Chicago Public Schools Chief Financial Officer Ginger Ostro is leaving CPS to become executive director of Advance Illinois, a statewide nonprofit education policy organization. She will succeed Robin Steans, who resigned to devote more time to her philanthropic work. Ostro’s departure comes in the midst of a massive CPS budget shortfall and the threat of thousands of mid-year layoffs.
“Ginger is as sharp as they come, and no one will work harder to make sure that all of Illinois’ students have the resources they need to succeed,” CEO Forrest Claypool said in a statement. CPS officials haven’t announced Ostro’s successor.
Theresa Hawley has stepped down from her position as executive director of the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development. The announcement was made during the Illinois Early Learning Council’s meeting last month, where Hawley received a standing ovation from council members and others in attendance. She returned to her consulting practice and hopes to focus on national early childhood policy.
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Hawley’s successor.
Bonnie Allen has joined the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Inc. as executive director. Allen has been operating her own national consulting firm and was previously director of the American Bar Association’s Center for Pro Bono, a project of the association’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono & Public Service.