Michael Parrie – President

Michael Parrie was born and raised in Park Ridge, Illinois.  In 2004, he moved to his first home in Park Tower, and has been happy here ever since.

Michael attended Loyola University of Chicago for all of his degrees:  B.S. in chemistry in 1999, M.Ed. in administration & supervision in 2002, and Ph.D. in administration & supervision in 2006.

Michael has been employed at the J. Sterling Morton High School District 201 in Cicero/Berwyn since 2003, serving as a chemistry teacher, building administrator, and district curriculum/assessment director.

Since 2006, Michael has served as an adjunct professor at Concordia University of Chicago teaching graduate and doctoral classes each semester in educational leadership and the Illinois principal preparation program.

Michael was elected to the Park Tower board in 2013 and has served on the home improvement and rules & regulations committees.  After being in the position of 1st Vice President for his first 3 years on the Board, he was appointed as Board President following the 2016 Annual Meeting.  Michael is interested in working collaboratively with the board and management to promote Park Tower’s reputation as a first class condominium.

In his free time, Michael enjoys to travel.

Monique Fouant – 1st Vice President

Having lived at Park Tower as a resident owner for 25 years, Monique loves the building for its beauty, amenities, proximity to the lakefront and public transportation as well the surrounding vibrant and diverse neighborhoods.  Having regularly attended Board meetings over the years, she has seen how her fellow Park Tower residents have dedicated their time and talent for the betterment of our community.  Their service has inspired her to to contribute her time and talents to maintain and improve Park Tower’s financial health, building infrastructure and residents’ quality of life.

Prior to moving to Chicago from the Washington, DC area, she earned a Ph.D. in pathology from Virginia Commonwealth University and began working in the pharmaceutical business for 30 years as a toxicologist in drug safety assessment and project team member.  Currently she works through various contract research agencies as a consultant and medical/regulatory writer preparing documents for clients to submit to the FDA.

Outside of Park Tower she is an active member at her church and served as chairperson of the social justice committee, which focuses on violence prevention and homelessness in our community here in Edgewater.

Catherine Kestler – 2nd Vice President

Catherine has lived at Park Tower since 1982. As a resident and an owner she enjoys our beautiful building and amenities, its location to the lakefront and the diversity of the people who live here.

To stay informed about our building’s need for maintenance and improvements and to help maintain our quality of life she regular attends board meetings and residents’ forums. She enjoys volunteering at events sponsored by the Park Tower Social Committee such as the Easter egg hunt, potluck dinners and TGIF get-togethers. More recently, she helps label and sort packages in the package room and participates, via Zoom, with other Park Tower residents to explore topics such as Aging in Place and Cultural Diversity.

Having recently retired from a 30-year career in education during which Catherine taught in both public and private elementary schools in Chicago, she now has more time to be involved with the PT community. She agreed to serve on the PTCA Board as replacement for Cheryl Ronnett who resigned in December 2020, and will be the liaison for the Association of Sheridan Road Condo/Co-op Owners (ASCO) in the Edgewater neighborhood. In June 2021 when the term expires, she advised us she will be a candidate for election to the Board and is willing to serve for the following two years if elected.

She received a MAT from National-Louis University, in Chicago in 1991, and a BFA from Mundelein College, in Chicago in 1988.

Sheldon Atovsky – Secretary

Sheldon Atovsky was born in Chicago and raised in the Beverly neighborhood on the southwest side.  He moved to Park Tower in 2007 after living for 20 years in Andersonville South.

Sheldon went to Morgan Park High School and earned 3 degrees from Northwestern University culminating in a Doctor of Music in Composition.  Composing, performing and teaching occupied most of his work years.  At the same time he was involved in not-for-profit management, serving as a member of the boards of directors of several music oriented not-for-profit organizations, e.g., Kapture, an Aural Arts Ensemble, and New Music Chicago, a service, communications and production organization.  He also served on the board, wrote newsletters and organized social events, from 1986 – 2005, for the Andersonville South Neighborhood Organization serving the area bordered by Foster, Ashland, Winnemac and Ravenswood.

Sheldon taught music theory and composition at several local colleges and universities.  His longest residency was at DePaul University for 13 years.  He also was involved in many community projects as an Artist-in-Residence through the Illinois Arts Council.

His second career was running an inherited store, Studio V, focused on vintage clothing, furniture, jewelry, and gifts.  Today he enjoys volunteer work and, with his partner Terry Gorman, tandem cycling, travel, and regularly attending piano recitals, symphony concerts, opera performances and an occasional organ concert.

Sheldon has also served as chair of the Social Committee since 2016 and as a member of the Newsletter Committee since 2014.  He has served also on the following committees: Ad Hoc Committee to Review the Declaration & By-laws, Ad Hoc Rental Policy Committee, and Ad Hoc Air Quality Committee.

He joined the Board of Directors on October 1, 2019 to fill in the vacancy left by the departure of Ken Anderson.  During this time, most importantly, he is proud to have helped hire our new management company, The Habitat Company, with an emphasis on a smooth transition for Unit Owners, Residents, Staff and Employees, and to oversee the formation of the budget for the current fiscal year, 2020-2021.

Sheldon is very happy with the Park Tower community, management and board.  He loves living here and wants to see the association continue to keep our physical facilities in good repair and to maintain the good planning our management and board have performed for several years.

Jean Shamo – Treasurer

Born and raised in Michigan, Jean received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, her CPA certification in Illinois and her Masters in Accounting from DePaul University. For 17 years she worked in corporate accounting but then switched fields to become a Certified Financial Planner. Now retired, she and her husband enjoy the numerous cultural and recreational activities of the city and travel as time and money allow.

While renting an apartment in Edgewater during the summer of 2007, she and her husband viewed three two-bedroom apartments shortly before they returned to their SC home for the winter. They immediately decided to buy and move back to the city. Never  regretting that decision, they are grateful each day for the privilege of living here.

Jean has come to admire greatly the management of PTCA while serving the past four years on the Budget and Finance Committee. Working with that committee as well as the ad-hoc committees for Rental Policy and Review of the Rules and Regs, she also appreciates the volunteerism of Park Tower’s owners.