Beth McElroy Kirkwood, of Orland Park, was elected in April to serve a six-year term on the Moraine Valley Community College Board of Trustees.

Beth McElroy Kirkwood, of Orland Park, was elected in April to serve a six-year term on the Moraine Valley Community College Board of Trustees.

Beth McElroy Kirkwood, of Orland Park, was elected in April to serve a six-year term on the Moraine Valley Community College Board of Trustees. The college’s excellent standing in the community is one of the reasons she decided to run for one of three open seats on the board.

“Moraine Valley has a reputation of excellence in education,” she said. “The college has achieved so much, and I applaud the previous board members who were part of the college’s growth. They’ve done an outstanding job, and I’m happy to be able to oversee the continued growth.”

Being involved in the community is not new for Kirkwood, who works in the English Language Learners Resource Center in Orland School District 135. She has spent more than a decade serving Orland Park as a member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, the Open Lands Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals. “I enjoyed my time serving in those areas, but now that my children are older I wanted to get involved in a different way,” she said.

“I’m excited to be part of the Moraine Valley community, and I’m looking forward to getting involved at the college. The big thing for me is keeping the tuition affordable for students,” she said. “That’s always going to be at the forefront in whatever we are doing at the college.”
Moraine Valley President Dr. Sylvia M. Jenkins welcomed the newest trustees, Kirkwood, Bernadette Barrett and Patricia Joan Murphy, to the board. “I welcome all of our new trustees to the board and look forward to working with them. I am confident the college will continue to keep student success as a top priority and ensure everyone has access to an exemplary education,” she said.

Kirkwood received certification to teach English as a Second Language classes and holds a bachelor’s degree in Education from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.