Category: Education

A Conversation with three educators

Tuesday, November 9, 2021 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

St. John’s Episcopal Church at 3857 N. Kostner Ave. Chicago, IL  60641 and on-line

Chicago Episcopal churches sponsor an event to educate members and the community to gain a general understanding of Critical Race Theory, explore why is it important to know about CRT, and how CRT affects our daily lives, especially in Chicago. Three educators will speak from their expertise and experience, with moderated questions from the audience. The featured speakers are Dr. Blanche Cook, JD, Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law; Dr. Kyle P. Westbrook, Executive Director of Partnership for College Completion; and Ms. Heather Yutzy, Principal of Haugen Elementary in Chicago.

About Dr. Blanche B. Cook
Dr. Cook is an Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law. She teaches Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Race and the Law, Critical Race Theory, Critical Race Feminism, and a seminar on Sex Trafficking. She earned her bachelor of arts degree from Vassar College and her law degree at the University of Michigan. Before joining the Rosenberg College of Law, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney with the United States Department of Justice, where she specialized in large-scale drug and sex-trafficking prosecutions. Professor Cook has established herself as a leading expert on sex trafficking by problematizing the entire spectrum of sex-trafficking prosecutions and the commercialization and exploitation of vulnerable flesh. She is actively involved in shaping the emerging nationwide discourse on sex trafficking.

About Dr. Kyle P. Westbrook  
Dr. Westbrook is the founding executive director of Partnership for College Completion, a nonprofit that champions policies and practices focused on equity in higher education. Previously he was the Executive Director of Educational Policy under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Executive Director of Magnet, Gifted, and IB Programs for Chicago Public Schools, Director of Secondary School Support for the University of Chicago, and a high school teacher for twelve years in Chicago. Dr. Westbrook received his Bachelor of Science and masters of science in Education from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and his Ph. D in Educational Policy Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

About Ms. Heather Yutzy
Heather Yutzy is the principal of Haugan Elementary School in Albany Park. Although new at Haugan, she has 20 years of experience as a school principal and assistant principal. She is passionate about helping students and teachers to thrive, both academically and socially. Ms. Yutzy believes that the school and parents are most powerful when we work together as partners. Ms. Yutzy holds a B.A. degree in Elementary Education, and M.A. in Educational Administration and she worked as a teacher in CPS for nine years before becoming an administrator. She has now been an educational leader for 23 years.  She has worked as an instructional coach and consultant, and as an assistant principal and principal at several schools. Heather considers one of her key accomplishments as principal to be when her school twice achieved exemplary honors for social emotional learning.

This program is sponsored by four Chicago Episcopal Churches

All Saints: allsaintschicago.org
Church of the Ascension: ascensionchicago.org
Church of the Atonement: atonementchicago.org
St. John’s Episcopal Church: stjohnschicago.com