School Board Elections

Each odd-numbered year in April, District 201 holds an election for school board members. This year is an uncontested election, with only one new person on the ballot. Professional Issues Chair Jessica Templin reached out to all individuals on the ballot and offered an opportunity for them to submit a short biography about themselves for our District 201 staff to get to know them. Continue reading to learn more about some of our school board members!

Bio from Mrs. Casey Fares, running uncontested:
My name is Casey Fares. I moved to the Belleville area in 2004 from Oklahoma. I was active duty Air Force for 4 years and an active Air Force reservist for an additional 4 years. By trade, I am a dental hygienist. Upon my military discharge, my husband and I decided to stay in the local area to raise our family. We have four beautiful, busy, boys. We currently have a freshman at Belleville East, while our others attend Whiteside Elementary. We are proud to call this area home. We are very active within our community and love spending time supporting local businesses. I am completely invested in the education and community that my children grow and learn in. I ultimately want to support the board and schools from a parent’s point of view. I genuinely care about the educators and children that we support in our community. I want the best for my children’s friends, parents, teachers, supporters, teammates, and stakeholders. I feel having a strong foundation to support our students is imperative and shouldn’t be taken lightly. I would love the opportunity to give an insight on my opinions and experiences. This will be a new journey for me, and I’m excited to help in any way. I look forward to working with everyone and developing meaningful relationships within the committee and board. 

Bio from incumbent Ms. Nicki J. Brown, MBA - MPH
My husband, Ruben and I moved to Belleville in 2003 for my career with Pfizer after both, proudly serving in the United States Air Force. In 2005 our daughter, Brooklynne was born, and we quickly realized Belleville would be our families forever home. I have always been enthusiastic about giving back and making a difference in the community, locally and/or globally throughout my life. When Brooklynne started school my volunteer work focused on her school. I became room mom, Girl Scout Leader, Parent Teacher Committee member/officer, booster club and whatever the event or give back of the month was. It all became clearer to me, I knew what my mom meant when she said, it takes it a village to raise a child; it truly does. From the very first day of kindergarten, to her high school graduation this May, it has been inspiring and I am in awe of her growth, and the amazing young lady she is becoming. Her educational achievements, personal and emotional growth and future opportunities are not due to just my husband and I; it is because of all the educators, coaches, staff and administrators that invested in her, spent the extra hours preparing, encouraging, and recognizing something in her that maybe we as parents didn’t see, or she didn’t see in herself. Therefore, I am running to be re-elected to Belleville Township District 201 school board because I want to continue to be a part of, serve, support, and give back to the students, educators, staff, administrators, and community: with the goal of continued and elevated educational excellence. My military service, professional education and vast experiences allow for me to bring unique business acumen, diversity equity lens, and the passion and purpose to serve all the district 201 community.
Employment, Education, and Community Service
· Pfizer Inc. 2001 – Present/ Area Business Director (MO/IL/IN/KY/TN) Health Systems & Rare Disease Marketing
· Post Graduate Certificate Key Account Management & Health Care Administration – International Studies, University of Dublin, Ireland – December 2022
·  Certificate Cultural Competency, December 2020
·  School Board member Belleville Township District 201, August 2021 – Present
·  Chair for School District 201 parent group, CARE - Community Advocating Racial Equity, 2020 – 2022
· Whiteside School District PTC/Booster Club multiple roles responsibilities (President, Secretary, Treasurer), 2011 – 2019
·   Girl Scout Leader Whiteside School, 2011 - 2017
·   DEI (diversity/equity/inclusion) certified instructor, Pfizer Inc. 2009- present
·   MBA & MPH, Saint Leo University, St. Leo, FL – June 2010 / B.A. in Human Resources Management, St. Leo University, St. Leo, FL – May 1996
·  AAS, Financial Management, Community College of The Air Force, Maxwell AFB, AL. – December 1998
·   Active-Duty Air Force, Financial Services, 1992 - 2000

Bio from incumbent Mr. Mike Eiskant
My name is Mike Eiskant and I am current school board member of BTHS District 201. I am a long-time resident of Belleville and Millstadt, own multiple businesses (Fletcher’s Kitchen & Tap) and former graduate of Dist. 201. I am a married, father of two who is dedicated to making our community a better place for future generations. My wife is a current educator, as well as other close family members. Outside of numerous community support activities via both personally and through my businesses, I have two children attending Belleville West and enjoy supporting them with school activities, including student council, sports, National Honors Society, and leadership building groups. I have been a BTHS Dist. 201 board member for the previous 8 years and am seeking re-election during
the upcoming April 2023 election cycle. My service on the school board has been very rewarding, despite the challenges of the pandemic. While the most recent 2 years have provided the educational setting hurdles not seen in this lifetime, the school board has worked hand and glove with the BTHS Dist.201 administration team to bring forth the best and safest options to keep children learning. Continuing the great strides BTHS Dist. 201 has made is a priority of mine and would like the opportunity to build off some of the highlights below:
- Financial stability of the entire district.
- Continued tax rate decreases.
- Opening of the C.A.V.E to provide state of the art access to vocational education garnering state and national attention.
- Responsible improvements of all facilities under the district control: Building & roofing
upgrades, performing arts center upgrades, gymnasium and athletic field improvements.
- Introduction of new courses and clubs to provide unfettered access for all students and remove barriers to participation.

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