Founders

Joseph Civantos, MD, is a nationally recognized ophthalmologist specializing in the medical and surgical treatment of diseases of the retina and vitreous.  Dr. Civantos is a principal with Illinois Retina Associates, S.C.  Dr. Civantos also is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.  Dr. Civantos earned a B.S. from Harvard University and his medical degree from Columbia University.  Dr. Civantos and his wife, Lilliam, have seven children, all of whom attended and graduated from Kingswood Academy. Joseph Civantos and his wife Lilliam are two of the original founders of Kingswood Academy.

Lilliam served as president of the board of directors of Kingswood for ten years, and as a board member for an additional three years. Lilliam has served on the Board of Directors for The Willows Academy for the past ten years.  Lilliam also is president of the Mothers’ Club for Northridge Prep.  Lilliam and her husband Joseph have seven children, all of whom attended and graduated from Kingswood.  Lilliam holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Miami (FL) with a minor in Special Education, an M.A. from Ole Miss (Univ. of Mississippi) in Clinical Psychology, and doctoral candidacy in the same.

Maggie and Tom Brown were living in Naperville with their 6 children and were very discouraged with the public school system. Homeschooling at the time was not an option, but they wanted something similar where they could expose their children to classical literature and their Catholic faith in the right way. They wanted a place where their values and ideals were supported by the school and the curriculum, and where their Catholic faith would be shared in accordance with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and in the spirit of Opus Dei. After meeting Lilliam Civantos and Tracey Skokna, they agreed they wanted the same thing for their children. With the help of God, their wonderful husbands, and lots of prayers, they forged ahead. The founders held meetings to promote the school at a time when they didn’t even have a building. They are grateful for the first families who believed in their dreams. Now 30 years later, Maggie and Tom have 10 children, live in Downers Grove, and have 14 grandchildren.

Tracey Skokna has been a licensed, registered nurse in the State of Illinois for over thirty years.  Tracey has a degree in Nursing from the University of Illinois College of Nursing.  Tracey is the mother of ten children, all of whom attended Kingswood.  Tracey and her husband Nick live in Hinsdale, Illinois.  Tracey is currently employed in Human Resources and Accounting for a small business.