An experienced school building manager will be the next CCSD 89 Director of Buildings and Grounds. Giovanni Catalano was approved at the Board of Education meeting on Monday, March 17.
Catalano will replace Tim Tomazin, who is retiring at the end of the 2024-25 school year.
For the past two years, Catalano has been the facilities operation manager responsible for the buildings and property at the St. Charles North and St. Charles East high school campuses.
Prior to joining the St. Charles school district, he was the director of buildings and grounds in Itasca School District 10, where he managed two elementary schools and a middle school. Catalano started as a custodian in the district where he attended school.
“The reason I love what I do now is that I know that when I went to school in Itasca, there were maintenance guys who cared about the building,” he said. “Now, I want to provide that same care. The kids are our future, and I want to provide them with a safe space and a clean space to learn.”
Catalano was excited by the opportunity to return to a smaller district closer to his home.
“There’s so many good things to talk about here,” he said. “I want to make an impact and hopefully I can spend the rest of my career here.”
Catalano’s initial inspiration for building maintenance came from his parents who owned an apartment building. Catalano would follow along as his father went to the building to paint, repair heaters, fix air conditioning, and everything else.
“It taught me a lot of what hard work really is,” he said.
Catalano owned a restaurant with his sister and brother for several years, then got a job in residential construction. After starting at Itasca 10, he earned an associate degree in maintenance technology from Harper College which included coursework in welding, wiring, machining, plumbing, and equipment maintenance.
Catalano and his wife, Lisa, have a four-month-old daughter, Giovanna. Outside of work, Catalano enjoys spending time with family and reading.
Posted: March 18, 2025
