Naperville city council to vote on appointing Supna Jain to vacant spot

Naperville City Council members are slated to vote this month to appoint a school board member in Indian Prairie Unit District 204 to a vacant seat on their panel.

The city announced Wednesday that the council directed staff to add a resolution to the Sept. 16 meeting agenda appointing Supna Jain to the empty seat. If the resolution is passed, Jain, now the school board’s vice president, will be immediately sworn in.

Jain was first elected to the District 204 board in 2021 and won reelection this past April.

She is the principal lecturer in communication and media studies at North Central College in Naperville.

A second-generation Indian American, wife and mom to two teenage boys, she holds a law degree from DePaul University. Jain also teaches Indian dance at the Naperville Park District and is the founder and artistic director of a nonprofit dance troupe.

“I’ve expressed my belief in the African proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,” Jain said in a statement released by the city. “I will miss serving on the school board, but I am thrilled to have this opportunity to put a new twist on that proverb and help build a strong future for this amazing city — our village — so that all residents can thrive.”

The opening was created by the resignation of Allison Longenbaugh, who stepped down after more than two years in the role. At her last council meeting last month, Longenbaugh said she is taking a private sector position that does not allow her to serve in public office.

“I hope it's clear just how much of myself I have put into this role,” she said then. “I've tried to be present and available as much as possible, because I love serving this community.”

Jain would complete the remaining 18 months left in the council term.