Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago Public Schools and The Chicago Public Education Fund have announced the acceptance of 36 principals into two of the city’s school leadership programs: the Cahn Fellows Program and the Chicago Principals Fellowship.
Together, the programs aim to deepen the impact of principals through professional development and opportunities to take on greater leadership roles to support their peers.
The Cahn Fellows Program and Chicago Principals Fellowship represent university, district and private sector partnerships. Both fellowships are executive leadership development programs that have been designed for and with Chicago principals.
“The success of our Chicago Public Schools can be attributed to the strong and ambitious leadership at the helm of the schools,” said Lightfoot. “My administration is committed to ensuring every principal has access to the resources they need and the support they deserve to help students thrive, regardless of the ZIP code or background.”
“Chicago’s principals positively impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of Chicago youth every day, which is why it is critical to provide meaningful development opportunities to empower and grow our school leaders,” said CPS Chief Executive Officer Janice Jackson. “Opportunities like the Cahn Fellows Program and the Chicago Principals Fellowship create a space for school leaders to grow and learn from top experts so they continue to drive change in their communities throughout Chicago, and we are proud to partner with The Fund and other partners as we grow these critical programs.”
“CPS, Mayor Lightfoot and The Fund are deeply committed to cultivating our city’s principals as top-tier leaders,” Fund Chief Executive Officer Heather Y. Anichini said. “Over the last six years, more than 130 Chicago principals have participated in the Cahn Fellows Program and the Chicago Principals Fellowship. We hope to see that number continue to grow as more school leaders seek out opportunities to develop their school teams and expand their own leadership capacity.”
The Cahn Fellows Program for Distinguished Principals at Columbia University’s Teachers College is a national fellowship for principals. Since 2003, the Cahn Fellows Program has admitted an annual cohort of principals from Chicago, New York, Newark, Denver and Charlotte, among other cities.
Each Cahn Fellow chooses an “ally” — an assistant principal or teacher leader — to participate in a two-week summer leadership institute and ongoing faculty study groups. The experience is intended to link leadership and instructional theories from across organizations and at the school level to Fellows’ principal practice. It culminates in the exploration of a school-based project, which Fellows and allies collaboratively develop over the course of their Cahn Fellows experience.

The eight principals who will participate in the new cohort of Cahn Fellows are:

• Antonio Acevedo of John Greenleaf Whittier Elementary School
• Wayne Bevis of Robert Lindblom Math & Science Academy High School
• Georgia Davos-Vetas of Newton Bateman Elementary School
• Carolyn Jones of Perkins Bass Elementary School
• Fernando Kim of Frank W. Gunsaulus Elementary Scholastic Academy
• Terrycita Perry of Arthur Dixon Elementary School
• Marilou Rebolledo of Andrew Jackson Elementary Language Academy
• Kelly Thigpen of Burnside Elementary Scholastic Academy

The Chicago Principals Fellowship is an executive leadership development program designed through a partnership between Northwestern University, Chicago Public Schools and The Chicago Public Education Fund. The 2019-20 cohort consists of 28 principals from district and charter schools.
Fellows participate in academic sessions provided by the Center for Nonprofit Management at the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. They also receive a leadership evaluation, participate in facilitated learning sessions and meet monthly with CPS’ Jackson to learn about and develop district policy.
The 28 principals who will participate in the new cohort of Principal Fellows are:

• Zaneta Abdul-Ahad of Lionel Hampton Fine & Performing Arts Elementary School
• Chad Adams-Thomas of Roger C. Sullivan High School
• Jon M. Bennett of LEARN 7 Elementary School
• Alice Buzanis of Jesse Sherwood Elementary School
• Sherly Chavarria of William P. Nixon Elementary School
• Fatima Cooke of Charles Sumner Math & Science Community Academy
• Holly Dacres of Wilma Rudolph Elementary Learning Center
• Tanya L. Fields of Joshua D. Kershaw Elementary School
• Chris Gamble of Hannah G. Solomon Elementary School
• Sabrina Gates of Beulah Shoesmith Elementary School
• Marin Gonzalez of Gerald Delgado Kanoon Elementary Magnet School
• Althea M. Hammond of Ambrose Plamondon Elementary School
• Allison Hansen of Acero Charter Schools-Officer Donald J. Marquez
• Leonard Harris of Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative High School
• Michael Herring of Friedrich L. Jahn Elementary of the Fine Arts
• William Hook of Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences
• Victor Iturralde of Eric Solorio Academy High School
• Matthew Katz of Acero Charter Schools-Rufino Tamayo
• Valencia Koker of Dewey School of Excellence
• Seth Lavin of Lorenz Brentano Math & Science Academy Elementary School
• Ruth Martini-Walsh of Jane Addams Elementary School
• Emily Mason of Noble-Muchin College Prep
• Cory Overstreet of Kate S. Kellogg Elementary School
• Terea Peoples of Emmett Louis Till Math and Science Academy
• Diana Racasi of Pulaski International School of Chicago
• Charles Smith of Infinity Math Science and Technology High School
• Maureen Wood of Portage Park Elementary School
• Nicole White of Henry O. Tanner Elementary School