Lockport High School District 205 appoints new interim board member

Lockport — The Lockport Township High School District 205 board has appointed a new, interim board member to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of Zyan Navarra in December.

Navarra resigned on Dec. 16 after explaining to the board that he was moving out of district to live with his wife, after he got married in spring 2024.

In his place, the board voted to appoint Derek Patton on Monday. He will serve the remainder of Navarra’s term, which is set to end on May 12, when the new board members elected in the April 1 election are seated.

Patton will not be eligible to run for one of the six open seats on the board, since the deadlines to file for the election passed in November. There currently are 15 individuals still running for the board openings.

Despite no longer being eligible for the seat, Navarra still is listed as a 16th candidate on the Will County Clerk election website.

Patton has lived in the Lockport-Homer Glen area for more than 20 years, according to his biography shared by the district. He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and an executive MBA, both from the University Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Patton is a Marine Corps veteran and has worked in the construction industry since 2002. He has also served on multiple committees, including as a management trustee for “one of Chicago’s largest health and welfare funds,” where he represented union employees, as well as on the boards of two non-profits focused on community advocacy and supporting veterans, according to the district.

Patton and his wife have four children who attend public schools and play sports in District 205 and its feeder districts.

According to District 205, Patton was selected from a pool of four applicants for the position and already serves on the district’s Facilities Master Planning Council.

In its statement, the board described Patton as “passionate about collaborating with staff, faculty and the board to help the district consistently produce academically proficient, versatile and confident students who graduate from LTHS as exemplary representatives of the community.”

Patton said in a statement, “As a parent of four in the district and long-time resident, I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve as interim board member and contribute to the continued success at LTHS!”

He was sworn in Monday by Board President Ann Lopez-Caneva, who said, “Mr. Patton has been an invaluable member of the Board’s Facilities Master Planning Council since it began in February 2024. We deeply appreciate his experience and commitment to the district as we continue to prioritize our efforts to enhance and improve our facilities.”

“The board is fortunate that he [Patton] is willing to serve because of his professional background in the military and construction,” District 205 Superintendent Robert McBride said. “His personal involvement for the past year with the Facilities Master Planning Council makes him a wealth of knowledge that aids in the board’s decision-making.”

New facilities director

In addition to Patton’s board appointment, the district also announced the hiring of a new director of facilities management.

The board selected Brian Ahmer on Jan. 6. He will replace Bill Thompson who will retire from the district in June 2025 after 26 years.

Ahmer’s official first day will be July 1, 2025. He currently serves as the chief operations officer at Township High School District 113 in Highland Park.

Ahmer has “extensive experience managing large-scale construction and operations projects” in both education and private industry, according to District 205.

Ahmer has previously worked as a construction manager consulting with the University of Illinois, Northwestern University, Oakton Community College, and the Cook County Department of Corrections.

He also was recognized by Consolidated High School District 230 in 2024 with an induction into its Foundation Legacy Hall for “outstanding contributions to school operations and facilities management,” according to District 205.

Ahmer and his wife live within the District 205 community. She works as a special education teacher in District 205’s feeder district Homer Community Consolidated School District 33C, and the couple have two children.

“I am honored to have been selected as the director of facilities management at Lockport Township High School District 205,” Ahmer said in a news release. “I look forward to getting started and contributing to the continued success of the district. Living within the district’s boundaries provides me with a unique opportunity to not only manage and improve the facilities but also to be an engaged member of the community I serve.”