A Pathway to Success
Tri-City CUSD #1
Board of Education
Melissa Black
President
Melissa Black and her husband Jeff have been residents of the Tri-City community for 8 years. Their child, Charlie attends school in the district. Melissa is a graduate of Rochester High School and earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois-Champaign, and a Masters’ degree from the University of Illinois-Springfield. Melissa is the Chief of Staff for the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.
Mike Brooks
Vice-President
Mike Brooks has been a resident of the Tri-City community for all but 6 years of his life. He and his wife Jodie have two children, William and Madeline who attend Tri-City Elementary and Pre-K respectively. Mike is a graduate of Tri-City and earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois. He is employed by the Illinois Senate and also serves on the Sangamon County Historic Preservation Commission.
John Martincic has lived in the district since 2007. His children Devan, Keaton and Cora all have attended or currently attend school in the district. John is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and earned a Bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in Special Education and a Masters’ degree in Instructional Design and Technology from Walden University. He served as a special education teacher in Springfield District #186 at Lincoln Magnet Middle School for 10 years. John currently works for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. He is the president of the Tri-City Education Foundation and has served as the Vice-President.
Stephanie Forgas
Member
Stephanie Forgas and her husband Ben have been residents of the school district since 2019. Their son, Grayson is currently enrolled as a student of the district. Stephanie is a graduate of Tri-City and went on to earn a Bachelor degree from Benedictine University. She is presently employed with Health Care Service Corp as a Senior Negotiator. Stephanie also sits on the Tri-City Education Foundation board.
Otto Rentschler
Member
Otto Rentschler and his wife, Leigh Ann have been residents of the Tri-City community for 39 years. Their children Nolan, Fred, and Ceeney all attend school in the district. Otto is a graduate of Tri-City High School and attended Lincoln Land Community College. Otto is self-employed as a farmer for the past 21 years. He currently serves on the Mechanicsburg Cemetery Board as well as the board at the Sangamon County Farm Bureau.
Bill Lee and his wife Brandy were both raised in the district and moved back in 2018. Their children, Brianna and Brooklyn both attend school in the district. Bill is a Tri-City graduate and retired from the Marine Corps after 21 years of service in 2018. Bill is now employed by Sangamon County and leads the County’s Office of Emergency Management. He also serves as the Chairman of the Sangamon Valley Local Emergency Planning Committee and is a member of both the Sangamon County Rural Fire Radio System Governance Committee and the Local Emergency Food and Shelter Program Board.
Required Board Training
Rob Stode and his wife have been residents of the Tri-City community for 30 years. Their child, Haven attends school in the district. Rob attended Edinburg High School and Lincoln Land Community College. He is employed by Strode Farm Service.