CHICAGO, Nov. 8, 2021 — To celebrate its twentieth anniversary, AUSL an equity-focused nonprofit, selected twenty alumni of its Chicago Teacher Residency program for the Martin J. Koldyke Educator Leadership Award. Awardees were selected due to their strong leadership in advancing the education of students in under-resourced environments.
Stated AUSL’s Executive Director, Donald Feinstein, Ph.D. “The Chicago Teacher Residency, developed twenty years ago in partnership with Chicago Public Schools, uniquely prepares individuals for a career as a teacher in a high-need community. Award recipients demonstrated resiliency, compassion, grit, urgency, and a commitment to bringing equity in education by delivering a high-quality education to students in under-resourced environments.
Award winners include:
- Chelsea Bennett, Curtis School of Excellence
- Marquis Butler, Marquette School of Excellence
- Latonia Buckner, Piccolo School of Excellence
- Sarah Buhayar, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Sherly Chavarria, Chief of Teaching & Learning, Chicago Public Schools
- Teresa Chavez, Assistant Principal, Casals School of Excellence
- Leah Guenther, Dewey School of Excellence
- Demetrius Heard, Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Digital Learning for Chicago Public Schools
- Jessica Kimbrough, Chicago Teacher Residency, AUSL
- Michael Konkoleski, Solorio Academy High School
- Greta Kringle, Solorio Academy High School
- Melissa LaVine, Lewis School of Excellence
- Taissa Lau, Tarkington School of Excellence
- Terrence Murphy, Phillips Academy High School
- Kate Peterson, Director, Chicago Teacher Residency, AUSL
- Regina Roberts, Principal, Sherman School of Excellence
- LeKesha Triplett, Deneen School of Excellence
- Juan Uribe, Chicago Academy High School
- Javier Velazquez, Orozco Academy
- LaShawn Whitney, Leadership Coach, TNTP
Victor Iturralde, Principal, Solorio Academy High School was awarded AUSL’s Principal Leadership Award.
The award is named after Martin J Koldyke, AUSL’s founder & Chairman Emeritus. Twenty years ago, Mike Koldyke, Donald Feinstein Ph.D., and then Chicago Public School CEO Arne Duncan founded the Chicago Teacher Residency. A year-long training program for aspiring educators in Chicago’s most under resourced schools.
For more information on the Koldyke Educator Award Recipient’s visit: www.auslchicago.org/koldyke-award/
About AUSL
The Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) is an education equity-focused nonprofit that works tirelessly with the belief that all students should have access to an excellent education right in their own neighborhoods. AUSL does this by recruiting and training promising individuals to be effective teachers. In addition, through our Advisory Services group, we leverage two decades of learnings through our partnerships with school communities across the country.
Media Contact: Christopher Childers, [email protected]
