School District U-46 Announces Three New Administrator Appointments

New Principals at Streamwood High School and the Dream Academy

ELGIN - On Monday, June 1, 2026, the U-46 Board of Education appointed three candidates to leadership roles within the district, effective for the 2026-27 school year.

For biographical details, see below. 

Dr. Luis Fernando De León, Principal of Streamwood High School 

Dr. Luis Fernando De León has been selected to take on the role of principal at Streamwood High School. Dr. De León has more than 20 years of experience in education, including 13 years in administrative leadership. He brings a strong record of instructional leadership, organizational management, and a deep commitment to advancing equitable outcomes for culturally and linguistically diverse students.

Since 2023, Dr. De León has served as an assistant superintendent for Oak Park Elementary School District 97, where he worked to advance district strategy, policy, and innovation. He led districtwide redesign initiatives that increased core instructional time and expanded electives. He also strengthened the district’s culture systems, resulting in a reduction in discipline referrals.

For six years prior, Dr. De León was principal at Tefft Middle School in U-46. He focused on transforming the school culture into a highly inclusive, culturally responsive learning community. Dr. De León also built systems that strengthened teacher collaboration, data use, and targeted intervention.

From 2013 to 2017, Dr. De León served as principal at Laurel Hill Elementary School in U-46, where he enhanced staff skills through professional development, greatly increased active family engagement, and expanded the number of student-led conferences.

Other roles Dr. De León held in U-46 include being an administrative intern at Harriet Gifford Elementary School, and a bilingual teacher at Nature Ridge Elementary School.

Dr. De León holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, a master’s degree in teaching from Aurora University, and a Ed.D. in leadership in curriculum and instruction from Aurora University. He is currently enrolled in Aurora University’s superintendent endorsement program, expected December of 2026.

Rafael Martinez-Ortiz - Principal of the Dream Academy

Rafael Martinez-Ortiz has been selected to take on the role of principal at Dream Academy, where he has served as associate principal since 2023. Mr. Martinez-Ortiz is known as an organized, student-centered administrator who faces challenges with a positive attitude and the goal of finding solutions that enhance student learning.

In his current role at Dream Academy, Mr. Martinez-Ortiz oversees APEX, AVID, physical education, driver’s education, and the science and English departments. He is responsible for assessments, Title III funds, graduation, and oversees school counselors and 504 plans. Over the past three years, he led the post-secondary team to increase the credentials and pathways to assist Dream Academy students in making a successful transition to college and/or careers.

For seven years prior to joining Dream Academy, Mr. Martinez-Ortiz worked at Elgin High School in administrative roles including as the assistant principal for freshman success, a divisional chair, and dean of students. He created many supports and programs to support freshman students and collaborated with community partners to connect students with post-secondary and extracurricular opportunities.

He was a bilingual teacher at Elgin and Larkin high schools from 2007 to 2016, teaching subjects including biology, chemistry, geometry, health, and environmental science. He was part of the committee formed to implement the Dual Language program in each of the district’s five comprehensive high schools and was a strong advocate for the Seal of Biliteracy, which recognizes bilingualism as an asset in the 21st century.

Mr. Martinez-Ortiz holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. He has a master’s degree in bilingual and multilingual education from Aurora University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Concordia University Chicago.

Angela DeMay - Assistant Director of Specialized Student Services Compliance

Angela DeMay has been selected to take the role of Assistant Director of Specialized Student Services Compliance. She has served in similar roles for the past eight years and possesses deep knowledge of special education law, policy, and best practices for students.

Ms. DeMay, who started in education as a special education teacher at the middle school level, has been the director of student services for Skokie School District 73.5 since 2021. Her responsibilities included overseeing special education programming and interventions, overseeing multilingual programming and interventions, providing professional development and guidance to staff, and serving as the leader of the district’s threat assessment committee. She also completed teacher and related service staff evaluations, assisted in hiring and retention, and served as the liaison for McKinney Vento and DCFS/Youth in Care cases.

During her time in District 73.5, Ms. DeMay led the effort to achieve inclusion for previously outplaced students and implement co-teaching, fully integrating students with IEPs and multilingual students with EL services into the Tier 1 setting.

From 2018 to 2021, Ms. DeMay was the assistant director for student services in Wilmette Public School District 39. There, she had oversight of district programs such as early childhood and therapeutic intervention, provided staff onboarding, coordinated extended school year programming, and led the district's social and emotional learning committee, including Panorama assessments.

She worked in the educational field with Barrington School District 220 for 10 years, the last two of which were spent as the assistant department chair of the special education department at Barrington High School.

Ms. DeMay holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in special education from Northwest Missouri State. She is working on a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Concordia University, expected in the spring of 2028.

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School District U-46 serves families in 11 communities: Bartlett, Elgin, Hanover Park, South Elgin, Streamwood and Wayne, as well as portions of Carol Stream, Hoffman Estates, St. Charles, Schaumburg, and West Chicago. In total, the District encompasses 90 square miles within the Fox River Valley, approximately 45 minutes northwest of downtown Chicago, and includes communities within Cook, DuPage and Kane counties. Thirty-three thousand preschoolers through twelfth graders attend the 56 District schools and programs. To learn more, visit the U-46 website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.