Former Glen Ellyn District 41 board member announces Illinois House run

GLEN ELLYN – Glen Ellyn resident and former Glen Ellyn School District 41 Board of Education member Terra Costa Howard has announced she will run in the Illinois House District 48 Democratic primary, according to a campaign news release.

The seat currently is held by state Rep. Peter Breen, R-Lombard. The district includes most of Glen Ellyn and Lombard, the eastern part of Wheaton and sections of Lisle, Downers Grove and Oak Brook Terrace.

Prior to having her own law practice, Howard was an assistant public defender in the DuPage County Public Defender’s Office in the Juvenile Division, the release stated. She also served as a staff attorney for the judges of the DuPage County 18th Judicial Circuit Court.

Howard spent eight years on the District 41 Board of Education, including serving as the board’s president and secretary, according to the release. She also is an adjunct professor and intern supervisor at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn.

“Public education is the cornerstone of our communities. It is one of the primary reasons people have chosen to live in our district and it’s important to keep our State’s commitment to public education strong," she said in the release. "All of our schools in the 48th District are exceptional."

Howard, a member of the Glen Ellyn Planning Commission, has lived in Glen Ellyn for more than 20 years, the release stated. She and her husband, Nick, have three daughters.