Statement of Candidacy: 

As the incumbent, I have served one three-year term and gained a wealth of knowledge. I am Chair of the CTPF Technology Committee which is committed to improving and supporting your interactions with CTPF. I am asking you to vote for me as an Active Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund Trustee.  My commitment is to keep the fund as healthy as possible so that all current and future retirees receive their hard-earned pension payments. I am proud of being a man of color and I will continue to be a voice for others. 

This is an important election that can help eliminate the distractions and self-serving interests that have hurt our pension. During my previous term as a trustee, I focused on making sound investments and ensuring that the interests of all teachers were represented. If I am elected, I will continue to work to unite the board, reduce distractions and infighting, and ensure that trustees’ time is used productively to keep the fund financially healthy. 

I am in my 28th year of working in Chicago Public Schools. It has been quite a journey as I have worked at four different schools. I started as an art teacher at Logandale Middle School. I moved on to Kelvyn Park High School where I started as an art teacher and switched to Dean of Students midway through my years there. My next school was Schurz High School as a counselor. The last few years have been at Burbank Elementary as a counselor.

I graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1992 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. I then received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My next stop was Northeastern Illinois University for my Teaching Certificate and a Master’s in Counseling.

I grew up in El Paso, Texas, part of a family whose roots are in Chihuahua, Mexico. My parents did an amazing job, considering their circumstances. My mother survived tuberculosis and my late father was  illiterate. They overcame many challenges to raise six boys and send them to college. My father worked in a textile factory for 38 years, constantly moving heavy rolls of fabric, until his back and hernias led to his retirement. My mother was able to work her way from selling cosmetics to eventually owning her own real estate business.

The spirit of overcoming struggles is why I was a union delegate for most of my years in CPS. I have filed and won grievances to defend our contract. I have served as Chair of the following CTU committees: Legislative, High School Steering and PPC. In addition, I have been a member of the following CTU committees; Political Action, Rules and Elections, Policies, Counselors, Safety and Security, Bilingual Education, Executive Board and the Big Bargaining Team. I attended the IFT convention in St. Louis and the AFT conventions in Boston, Washington DC and Chicago.

My personal activism has led to me taking on other roles to help my students and colleagues. At the 2004 AFT convention, I pushed for the organizing of Charter Schools to discourage their growth. I contributed  to the 2007 Safety Summit that led to the CPS Safe Passage and Cyber Safety for our students. In 2009, I served on the IFT Women, Civil and Human Rights Task Force.  I have been married for 24 years to my lovely wife, Lesley. She has a career in Marketing and enjoys being creative and staying fit. We have a smart, beautiful daughter who is a CPS graduate and a junior in college.

Disclaimer: CTPF is not responsible for the content of this material and has not verified any of the information.