her family live in La Grange with their three dachshunds, Faloosha, Roxie, and Freya.
Jane Fremon grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, the youngest of four children in a family deeply committed to education. A 1975 graduate of Princeton University, she was a member of the second class of women ever to matriculate there. Her master’s degree is from Bank Street School of Education. After working as a teacher, Jane spearheaded the effort to bring a Friends School to Princeton and served as head there for 31 years.
She now works as a consultant to schools and serves on the board of Friends Council of Education. Jane’s writings on Quaker education and pedagogy have been published by Friends Council on Education, Friends Journal, and Independent School Magazine.
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