District 50 board vacancy filled

Woodland Elementary District 50 officials have appointed Renea Amen of Gurnee to fill an open school board seat, the district announced Wednesday.

A Navy veteran and an attorney in private practice, Amen was one of four people who expressed interest in filling the vacancy created by the resignation of Joyce Mason. One individual withdrew interest, leaving three to be interviewed.

Amen was on the board once before when she was appointed to fill a 2016 vacancy.

"Renea was unanimously chosen from a group of highly qualified candidates. I look forward to working with her to further our efforts in providing a high-quality education for our students," board President Carla Little said in a news release.

Amen is the mother of two children now attending Woodland schools.

"My passion has always been to advocate for others. I noticed some initiatives I worked on previously as a board member were in the process of completion and because I am still passionate about those initiatives, I thought it best to return and see them through," she said in the release. She will serve until 2021, when newly elected board members will be seated.

Amen served in the Navy for five years and worked as a dental assistant. She also worked as a real estate agent and a corrections officer before graduating from John Marshall Law School in Chicago and becoming an attorney.

She also is an adjunct professor of business law at Columbia College of Missouri.