Board of Directors

Sue Bennett is the Manager of Marketing Analytics at The Davey Tree Expert company, a national tree and landscape company.  She has a Bachelor's Degree in marketing from Northern Illinois University and a Master's of Business Administration from Lake Forest Graduate School of Business.  Sue lives in Streamwood with her wife Kim, Daughter Ellie, Son Murray, a very large puppy Blue and two new kitties.  Ellie will be a fourth grader at EMSA and Murray will be starting his education at EMSA as a Kindergartner for the 22/23 school year.  Sue is co-president of the EMSA Parent Teacher Crew with Bethea Lane.  Her passions are volunteering on multiple boards, spending time with her family and hitting a tennis ball every so often. 

Mrs. Lane has been an EMSA parent since the school’s inception and is an EMSA PTC founding member. She participates on several committees for the EMSA Board of Directors as the current PTC co-representative. She teaches 6th grade in another local district and holds a bachelor’s degree in Education, a master’s degree in Teaching & Leadership, as well as having an ELL endorsement. Throughout her career as a teacher, she has and continues to participate in many committees and councils related to curriculum development, new teacher mentorship, leadership development, and Equity, Inclusion and Diversity. She is also a district representative in several state- and national-level organizations related to teaching and education, including the IEA and NEA. As an active community volunteer through Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., her church, her own community group Raising Just Kids, and other local organizations, she is regularly involved in planning and executing community service projects. Additionally, she frequently participates in professional and personal development conferences and classes.

Mr. Stagen comes from a strong banking and financial background at Blackhawk Bank. He volunteers as a Coach and Mentor to a Scholar and Student through Harper College via the One Million Degrees Program. Additionally, he volunteers as a Presenter to Elementary School Students via Junior Achievement. These are activities that Mr. Stagen enjoys through the opportunity to mentor and teach these students and scholars.

Combining clinical medical experience and non-profit leadership skills, Melanie joins the board leading as a Co-President of the EMSA Parent Teacher Crew (EPTC) along with Bethea and Sue. She joined the EPTC at its inception assisting with the teacher appreciation committee and school theatre program. Melanie's youngest Maddy, began attending EMSA when it launched in 2017, beginning as the first kindergarten class. Melanie was born and raised in Chicago and attended Wilbur Wright College in the city. She is a resident of Elgin today raising two children with her husband Ben of 17 years.