New trustee will bring 'breath of fresh air' to Hanover Park, mayor says
Lisa Trousdale, a former pastor at Willow Creek Community Church, is scheduled to be sworn in as the newest Hanover Park village trustee at Thursday's village board meeting.
Trousdale, who's lived in Hanover Park for 14 years, says she's always been interested in politics. This will be her first time holding a position with the village. She will be the only woman on the board.
"She's going to bring a breath of fresh air and a positive attitude to the board," Village President Rod Craig said.
Trousdale ran for a spot on the Schaumburg Township Library Board in April, but fell to Julie Wroblewski, Jillian Rose Bernas and Theresa "Terry" Seyring.
Trousdale said she met Craig about nine years ago, and he's been encouraging her to get more directly involved with the village since then.
"He's been working on getting me involved for the last six to eight years, but I've had to put family first for the past 18 years, so I had to keep turning him down," Trousdale said.
In addition to working as a Willow Creek pastor, Trousdale served as a member of Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 Goals Committee. She home-schooled each of her three children for various periods of time.
During her run for the library board, Trousdale met village trustees and staff, which helped her get a better feel for what board meetings are like.
Trousdale will serve out the duration of former Trustee Ed Zimel's term, which lasts until 2017. After Zimel resigned Oct. 1 amid questions about his residency, Trousdale says Craig approached her about applying for the newly open position.
"I turned Rod down initially," Trousdale said. But after getting support from her family and village trustees, she decided to jump in.
"My gut said let's go for it, and things will work out," she said.
"Her interest in her community through working with her children and church shows she's willing to be a part of different committees and processes," Craig said of Trousdale, who's also served on the PTA board at Anne Fox School in Hanover Park, and who has worked as a pastor for college students at Kalamazoo College.
Craig says three other people were in the running, but trustees agreed Trousdale was the best fit.
The 45-year-old Hanover Park resident also plans on going back to graduate school and working toward becoming a marital and family therapist. She's run in nine marathons in the past five years.
"And hopefully if we don't wear her out, she'll run again," Craig said.