Equity-Focused, Improving Student Outcomes

The Academy for Urban School Leadership is a nonprofit organization that provides equity-focused programming to improve educational outcomes for students in underinvested communities.

 

Train

We develop high-quality, passionate educators in hard-to-fill subject areas through The Chicago Teacher Residency.

Advise

We work with communities and school leaders to dream, author, and create student-centered and community-driven visions for school improvement through LiberatED Way advisory services.

Board of Directors

Zaid Abdul-Aleem*

Partner, Head of Partner and Capital Solutions

Invictus Growth Partners

Lindsey Axel*

Bantam Capital

Jennifer Chuang
James E. Cowie*

President & Chief Executive Officer, Collegis Education

Brian Doyal*

Co-Head of Global Investment Banking, Robert W. Baird & Co.

Adam Case*

Executive Director, AUSL

Craig Goesel

Senior Vice President of Management Liability, Alliant/Mesirow Insurance Services

Jacqueline Jodl, Ph.D*
Chief, Global Youth and Education, Special Olympics
Robert E. King***

Salt Creek Ventures, LLC

Martin J. Koldyke*

Founder and Chair Emeritus, AUSL

Liz Lefkofsky**

Lefkofsky Family Foundation

Steve Pemberton

 

Cardelle Spangler*

Chair, AUSL
Chicago Managing Partner, Winston & Strawn LLP

* Members of the executive committee
** Honorary Director
*** Emeritus

AUSL Team

Usama Ahmad
Staff Accountant

Chelsea Bennett

Associate Director

Chicago Teacher Residency

Megan Burback

Talent Acquisition & Admissions Specialist

Recruitment & Admissions

Brook Carpenter

Associate Director

Chicago Teacher Residency

Adam Case
Executive Director

Shane Caterino

Chief of External Relations

Camille Certeza

Associate Director, Process & Workflow Optimization

Stephanie Champi

Consultant, Innovation & Impact

LiberatED Way

Sarah Cohen
Program Director

LiberatED Way

Kristin Davis

Human Resources Generalist

Christine Diaz

Consultant, Instructional Leadership

LiberatED Way

Lea Devers

Consultant, Instructional Leadership

LiberatED Way

Clarence Ewing

Manager, Recruiting and Admissions

Recruitment & Admissions

Martin Green

Chief, National Expansion & Impact

LiberatED Way

Emily Herrick

Senior Director, Programs

LiberatED Way

Amy Jackson

Chief Financial Officer

Rick Jager

Assistant Director, Teacher Development

LiberatED Way

Jessica Kimbrough

Associate Director

Chicago Teacher Residency

Alleson Knox

Manager, Organizational Growth

LiberatED Way

Melissa LaVine

Associate Director

Chicago Teacher Residency

Molly Mahru

Manager, Recruiting and Admissions

Recruitment & Admissions

Mollie McKiernan

Chief People Officer

Jen Montojo

Senior Director of Development

Nikita Moye

Consultant, Instructional Leadership

LiberatED Way

Salomon Navarro

Marketing & Communications Manager

Paty Perea

Talent Acquisition & Admissions Specialist, Partnerships

Recruitment & Admissions

Jacob Pieczynski

Director of Marketing & Communications

Carina Pruitt

Associate Director

Chicago Teacher Residency

Kate Rhodes Peterson

Director

Chicago Teacher Residency

Scott Sullivan

Director, University Partnerships & Continuing Education

Chicago Teacher Residency

Samantha Viera-Cano

Talent Acquisition & Admissions Specialist, AmeriCorps Director

Recruitment & Admissions

Michael Whitmore

Chief of Teaching & Learning

Troy Zoschke

Director, Data Solutions & Technology

Our core values

Accountability

Collaboration

Excellence

Initiative

Urgency

AUSL’s History

In 2001, Martin (Mike) Koldyke worked with Arne Duncan and Dr. Donald Feinstein to develop the Chicago Teacher Residency, an innovative model of teacher training.

This program provided Chicago Public School with high-quality teachers prepared to succeed within the demanding conditions of under-invested schools. In 2006, to better serve the needs of Chicago’s students, AUSL expanded its operations to include school management. CPS selected AUSL to implement a revolutionary model of whole school transformation at Sherman Elementary located in the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago’s southside. Today, Sherman is a Level 1 school, on the district’s School Quality Rating Performance score, and they’re not alone. While AUSL no longer manages schools, we continue to recruit and train high-quality educators and have evolved in the ways we support educators. Today, our LiberatED Way advisory service partners with schools across the country to help school leaders dream, author, and create student-centered and community driven visions for learning.Â