New Dist. 203 board member impresses with volunteerism, leadership
The newest member of the Naperville Unit District 203 school board has written a children's book and volunteered with a reading program, helped choose the new principal at one of the district's five junior highs and been chosen over 25 other candidates for the seat.
Charles Cush was appointed Monday night to fill a position vacated by the resignation last month of Suzyn Price, who had spent 13 years on the board.
Cush will serve until the April 4 election, when the seat will be up for grabs again. He said Monday he “absolutely” intends to seek a full four-year term on the board in April, as he did unsuccessfully in a crowded 2013 election.
Cush has worked in the health care field for more than 20 years, most recently as vice president of global nutrition for Baxter Healthcare Corporation in Deerfield.
“His years of leadership, working collaboratively with others and volunteerism in our community make him the right choice,” board president Terry Fielden said.
Cush made a strong impression on school board members who met Wednesday and Thursday in closed session to interview 26 candidates who submitted their applications on time to fill Price's former seat.
“It was pretty much unanimous after he interviewed that he would be the one selected,” Fielden said.
Cush has two daughters who will attend Naperville North High School next year, one will be a junior and the other will be a freshman. His family has lived in Naperville since 2010.
Three years earlier, he wrote a children's book called “From Acorns to Oak Trees,” which he said encourages children that they can achieve anything they choose to pursue.
“I just have this fundamental belief that every child has unlimited potential and they should have the ability to maximize that potential,” Cush said.
He also said he believes serving the community is an important way to give back. He's volunteered with a United Way reading program in Fort Wayne, Indiana, called Real Men Read and locally with Feed My Starving Children, the Junior Achievement USA program and as a parent-to-parent mentor for those with students entering junior high.
Cush has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Maryland and a master's of business administration from the University of Michigan.
Cush said he's most looking forward to collaborating with the other board members as part of a strong team to promote student achievement and keep the district in good hands.