The leader we need for Chicago Schools

Karin Norington-Reaves

Karin M. Norington-Reaves is a lifelong public servant with more than 30 years of experience in education, law, advocacy, community and workforce development. Karin began her career as a first grade bilingual teacher in Compton, California as part of Teach for America. After witnessing firsthand how systems fail families, she decided to dedicate her career to systems change and public policy reform.

Karin launched her legal career advocating for mentally ill youth and adolescents at the Office of the Attorney General in Maryland. She would go on to litigate with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Citizens Utility Board where she was also a lobbyist and consumer protection advocate. She spent 8 years as a litigator and as an adjunct law professor at Loyola University’s Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy.

Karin’s passion for education took her back to Teach For America as Executive Director in Chicago where she was responsible for placing and supporting more than 200 teachers in Chicago Public Schools. She later joined Innovations for Learning, connecting schools to corporate partners and developing reading buddy programs for K-3^rd grades to increase literacy rates for students on Chicago’s south and west sides.

Karin’s policy and advocacy work evolved from education and law to public policy  as Chief of Staff in Chicago’s 20^th Ward, Deputy Director of the Office of Urban Assistance for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and  Director of Cook County Works.

In 2012, Karin became the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership) upon her appointment by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

As CEO and change agent, she led the merger and re-structuring of three diverse workforce systems into what became the nation’s most extensive publicly funded workforce development system.  Karin led The Partnership’s mission to ensure that “every person has the skills to build a career and every business has the talent it needs to compete in a global economy.”

She oversaw the administration of federal, state, and philanthropic funds and the creation of impactful youth and adult programs.  Chief among these were Opportunity Works, Hospitality Hires Chicago, Hire Chicago, and the city’s COVID-19 Contact Tracing Corps and vaccine ambassador programs. She generated both private and public funding to expand workforce development services  throughout Chicagoland. Under her leadership, The Partnership managed over $500 million in federal funds and raised more than $150 million in philanthropic funds, including a $10.9 million grant awarded by the Walmart Foundation—the largest gift in the history of the foundation.

A recognized thought leader on the national stage, Karin has served as a keynote speaker, panelist, and presenter at a host of conferences, and educational institutions.  An avid writer, she has published opinion pieces on topics ranging from education access for disabled children, to workforce/economic development, adoption and motherhood.

Karin’s civic engagement extends to numerous organizations. Her Board/Commission membership has included:

• Local School Council
• Cook County Economic Development Advisory Committee
• Cook County Commission on Social Innovation
• Cook County Coordinated Reentry Council (Co-Chair)
• LISC Chicago
• Workforce Development Council of the U.S. Conference of Mayors
• Chicago Lighthouse
• National Retail Federation Foundation
• Access Living
• Empower Illinois
• Untapped Potential Project (Board Chair)
• Thrive Chicago
• mothers2mothers

She also spent eight years as a mentor/sponsor for LINK Unlimited.

Karin has received local and national awards for her outstanding professional and community-focused accomplishments.  Karin’s recognitions include: the 2016 Excellence in Public Service award by the Civic Federation of Chicago and the Motorola Solutions Foundation; the 2017 Woman of Excellence award from the Chicago Defender; 2018 The List of People Shaping Retail’s Future Giver award from the National Retail Federation Foundation; and 2018 Outstanding Achievement in Workforce & Labor award from Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs.

In March 2022, Karin resigned from the helm of The Partnership to run for Congress in Illinois’ 1^st District where she received numerous endorsements and support. She now consults on economic development, education and workforce development matters in Chicagoland and beyond.

A Chicago native, Karin holds a J.D. from Southern Methodist University School of Law in Dallas, Texas, and a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She is also the proud mother of a blended family of four children. Of all her titles, she likes “Mama” best.