Two Brookfield residents are vying for the seat left vacant by former President Dawn Aubert who resigned from the Lyons Township High School District 204 Board of Education because she is moving out of the district.

The two are attorney Ashley Stead and paralegal Dominitrice “Dee” McCalley Gonzalez. They’re among the nine people running for the position. A 10th, lawyer Tim King, withdrew his application.

Stead, 33, is a 2009 graduate of LT. If selected, she would be the youngest member of the school board.

“As a 30-something-year-old, I can bring a different generational view to issues impacting the district,” Stead wrote in her application.

She is a 2017 graduate of Loyola Law School and a 2013 graduate of the University of Illinois, where she majored in political science and communication. Stead bought a home in Brookfield in 2022 after growing up in LaGrange Park. She is a labor and employment law attorney with the Chicago law firm of McGann, Ketterman & Rioux. She also worked four years as a lawyer for the Illinois State Senate Democratic Caucus and has worked as an attorney for the Del Gado Law Group, a firm that represents municipalities.

McCalley Gonzalez would be the only Black female member of the school board. She runs her own paralegal firm and worked for more than a decade at Illinois Tech, rising to the position of assistant director for engagement and culture. She is a member of Indivisible Brookfield and of the Diversity Group of LaGrange. She earned an MBA from Robert Morris College and is enrolled in a master’s in public policy administration at Illinois Tech. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Robert Morris.

“As a prospective member of the Board, my role would be to bring a diverse perspective that reflects the demographic and cultural richness of our community,” McCalley wrote in her application. “With my background as a minority woman and a parent of graduates from Lyons Township High School, coupled with my experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), I believe I can offer valuable insights and advocate for the needs and concerns of underrepresented groups.”

The others who applied to fill the vacancy are former LaGrange District 105 school board member David Herndon and current District 105 board member Elias Lopez. Also running are Lynn Bush, Megan McNamee Grad, Paula Struwing and Shawn Kennedy, a former member of the Indian Head Park Village Board. Avigail Schlosser, an army veteran, and Steven Marquardt , a retired information technology manager, are in the running, too.

The school board may pick Aubert’s replacement as early as its May 6 meeting.