Mokena District 159 hires new superintendent
By Ginger Brashinger Correspondent March 20, 2013 10:44PM
Omar Castillo (second from left) is pictured with his wife, Maria (from left), and children Max, 10, and Omar, 12. | Ginger Brashinger~For Sun-Times Media
Updated: April 23, 2013 1:51PM
The Mokena School District 159 Board on Wednesday night hired Omar Castillo as the district’s superintendent, beginning July 1.
Castillo, of Bolingbrook, has been assistant superintendent for teaching and learning in Addison School District 4 since 2010. From 2004 to 2010, he was principal of Lukancic Middle School and assistant principal and interim principal at Martinez Middle School, both in Valley View District 365U in Romeoville.
Castillo will replace Steve Stein, who is leaving to become superintendent of Peotone District 207U. Stein was District 159’s interim superintendent in 2011-12 and superintendent this school year. He also served as a principal in the district for 10 years.
Castillo has a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University in Chicago and master’s degrees in education from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Northern Illinois University. He obtained a doctorate in education from Illinois State University in 2010.
Castillo attended Wednesday night’s meeting with his wife, Maria; sons, Omar, 12, and Max, 10; his parents, Cruz and Maria Castillo, and his mother-in-law, Delia Lara.
