Candidates for Village Board of Trustees

Kathryn Ciesla (President)

I have a long history of civic engagement. I am currently serving as Northbrook’s Village President and have since 2021.  Before that I served three four-year terms as a Village Trustee. I am focused on driving economic prosperity, promoting sustainability, and fostering inclusivity. Those achievements I am particularly proud of being a part of as a member of the Village Board include the development of a Sustainability Plan, an award-winning Affordable Housing Plan, and financial stability.  As Village President I am especially proud of spearheading significant economic development initiatives including the recruitment of Tesla and a redevelopment agreement for Northbrook Court.

Professionally, I have been an attorney for over two decades and am known for an unwavering commitment to serving my clients, most of whom are children. I am a partner at Ciesla Beeler, LLC in Northfield, Illinois, where I manage a diverse caseload, including highly contested divorces and parentage actions.  I focus exclusively on representing children in complex legal disputes, ensuring their voices are heard in the courtroom. I hold numerous certifications and have earned professional accolades, including being recognized as a “Super Lawyer” for nine consecutive years. My knowledge and background in family law, mediation, and child advocacy have been widely acknowledged through presentations, articles, and involvement in professional associations.

Beyond my professional and civic roles, I am deeply passionate about advocating for children's rights and providing vital support to families in need. I am dedicated to serving my community through work with various organizations, where I volunteer my time and expertise to support women, families, and youth.

My greatest joy comes from my role as a mom to my daughters, who are now attending college and graduate school.

Matt Cassidy (Trustee)

I have lived in Northbrook for 14 years. My wife and I chose Northbrook as an ideal place to raise our family and we have two wonderful daughters: a sophomore at Glenbrook North and a 7th grader at Northbrook Junior High. Professionally, I have been working in financial technology for the past 25 years, and hold a bachelor’s degree in Political Science along with a Master’s of Business Administration with an emphasis track in finance and investments.

I have a passion for volunteering to help make an already strong community even better. I am a current elected member of the District 28 Board of Education, where I have served on the Policy and Finance Committees and been part of selecting a new superintendent, growing the district’s before and after care programs, and helping lead the district successfully through the latter stages of the COVID pandemic. I am also a current member of the village’s newly rebuilt Economic Strategy Commission, where we have been advising the Board of Trustees on a number of potential programs and efforts to improve our community’s economic future. Previous to that I served on the village’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force as well. Outside of government I am a member of the board of the Northbrook Girls Softball Association, where I serve as Director of the House League, providing a great experience for hundreds of girls in the area. I have also coached three different youth sports here in town, and worked as a volunteer at the Northfield Township Food Pantry. I believe strongly in the importance of civic engagement and putting in the necessary work to keep moving our vibrant community forward.

Joy Ebhomielen (Trustee)

I have lived in Northbrook for over 20 years with my husband. We are both naturalized citizens with three children (Philip, Nathan, Christine) who have all grown up in this beautiful town. Philip and Nathan are both in college and Christine is a Junior at GBN. I am completing my first term on the Village Board and with your support I look forward to the opportunity to serve a second term.  Professionally, I have an MBA in Finance and a career that spans from commercial lending to corporate finance and strategy and am currently working at AbbVie as a Sr. Finance Manager supporting Clinical Trial Payments. 

I come from a family of philanthropists that truly believe in having an “attitude of gratitude”.  I am very active in volunteerism through work related activities as well as in my community in various capacities over the years, including four years with Northbrook’s Community Relations Committee, Northfield Food Pantry, D27 PTA, and various school committees. I am also on the board of Hunger Resource Network (HRN) a non-profit that helps support food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in the Chicagoland area as well as  the Board chair of a hospital my parents founded in their hometown in Nigeria.

In my first term, along with a very passionate and committed Village Board, we continue to tackle development projects to enhance our downtown district, diversify our community through affordable housing and keep the focus on our Climate Action Plan all while continuing to maintain the high quality of service from our police, fire and public works. It has truly been a gratifying first term, and I would be honored to have the opportunity to continue to serve our community.

Derek Gau (clerk)

I have been a resident of Northbrook for sixteen years. I founded and currently operate Apigrate, a software integration consultancy serving small and medium-sized businesses around the US. I've spent my whole career in IT, first working as a developer at Price Waterhouse, at various startups through the first dot-com boom, and eventually in executive management at a database marketing company located in Sky Harbor. Shortly thereafter we moved our family from the western suburbs to Northbrook.

Caroline Gau and I have been married for 27 years. We have three busy boys: one in the workforce, one in college, and one at GBN. In the community, I coached Park District soccer during my kids' elementary school years. I have a passion for supporting performing arts at GBN, having spent most of the last ten years volunteering in the GBN Band Parents Organization. My favorite pastimes are running, music and astronomy (which is as close as I get these days to using my Physics degrees).

It has been a privilege to raise a family in this vibrant, engaged community. I am interested in the Village Clerk position because I want to give back to Northbrook through civic engagement. I believe the Clerk position offers a great opportunity to facilitate voter registration, meet many of Northbrook's public servants on a person-to-person basis, and continue to learn about and support our Village government.