New Business Leader in Komarek District 94

For the first time in about 20 years, Komarek School District 94 has a new business manager. On July 1, Imaad Dada replaced Kathy Gibson, who retired as the school’s business manager.

“It’s time to spend more time with my grandkids,” Gibson told the Landmark shortly before his last day on the job.

Dada, 27, had been an accountant for School District 401 in the Elmwood Park Community Unit for nearly three years. He actually started working at the Komarek School on May 2, so he could work with Gibson to ease the transition.

Raised in Naperville, Dada graduated from DePaul University in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He then earned a master’s degree in school finance from Northern Illinois University in 2018. Prior to working for District 401, he worked four years as an accountant for the Northers Suburban Special Education District.

It turns out that Imaad isn’t the only Dada working in Komarek District 94. His uncle, Mohsin Dada, a retired school principal who had worked for Schaumburg School District 54 and Highland Park District 112, has worked in Komarek for a few years. part time.

Moshin Dada and his wife Yasmine, also a retired business manager, have a business called School Business Management Services LLC, which provides part-time acting help to school districts.

In Komarek District 94, Moshin Dada worked on cost reduction for the ultimately successful construction bond referendum that was approved in 2020 and oversees the financial aspects of building a new wing in Komarek. He also helped Gibson prepare budgets. Komarek pays Mohsin Dada $750 a day when he works.

“I help Komarek because two and a half years ago the school district had a very big challenge,” said Mohsin Dada. “Very quickly we started making budget alignments and made the school district sustainable.”

Today, Moshin Dada is also his nephew’s mentor.

Imaad’s father, Abdul Dada, is also the school’s business manager and comptroller for School District 89 in Maywood.

This family background influenced Imaad Dada’s decision to go into the field of school finance instead of doing tax or auditing work, the most common career path for graduates of DePaul’s accounting program.

“As I have a lot of family members in the business, I was exposed a lot,” said Imaad Dada. “When I was young, I always knew I wanted to do something business and numbers related. Together with my aunt, uncle and father, I decided to give school business an opportunity and I liked what I was doing, so I stuck with it.

Imaad Dada’s salary is $80,000 a year. He was initially one of four candidates for the position of business manager interviewed by Komarek Superintendent Todd Fitzgerald. Dada and another finalist had a second interview with Fitzgerald and Komarek principal Diane Michelini before the school board voted to hire him in April.

Firm also hired by District 103

Mohsin and Yasmine Dada’s firm was hired last month by Lyons-Brookfield Elementary School District 103 to help run its business office this year and mentor Bill Chappell, who was hired last year as a deputy commercial director and is elevated to the rank of commercial director.

Mohsin Dada said Yasmine will be the main person working at District 103. She is expected to work for District 103 no more than five hours a day and no more than 200 days a year.

Since Mohsin and Yasmine Dada receive substantial state pensions, they are limited in the extent to which they can work and continue to receive their pensions.

Guy Cahill, District 103’s acting business manager who was hired in January, will be leaving the district after completing the district’s 2022-23 budget and a few other projects. During his short stint at District 103, Cahill helped negotiate the teachers’ new contract which was approved this summer. Cahill was paid $750 a day.

Yasmine Dada will mentor Chappell, whose background was in investments before joining District 103 last year.

“This group will help him with a one-year ride with the budget and different things like that and help us with the negotiations,” District 103 Superintendent Kristopher Rivera said.