The District 75 School Board on Feb. 25 approved the hiring of Dr. Lilli Melamed to serve as the next principal at Washington Early Learning Center.

Melamed will begin at Washington on July 1, as Interim Principal Dr. Gabrielle Devlin steps back into her role in District 75’s Teaching and Learning Department. She was selected following a search that considered 16 candidates and three finalists.

“I’m really excited about this opportunity,” Melamed said. “Mundelein is a wonderful community, and I am looking forward to serving the students, staff and families of Washington School.”

The new principal grew up in the Vernon Hills/ Mundelein area and has children attending school in the Fremont School District. She is currently principal at Oak Terrace, a dual language school in Highwood, where she developed a comprehensive plan with teacher leaders to support school improvement. Prior to that she was the assistant principal and Gifted and Talented Coordinator for Oak Grove School District 68.

Melamed earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from DePaul University in 2004. She has two Master’s Degrees, one in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University (2013) and another in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University Chicago (2008). Melamed earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Concordia University in 2024.