03/21/2023
Get to know our endorsed candidates. Our first endorsement is for Pamela Manicioto.
Pamela Veloz Manicioto and her husband, Vito Manicioto, have lived in Northbrook since 2016. They have three boys, two of which attend Wescott, a first and third grader. Their youngest son attends the Glenbrook North Preschool program.
Pamela was born in El Paso, Texas and as a little girl moved to León, Mexico as her father’s work took the family on this adventure. While living in Mexico, Pamela was emersed in the culture and attended school for two years. After their brief stay in Mexico, her family moved back to Texas where she continued her schooling before attending Texas Christian University. While attending TCU, Pamela was afforded an opportunity to intern at the White House and worked in the Office of Public and Media Affairs. Upon graduation, she moved to Chicago and attended DePaul University College of Law, graduating Cum Laude. Pamela began her career as an attorney at one of Chicago’s largest bankruptcy law firms.
Pamela knows how important the structure of the education system is to our children’s lives. As such, once she started her family, Pamela decided that she was going to devote herself to all aspects of her children’s education. She hit pause on her thriving career so she would have the time and energy to be actively involved in her children’s schooling.
She volunteered frequently at Glenbrook North as all three of her children have attended its preschool program. Once her oldest began kindergarten at Willowbrook, she began involvement with District 30. She started slowly as a room parent but as time progressed Pamela realized she wanted more. This is when she became involved with the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO). Pamela discovered she could make a difference not only for her children, but also helping bring joy and structure to the student body. She was co-chair of Wescott’s Spiritwear Committee which was so successful in not only designing clothing that showed off the Wescott’s name, but it was the highest profiting run of school spiritwear sales.
After having so much success co-chairing the Spiritwear Committee, she decided to take on Monster Mash, Wescott’s biggest family event. Pamela immediately threw herself into this project and started planning this Halloween event before the summer began. The Monster Mash had been paused for two years due to the pandemic so for a majority of Wescott families this would be their first time enjoying the festivities. This was a huge undertaking as someone who also had never experienced the event; but she saw an opportunity to use her unique skills of organization and planning to get the job done. She planned the enormously successful Monster Mash which not only met all expectations, it broke them. She was able to put on the event with some help not only from fellow parents, but also through connections made from her time with outside vendors met while she assisted with a high-end party planning business. Pamela’s forethought, planning, and independent smart thinking allowed her to not only organize and execute the Monster Mash under budget but also use the event as fundraiser for the PTO.
Pamela’s unique upbringing attending schools in both the United States and Mexico, her time in the White House, and as a successful attorney gives her a perspective to learning that cannot be matched. Now that she has gotten her feet wet volunteering to help make Wescott a fun, welcoming and productive place to learn she now wants to turn her unique talents to the District 30 School Board. She believes that all students should not only have a strong curriculum for academic success, but also a safe and diverse environment that promotes creativity. She truly believes she is the candidate who can help ensure not only that District 30 continues its pedigree as Blue Ribbon recipients but also can become more fiscally efficient and nurturing to all families in District 30.
