Hinsdale District 86 Hires New Public Relations Official

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale High School District 86 has a new person to handle the district's public relations.

On Monday, Samone Khalil, who graduated from Hinsdale Central in 2018, started as the communications coordinator.

Khalil is taking the place of Alex Mayster, who left as the director of communications on June 30 after two years. He became the press secretary for the Illinois State Board of Education.

Before he left, the district considered listing his position at $162,231. But then officials decided to create two positions – communications coordinator and executive assistant to the superintendent – from the pot of money.

Most recently, Khalil served as associate lead of communications for the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, or CIOGC.

In that role, the district said, she led strategic communications initiatives, managed internal and external messaging; coordinated community outreach; and produced newsletters, press releases and digital content.

The district also said Khalil previously worked at Publicis Groupe's Epsilon, where she managed digital marketing campaigns for Fortune 500 clients.

"I'm honored to join the District 86 team and look forward to building meaningful connections with the students, staff, and community while helping share the stories that make our schools so special," Khalil said in a news release.

In her new position, Khalil will oversee District 86's communications efforts, according to the district. That work includes website content, social media, publications, media relations, branding and community engagement.

In addition to her professional experience, Khalil has served in leadership roles with several nonprofit and professional organizations, including For the Sisters Chicago, Muppies and Loyola University's Women in Business.

She earned a master of science in integrated marketing communications from Northwestern University and a bachelor of arts in communication studies with a minor in marketing from Loyola University Chicago.