---
title: Chris Van Nostrand — District 65 School Board
url: https://evanstonvoterguide.com/d65/chris-van-nostrand/
updated: 2026-10-06
source_policy: every fact carries a numbered source; [n] markers refer to the Sources list
---

[Home](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/) / [District 65 School Board](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/d65/) / Chris Van Nostrand

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 District 65 School Board · Incumbent · announced

# Chris Van Nostrand

D65 board vice president, appointed in February 2026. Founder of Strength Wise Barbell. [1][2]

## At a glance

- Declared — Confirmed he will run by Aug. 31, 2026: “Yes, I plan to run.”[3]
- Occupation — Founder and head coach, Strength Wise Barbell. Former chief marketing officer, UC Berkeley Extension.[1]
- Public office — D65 board member since February 2026, appointed by the Cook County Regional Superintendent to fill Omar Salem’s seat. Now vice president.[1][2]
- Connection to D65 — District 65 parent.[1]
- Prior runs — 2025, D65 board: finished fifth.[4][1]
## Stated priorities

No platform or priorities published as of Tue Oct 6, 2026.

## Record

Facts from public records, campaign filings and published news reports, each checked against its primary source. Same categories and the same review for every candidate. Listed, not evaluated. Last reviewed Tue Oct 6, 2026.

### Campaign finance

- Oct 2026: As of Oct. 6, 2026, the Illinois State Board of Elections listed no political committee for him.[5]

### Public office

- Apr 2025: He finished fifth of 13 candidates for four District 65 board seats in the April 1, 2025 election.[6]
- Feb 2026: After the board did not fill Omar Salem's vacant seat within 60 days, April D. Jordan, executive director of the North Cook Intermediate Service Center, appointed him on Feb. 2, 2026, saying the "most unbiased and democratic approach … was to rely on the 2025 school board election results and pair that information with those who formally applied"; he was sworn in Feb. 9, 2026.[7][8]
- Mar 2026: On March 23, 2026 he and Maria Opdycke voted against a $528,279.25 purchase of 1,231 iPads, which passed 5–2.[9][10]
- Apr 2026: On April 13, 2026 he and Maria Opdycke, who the RoundTable reported said in the board president's informal poll that they did not want any counselor cuts, cast the two votes against the resolution authorizing a reduction in force of teachers, which passed 5–2 and eliminated two of nine middle-school counselor positions; the same night he voted for the separate resolutions on non-renewal of non-tenured teachers and on educational support personnel, each passed 7–0.[11][12]
- May 2026: On May 18, 2026 the board elected him vice president 4–3 over Mya Wilkins, with Nichole Pinkard, Pat Anderson, Maria Opdycke and Van Nostrand voting for him and Andrew Wymer, Wilkins and Sergio Hernandez voting for Wilkins.[13][14]
- Jun 2026: On June 22, 2026 he voted for the mutual separation agreement with Superintendent Angel Turner; the approved minutes record the vote as 6–0, and the RoundTable and The Daily Northwestern report it as 5–1 with Andrew Wymer voting no.[15][16][17]
- Jun 2026: On June 22, 2026 he seconded the appointment of Eric Witherspoon as interim superintendent and moved to name CFO Eric Miller school treasurer; both motions passed.[17]
- Aug 2026: The board's 2026–2027 committee assignments, posted with the Aug. 31, 2026 meeting agenda, name him chair of the Policy Committee.[18]
- Sep 2026: The Evanston RoundTable and The Daily Northwestern reported that the District 65 board unanimously approved the fiscal 2027 budget, with a $5.1 million operating deficit, at its Sept. 28, 2026 meeting, where he also spoke on the district's achievement report; the district's budget memo says the deficit "includes a one-time $3.625 million Foster School closeout expenditure."[19][20][21]
- Aug 2026: The Evanston RoundTable reported that at the District 65 board's Aug. 17, 2026 special meeting, where the board voted 6–1 to select Alma Advisory Group to lead its superintendent search with Mya Wilkins the lone no vote, he said "a lot of due diligence" had taken place behind the scenes; the board approved an $80,000 contract with the firm on Aug. 31, 2026.[22][23]

### Property and taxes

- 2009–2017: He owned a condominium at 826 Judson Ave., Evanston, from September 2009 to June 2017.[24][25]
- 2021–2025: He bought 2622 Noyes St., Evanston, by warranty deed in May 2021 for $690,000, and by quitclaim deed signed Dec. 31, 2024 and recorded March 19, 2025 conveyed it to himself and a co-trustee as trustees of a trust.[26][27]

### Legal and regulatory

- Jun 2024: The City of Evanston's June 25, 2024 bills list includes a $1,200 Entrepreneurship Support Grant to Strength Wise LLC, the company named in the terms of service of Strength Wise Barbell, the business he describes himself as founding and that the RoundTable reported on Aug. 31, 2026 he owns, one of four such grants on that list totaling $7,600.[28][29][30][31]

