IBEA announces the following candidates for the Spring 2021 IBEA Board Election. Please read the bios and be ready to vote when the ballots are available. The ballots will be e-mailed to each current IBEA member in March. A PDF version of the nominees is available at the bottom of this page.

Mrs. Lacy Bugielski - Second Vice President

Mrs. Lacy Bugielski has been a member of IBEA for almost 20 years and has served our organization in several capacities. She has attended IBEA Annual Fall Conferences since 2002. Lacy has served IBEA in several roles: Student Representative to the IBEA Board of Directors, Conference Co-Host, Session Chairperson, member of the Editorial Staff for IBEA Reports Newsletter, member of the fall conference program planning committee, and she is currently Editor of the IBEA Reports Newsletter.

Mrs. Bugielski has been teaching in Indian Prairie School District 204 for 15 years. She previously taught at Neuqua Valley High School and was selected as one of two Business teachers to open the third high school in the district, Metea Valley, in 2009. She has taught over 15 different business courses and sponsored Business Professionals of America for several years. Mrs. Bugielski is currently an advisor for the Educator’s Rising Club at Metea Valley.

Lacy earned her bachelor’s degree in business Teacher Education from Illinois State University, her master’s degree in School Improvement Leadership from Olivet Nazarene University, and has continued to study Educational Technology to enhance her teaching strategies. She has been awarded Most Influential Educator by the Indian Prairie Education Foundation, received the Early Career Achievement Award from Illinois State University, and was honored to receive the Outstanding New Professional Award from IBEA. Lacy knew she was going to be a business educator in high school when she fell in love with business classes and has never looked back!

Lacy lives in Aurora with her husband Robert, dog Tyson, and bearded dragon Saphira. She has truly enjoyed being a part of IBEA, meeting professionals from across the state, and enhancing her curriculum with new ideas. She looks forward to continuing her service to IBEA!


 

Brandan Oates - Member-at-Large

Mr. Brandan Oates is a third-year middle school business teacher at Kingsley Junior High School in Normal, IL and is excited to continue his involvement on the IBEA Board as a member-at-large. Raised in a small town in northern Illinois, he currently resides in the Bloomington-Normal area where he stayed after earning his bachelor's degree in K-12 Business Education and an endorsement in computer programming. He is also a graduate student at Illinois State University, where he is working on earning a master's degree in Teaching & Learning.

At Kingsley, he serves as a co-adviser for STEM Club and as one of the Infinite Campus Building Coaches, helping his colleagues adapt to the district's newly-adopted student information system. Brandan also serves on the Committee to Advance Public Education (CAPE) with the Illinois Education Association. 

 


Mrs. Heather Borowiak - Member-at-Large

Heather Borowiak is currently teaching her third year at Mt. Carmel Junior High School in Mt. Carmel, Illinois, where she teaches 7th and 8th grade Technology Skills. This is her 6th year of teaching. Heather obtained her Bachelor's in Workforce Education & Development from Southern Illinois University, and received her Master's in Business Education at Illinois State University this past December. In the past, she has served as a local chapter co-adviser for FBLA and is currently the Phi Beta Lambda State Adviser. Heather's favorite part about IBEA is the Fall Conference, when she has the opportunity to meet so many in her Professional Learning Network in person, as well as meet several new leaders in business education. Serving on the IBEA Board allows Heather to be more involved with the organization, as well as give back to the community of educators who have encouraged her professional growth and development. Outside of work, Mrs. Borowiak enjoys spending time with her caring husband, Emil, and sassy, beautiful daughter, Gwendolyn. She is excited to be welcoming another precious baby to her family in February, and she is very excited to find out this baby's gender with her family when she gets home after the conference!