LIBERTYVILLE – Libertyville School District 70 Board of Education members on March 10 unanimously hired Rebeca Jenkins as the new superintendent to start April 4.

She will be the first female superintendent to lead the school district of 2,129 students.

Jenkins joins District 70 from Lake Forest Elementary School District 67 and Lake Forest High School District 115, where she served as deputy superintendent for three years and assistant superintendent for three years before being promoted to deputy. While those school districts have a separate staff and board of education, they share the same administrators.

Jenkins replaces Matt Barbini, who is on a leave of absence, according to a news release. Barbini did not seek an extension to his contract with District 70.

Parents, residents and business owners, along with D-70 staff members including teachers, support staff and administrators, and school board members worked together with the Illinois Association of School Boards in the recruitment and selection process for the new superintendent.

“The Board of Education emphasized a candidate having building experience. Rebecca checked that box,” Board of Education President Wendy Schilling said in the release. “She has experience as a teacher and as a building administrator both at the elementary and middle school levels. This was important to our staff and community.

“Rebecca will bring high energy to the district and has already shared with the district some initiatives she would like to introduce. The board is confident that Rebecca will unify District 70 [and] create an environment where our students excel, parents see growth in their children both socially and emotionally, and the staff and future staff continue to see us as a ‘destination district.’ ”

Jenkins is known for her collaborative style, natural leadership, outgoing and friendly personality and student-centered focus, according to the release.

“I am honored and humbled to be chosen as the first female superintendent for Libertyville School District 70,” Jenkins said. “I think it is fitting to be voted in during Women’s Week. I am thankful to the board for the thorough and robust process that was engaged in to choose your next superintendent. I will care for each child in our schools and believe each child has a voice and place to make an impact in this world. I will take time to listen and learn about the traditions and what makes Libertyville so amazing. I am also excited to work toward our bright future and look forward to the strategic planning process we will engage in the fall. Thank you for the opportunity and the warm welcome.”

Before working in central office administration, Jenkins was a middle school principal for nine years in Aptakisic-Tripp Elementary School District 102 in Buffalo Grove. She also worked as an assistant principal for an elementary school in District 102 for two years. During her first five years in education, Jenkins was an elementary teacher in Northbrook, Grayslake and Gurnee.

A National Louis graduate, Jenkins has an educational specialist degree in higher education administration and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in education. She currently is working on her doctorate in educational administration.

Jenkins lives in Crystal Lake with her husband, Jason, and their 10-year-old daughter, MacKenzie.