With Tim Cawley recently leaving his high-ranking Chicago Public Schools central office position, I started to wonder whether there were any survivors left from the original dream team Mayor Emanuel assembled to save public education.
Before I take you through the list, though, let me remind you that the mayor’s dream team didn’t actually save our public schools.
But back to that article in my scrapbook, which includes head shots and snappy bios of the mayor’s seven key school appointees and hires.
In her place, Mayor Emanuel hired Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who came from Detroit by way of Cleveland. I will refrain from making any wisecracks about either city.
Before going to work for Emanuel, Swanson was “executive director of the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation, providing her a working knowledge of the philanthropic community,” according to the article.
She was replaced by investment banker Deborah Quazzo, whose tenure was marked by the revelation that five companies she had invested in received about $3.8 million in CPS contracts during her time on the board. The mayor accepted her resignation—and that of three other board members—in June.
