The Proviso Township High Schools District 209 school board has made a series of major administrative appointments.
In June, the board approved the hiring of William C. Breisch as permanent principal of Proviso Math and Science Academy in Forest Park. The board also approved the hiring of Joseph Kosina as interim principal at Proviso West.
Earlier this month, the district announced that the board had approved the hiring of two new athletic directors — Nick Browder at Proviso East and Daniel Savage at Proviso West.
According to a statement the district released on July 14, Breisch started teaching at Proviso East in 2006. Breisch has also coached at Proviso West.
In the district’s statement, Breisch said his experience working at all three D209 schools gives him a “unique perspective.”
Breisch replaces Bessie Karvelas, the longtime principal of PMSA, who was appointed last year to serve as the district’s chief innovation officer.
Kosina will temporarily replace former Proviso West Principal Nia Abdullah, who was reassigned to another administrative role in the district earlier this year amid the loud objections of some parents and community members who are vocal supporters of Abdullah.
According to a statement the administration released earlier this month, Browder is a former Valparaiso University quarterback who played in the Arena Football League for about 10 years before retiring in 2007, going on to become assistant athletic direct at Waukegan High School in Waukegan, Illinois.
Browder, who was inducted into the Valparaiso Hall of Fame in 2004, has a master’s degree in education from George Williams College and a doctorate in sports management from North Central University. Browder vowed to advocate for East athletes during his tenure.
“I am an advocate for their success and their equitable treatment when it comes to what they look like, what the facilities look like, [and] best coaching,” he stated. “I’m going to make sure they have the best available, so they will never go any place and feel lesser than their opponent.”
Savage comes to West from Rich South High School in Matteson, Illinois, where he was athletic director. Prior to that position, he was the assistant athletic director and business education instructor at Harlem High School in Machesney Park, from 2016 to 2018, and track and cross-country coach at the University of South Alabama.
Savage received his undergraduate degree from North Central College in Naperville, where he ran track and cross-country. He has a master’s degree from National Louis University and a master’s degree in School Leadership from Concordia University Chicago in River Forest.