### Statements and conduct

- 2025–2026: In a March 2025 FOIA Gras candidate questionnaire he wrote, "I'm opposed to a residency requirement. We need to keep the application funnel as wide as possible to attract candidates, which includes the autonomy to decide where they live," and his 2027 campaign site says, "I'm strongly in favor of requiring our next superintendent to live in D65. But I'm also keeping an open mind depending on our candidate pipeline and the specifics of our finalists."[32][33][34]
- Dec 2025: As one of four finalists for the vacant board seat, he wrote in a statement to the RoundTable that he favored "a complete proposal for saving $16 m[illion] with a line item breakdown" along with closing Kingsley Elementary and the Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies, and the RoundTable reported he said closures should be approached "with profound empathy."[35]
- Feb 2026: At the Feb. 23, 2026 board meeting he asked how the district's approach to special education would change if it did not receive federal special-education grants, and on March 9 he apologized for "any distress (he) may have caused parents," said "I stand fully behind our D65 students receiving special education services, whom we have a moral and legal obligation to support," and, according to the minutes, said his questions were meant to understand why student outcomes had worsened as spending increased.[36][37]
- Oct 2026: His campaign site says he "Grew revenue 52% from $48m to $62m for public university while managing $2m marketing budget"; an increase from $48 million to $62 million is 29.2%, and the site does not explain the difference.[38]

Records reviewed for every candidate

Illinois State Board of Elections campaign-finance filings; City of Evanston, District 65 and park-district meeting records and payments; Cook County Assessor property and exemption records; Cook County recorded documents; federal and state court databases; Illinois professional-license and attorney-registration records; the candidate’s own websites and public social media; and Evanston RoundTable, Evanston Now, Daily Northwestern and other news archives. Property-tax exemption records are not yet shown for any candidate; they will be added for all candidates at the same time, once each can be confirmed from the same public tax-bill records.

Campaign links

- None found as of Tue Oct 6, 2026
Also running · District 65 board

- [Dan Coyne](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/d65/dan-coyne/)
- [Danny Orrock](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/d65/danny-orrock/)
- [Chris Van Nostrand](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/d65/chris-van-nostrand/)
- [Natika Washington](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/d65/natika-washington/)

How this profile is made

Profiles use the same sections, in the same order, for every candidate. Facts come from the candidate’s own campaign materials, official records and published news reports, and each one is footnoted. Positions on specific city plans and votes — such as Envision Evanston 2045 — will be covered for every candidate together in “On the issues.” Candidates can submit information or corrections through the [About page](https://evanstonvoterguide.com/about/#candidates).

