Supna Jain, a second-generation Indian American, has been sworn into the Naperville City Council in Illinois to fill a vacant council seat after the resignation of councilwoman Allison Longenbaugh.
“With this appointment, I become the first woman of color to serve on the Naperville City Council,” said Jain, most recently the vice president of the Indian Prairie Unit District 204 school board.
“While this was not the reason I sought this position or this role, it is not lost on me that representation matters,” Jain said. “We should all be proud that our city’s leadership is beginning to look more like the community it serves.”
Jain’s appointment to the city council became official after the eight seated members voted unanimously in favor of a resolution formalizing the process.
She serves out Longenbaugh’s remaining term, which ends in April 2027, local NCTV17 reported.
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“Sometimes, service shows up in unexpected ways,” Jain said. “Just a few months ago, I was re-elected to the District 204 School Board, and I would have never, ever imagined sitting here with all of you here today. I’m deeply, deeply honored by the trust the mayor, and my fellow council members, have placed in me.”
As she settles into her role on the Naperville City Council, Jain credits Indian Prairie 204 staff and fellow board of education members for modeling an atmosphere of what she described as “what good governance looks like.”
“At my core, I believe leadership is about listening, learning and helping others thrive,” Jain said. “That’s the work I’ve done as an educator, as a School Board member, and that’s what I hope to bring here as well.”
Jain also said she aspires to bring the on-the-job training and insight she has gleaned on the Indian Prairie 204 board to the Naperville City Council.
“I got a front row seat in exemplary leadership, and collaborative governance,” Jain said. “As I travel the state and nation, on behalf of the School Board, I’ve learned that’s not always the case. I’m just so thankful to them, and the way that they lead. That’s where I started my training, and my understanding of governance, which I hope to bring here.”
By having a seat on the council, Jain said she is hopeful her appointment is a watershed moment for Naperville in the road ahead.
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“My hope one day is that we won’t have to celebrate the first of anything because it just is, and that’s how it works,” she said.
Jain, who is married and has two teenage sons, said her family played an important role in deciding whether to seek nomination on the Naperville City Council.
“This was a joint decision,” Jain said. “We had a family meeting.”
She added, “You just can’t do this stuff without a solid support from your family.”
Professionally, Jain is a principal lecturer in communications and media studies and faculty director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence at North Central College. A number of her colleagues and students were present as she was sworn in.
Jain holds a law degree from DePaul University. Her immigrant parents made Illinois their home in Bloomington-Normal and instilled in her “very deeply the importance of community and service,” Jain said.