ABOUT WARREN ALI

Upbringing

I am a native Texan, who grew up in Ohio. My father served eight years in the Air Force and I was born on what was then Carswell Air Force Base (now Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth). My family was part of the last wave of the Great Migration, which saw six million African American leave the rural South for the West, Midwest, Northeast in order to escape poor economic and social circumstances from the 1910s through 1970. My paternal grandfather immigrated from India to the U.S. in the 1920s. Abdul Hasib Ali married my paternal grandmother, Mary Ann, who was the 23rd of 24 children sired by David King Allen of Huntington, West Virginia. Neither of my grandmothers finished high school and both worked as housekeepers, while my grandfather worked as a janitor. Both my parents were factory workers.

Community Service

I am a Board Member for the Rotary Club of Hinsdale and its Vice President-elect. I served as volunteer coordinator for the 2024 Rotary Charity Classic Run. I’ve been a Rotarian for over 22 years, and have been a member of and have held multiple leadership roles, including President-elect, in six different clubs after being inducted into Rotary in Clackamas, Oregon (SE suburb of Portland). 

I served on the North Clackamas County (OR) Chamber of Commerce as a member of the Board of  Directors and as Vice Chairperson. I am a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. I have held multiple leadership roles in college and alumni chapters, including president of both types of chapters. 

I have mentored and tutored children through multiple organizations, including the Boys and Girls  Clubs of America and Junior Achievement. I volunteered as a Front Desk Clerk at a homeless center and tutored adults seeking their GED. 

In 2023, I was asked to serve on the District Leadership Team for Maercker D60 BOE. The team was comprised of 30 parents, who provided input on the district’s long-range plan (3-year). I was recently ordained and installed as a Ruling Elder at Community Presbyterian Church in Clarendon Hills.

School Service

My wife and I belong to the Hinsdale Booster Club and the Wrestling Booster Club. I volunteered for several concessions shifts at Wrestling Events. In the fall, I volunteered for a total of 10 hours at the  Hinsdale Central Spirit Wear tables, helping with set-up and learning to work the card reader for taking money. I continue to volunteer at Westview Hills Middle School: cleaning up after dances and popping and passing out popcorn for milestone celebrations. Lastly, my wife and I spent many happy volunteer hours, sprucing up the yard or working in the classroom at our kids’ Montessori School. 

Education

A 1983 graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, I was the 11th African American to achieve this distinction since the founding of the College of Engineering in 1900. I was the first member of my immediate family to attend college. I borrowed money for my freshman year and along with a small scholarship, I was able to complete my first year before beginning co-op in my sophomore year. This allowed me to work a term and gain the experience of applying the theory I was learning in college while earning enough for tuition, room and board for the next term.

Professional Career

I spent more than 40 years as a manufacturing leader (including my time as a Co-Op), with six Fortune  500 companies (Dow, Corning, Procter & Gamble, Kroger, Campbell Soup, and ITW), as well as time with privately-held firms. I have worked with companies and in plants producing consumer goods,  food, and packaging in locations from coast-to-coast across the United States.  

I was a Director/Vice President of Manufacturing with responsibility for multi-plant operations with locations in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Spain; and supported operations in Thailand,  China, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, and Argentina.

Currently, I serve as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for a leadership consulting firm, High Quality  Leadership (HQL), based in San Antonio, Texas

Personal Background

My wife, two sons, and I moved to Lemont in 2012 and spent 10 years there before moving into the district two and a half years ago. Both boys attended Montessori School from Pre-K through 6th  Grade, finishing at Seton Montessori School in Clarendon Hills. My oldest finished 8th Grade at  Westview Hills Middle School in Willowbrook and is now a freshman at Hinsdale Central. My youngest is an 8th Grader at WHMS and just completed registration at Central for 9th Grade beginning in August. 

When not working, I enjoy spending time with my family, listening to and playing (violin) music,  collecting art, playing golf, riding my bike or motorcycle, attending sporting events, traveling, and giving back to my community. I’m a former skydiver with 17 credited solo jumps, with 11 free-fall jumps from as high as 8,500 feet. 

My family and I currently reside in Hinsdale in the Golfview Hills sub-division.