## Sources

1. Evanston RoundTable — Chris Van Nostrand appointed to open District 65 seat (Feb. 2, 2026) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/02/02/chris-van-nostrand-appointed-to-open-district-65-seat/
2. District 65 — Board of Education — https://www.district65.net/about/board-of-education
3. Evanston RoundTable — Evanston school board elections 2027 (Aug. 31, 2026) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/08/31/evanston-school-board-elections-2027/
4. Evanston RoundTable — District 65 board seat (Nov. 26, 2025) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2025/11/26/district-65-board-seat/
5. Illinois State Board of Elections — Committee search (accessed Oct. 6, 2026) — https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeSearch.aspx
6. Evanston RoundTable — Final election results: District 65 school board (Apr. 1, 2025) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2025/04/01/live-election-results-district-65-school-board/
7. Evanston RoundTable — Chris Van Nostrand appointed to open District 65 seat (Feb. 2, 2026) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/02/02/chris-van-nostrand-appointed-to-open-district-65-seat/
8. The Daily Northwestern — Chris Van Nostrand named to D65 board (Feb. 2, 2026) — https://dailynorthwestern.com/2026/02/02/top-stories/chris-van-nostrand-named-to-d65-board-as-district-navigates-period-of-transition/
9. Evanston RoundTable — District 65 board maintains 1-to-1 iPad policy (Mar. 24, 2026) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/03/24/district-65-board-approves-ipad-purchase/
10. Evanston/Skokie School District 65 — Approved minutes, Mar. 23, 2026 regular meeting (BoardBook) — https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Minutes/1247?meeting=736168
11. Evanston RoundTable — Evanston/Skokie District 65 saves 7 school counselor roles (Apr. 14, 2026) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/04/14/district-65-school-counselors-retention-vote/
12. Evanston/Skokie School District 65 — Approved minutes, Apr. 13, 2026 Committee of the Whole (BoardBook) — https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Minutes/1247?meeting=737925
13. Evanston RoundTable — District 65 discusses possible sale of Bessie Rhodes and Kingsley (May 19, 2026) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/05/19/district-65-discusses-possible-sale-of-bessie-rhodes-and-kingsley/
14. Evanston/Skokie School District 65 — Approved minutes, May 18, 2026 regular meeting (BoardBook) — https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Minutes/1247?meeting=743100
15. Evanston RoundTable — Eric Witherspoon named District 65 interim superintendent (Jun. 23, 2026) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/06/23/interim-superintendent-eric-witherspoon/
16. The Daily Northwestern — D65 board approves new administration leadership (Jun. 23, 2026) — https://dailynorthwestern.com/2026/06/23/top-stories/d65-board-approves-new-administration-leadership-reaches-consensus-to-sell-closed-school-buildings/
17. Evanston/Skokie School District 65 — Approved minutes, Jun. 22, 2026 regular meeting (BoardBook) — https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Minutes/1247?meeting=748432
18. Evanston/Skokie School District 65 — Aug. 31, 2026 regular meeting agenda, item 16.A, 2026-2027 Board Committee Assignments (BoardBook) — https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1247?meeting=761539
19. Evanston RoundTable — District 65 approves budget with $5.1 million deficit (Sept. 29, 2026) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/09/29/district-65-budget-deficit-approved/
20. The Daily Northwestern — D65 board reviews 'disheartening' achievement gaps, hears update on superintendent search (Sept. 30, 2026) — https://dailynorthwestern.com/2026/09/30/city/d65-board-reviews-disheartening-achievement-gaps-hears-update-on-superintendent-search/
21. District 65 — FY27 final budget memo (BoardBook document 14472808) — https://meetings.boardbook.org/Documents/DownloadPDF/14472808?org=1247
22. Evanston RoundTable — Alma Advisory Group to lead District 65 superintendent search (Aug. 17, 2026) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/08/17/board-hired-alma-superintendent-search/
23. Evanston RoundTable — District 65 tentative budget projects $5.1 million operating deficit (Sept. 1, 2026) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/09/01/district-65-tentative-budget-fiscal-year-2027/
24. Cook County Clerk — Recordings for PIN 11-19-402-028-1018, docs 0926440035 and 1717847069 (accessed Oct. 6, 2026) — https://crs.cookcountyclerkil.gov/Search/ResultByPin?id1=11194020281018
25. Cook County Assessor — Parcel sales, PIN 11-19-402-028-1018 (accessed Oct. 6, 2026) — https://datacatalog.cookcountyil.gov/resource/wvhk-k5uv.json?pin=11194020281018
26. Cook County Clerk — Recordings for PIN 10-11-416-001-0000, docs 2114629116 and 2507823090 (accessed Oct. 6, 2026) — https://crs.cookcountyclerkil.gov/Search/ResultByPin?id1=10114160010000
27. Cook County Assessor — PIN 10-11-416-001-0000 (accessed Oct. 6, 2026) — https://www.cookcountyassessor.com/pin/10114160010000
28. City of Evanston — Bills list, June 25, 2024 (CivicWeb document 400830) — https://cityofevanston.civicweb.net/document/400830/
29. Strength Wise Barbell — Terms of Service — https://www.strengthwisebarbell.com/terms-of-service
30. Strength Wise Barbell — Bio — https://www.strengthwisebarbell.com/bio
31. Evanston RoundTable — 2027 elections: School board petitioning opens with most incumbents mum on plans (Aug. 31, 2026) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/08/31/evanston-school-board-elections-2027/
32. FOIA Gras — Foia Gras D65 Voter Guide (Mar. 16, 2025) — https://www.foiagras.com/p/foia-gras-d65-voter-guide
33. FOIA Gras — D65_Voter_Guide.pdf, candidate questionnaire responses, Question 2 (Mar. 2025) — https://drive.google.com/file/d/19mQv4xgGPWpsxhUN5SeQ64NfEC96Ozey/view
34. Chris Van Nostrand campaign — Issues (accessed Oct. 6, 2026) — https://www.cvnfor65.org/issues
35. Evanston RoundTable — Regional superintendent will appoint Chris Van Nostrand to open District 65 seat, board member says (Dec. 18, 2025) — https://evanstonroundtable.com/2025/12/18/regional-superintendent-will-appoint-chris-van-nostrand-to-open-district-65-seat-board-member-says/
36. The Daily Northwestern — D65 board analyzes student technology plans, special education (Mar. 10, 2026) — https://dailynorthwestern.com/2026/03/10/city/d65-board-analyzes-student-technology-plans-special-education-audit/
37. Evanston/Skokie School District 65 — Approved minutes, Mar. 9, 2026 Committee of the Whole (BoardBook) — https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Minutes/1247?meeting=733902
38. Chris Van Nostrand campaign — About the Candidate (accessed Oct. 6, 2026) — https://www.cvnfor65.org/about