Leadership

Board of directors

Ebony Williams

President
Ebony was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. She graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree from Aurora University. A proud parent of a Bret Harte Badger. She is super excited to be a part of FoBHE. It is her mission to serve and support FoBHE visions to ensure the best productivity to the Bret Harte community.

Christabel Yamoah

Secretary
Christabel has lived in Hyde Park for about 5 years. She is from Durham, NC and graduated from Duke. She worked in education as a tutor and Title 1 teacher for a few years, then got her master of education in the area of measurement, evaluation, statistics, and assessment. Even though she is no longer in the classroom, Christabel still enjoys getting to work in education doing statistics, research, and policy work. She is also grateful for the opportunity to serve as a liaison between her church and Brett Harte elementary.

Chris Younkin-Wilson

Treasurer
Chris has been a Hyde Park resident and Bret Harte neighbor since 2019. He is the father of two future Bret Harte Badgers and the Development Director at Hyde Park Neighborhood Club. Chris enjoys getting to know his neighbors and fellow parents through volunteering in the neighborhood. When the weather is above 60 degrees, you can generally find Chris at Promontory Point, his favorite place in the city.

Aiko Kojima Hibino

Director
A longtime resident of Hyde Park, Aiko loves the culture, nature, and people of this amazing community. She has become a strong advocate of equitable funding for public schools since her involvement in the fight to stop the district's plan to close National Teachers Academy, a successful majority Black elementary school. Aiko currently serves on Local School Council at Bret Harte Elementary, and on the Board of Directors of Raise Your Hand for Illinois Public Education.

Kara Hill

Director
Kara recently moved from St. Louis to Hyde Park in August and is a mom of two Bret Harte Badgers. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Fontbonne University and currently works downtown at Sound Physicians, which is a physician-founded and led organization providing services across the county. Kara enjoys knitting in her spare time and also supporting local small business in the community. She knows that it takes a village to raise and educate a child and believes that partnerships and community support are both necessary to prepare our students for tomorrow.

Zanette Sanders

Director
Focusing on community and STEM, Ms. Sanders supports “Girls do Hack” and the Museumo f Science and Industry Science Fair as well as her alma mater, Illinois Institute of Technology where she serves on the Alumni Board as Nominating Chair. She has participated in Interprofessional Projects Day as a judge, has served on the career panel as a guest speaker, encourages high school students as an admissions volunteer, and is activei n the African-American Alumni Association (4A). Former LSC Community Rep, she is currently Chair of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Action Council. This is only a small list of the ways she gives back.

Advisors

Charles Bright

Bret Harte Principal

Charlie Bright is the principal at Bret Harte Elementary School in Hyde Park. Charlie has cultivated partnerships with the University of Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry, MAC Properties, and other organizations. These partnerships connect with the school’s vision to promote learners and leaders who actively engage in real world experiences, problem solving, and critical thinking. In 2019, Charlie was the recipient of The Outstanding Mentor Award from The University of Chicago’s Office of Civic Engagement.

Born and raised in Chicago, Charlie has been an educator for the past 20 years, including 14 years as an elementary school teacher. Charlie believes in two-way communication, data-driven instruction, and the importance of developing students socially and emotionally. Charlie was born and raised on the south side of Chicago (Bronzeville). Charlie graduated from John J. Pershing, a CPS elementary school. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Elizabeth Herring

Parent Advisor
Beth is a mom of three Bret Harte Badgers. She had been involved at Bret Harte since 2010 when she ran for Community Rep on the LSC. Now a Parent Rep, she currently serves as the LSC Chair. Prior to moving to Hyde Park, Beth was a teacher and administrator in California and Louisiana. She enjoys reading and traveling in her spare time. Beth is looking forward to bringing more community resources to the Harte community.

Lorraine Richardson

Community Advisor

Lorraine Richardson, a recent Chicago transplant, graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Wayne State University. She taught at both the middle and high school levels in the Detroit Public Schools before becoming a literacy coach and an instructional specialist supporting administrators, parents, and teachers throughout the state of Michigan.

Lorraine lives in Hyde Park where she serves on the Hyde Park Kenwood CAC, attends First Unitarian Church, is a Hyde Park Village member, a Black Unitarian Universal Woman, and served as membership chair of Hyde Park OWL. She presently serves as the Intergenerational Harte Literacy Coordinator at Bret Harte.

Lorraine is the mother of one adult daughter (Ashleigh Noelle) and the caretaker of one ferocious tuxedo cat (Teensie Noel).

Jacob Rosenblum

Community Advisor
Jacob served as President of FoBHE, as well as a Community Representative on the Bret Harte Elementary Local School Council. A graduate of Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy, he hopes to help build a community and city where all students receive an excellent and equitable education. He is an active member of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and an Avodah Justice Fellow, learning about the intersections of Judaism and social justice.

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