Mayor Johnson announces pick for Chicago school board president, 5 other new members
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday announced that newly-appointed Chicago school board members Sean Harden has also been appointed the president of the board.
"I am confident that these appointments are ready to enact my vision for a transformational school district. Utilizing the blueprint outlined in my transition report and the Chicago Board of Education's 5-year Strategic Plan, these appointees will ensure every child in Chicago has access to the world-class education they deserve" Johnson said in a news release. "As a former middle school teacher who fought for an elected school board, I am excited by this historic first step that will build a foundation for a more equitable and thriving public education system."
Sean Harden was sworn in as a CPS board member last week. He had served as principal of Hardenwright Consultant Group since 2013—working with small and midsized businesses and nonprofits.
Before that, Harden worked as a senior advisor and director of real estate and construction for Greenlining Realty USA, and president and chief executive officer of the business incubator GoodCity Chicago.
From 2009 until 2011, Harden served as deputy chief executive officer for the Chicago Public Schools. He was recruited to the position by then-CPS CEO Ron Huberman.
Harden served as deputy commissioner of the Commission on Human Relations under Mayor Richard M. Daley from 2006 to 2009.
Also appointed to the board were former bilingual middle school teacher Anusha Thotakura; former newspaper journalist and 2023 aldermanic candidate Ed Bannon; retired Chicago Public Schools teacher and Uplift Community High School cofounder Karen Zaccor; artist, activist and CPS parent Norma Rios-Sierra; and immigrant rights and equity advocate Pastora Emma Lozano—the widow of the famed Chicago activist the Rev. Walter "Slim" Coleman.
Four members of the sitting Chicago Board of Education whom Mayor Johnson swore in back in October will remain in their posts—Debby Pope, Michilla Blaise, Frank Niles Thomas, and Olga Bautista.
On the board, Harden replaced the Rev. Mitchell L. Ikenna Johnson, who resigned at the request of Mayor Johnson just a week after being sworn into office in October. The Rev. Johnson left his post amid growing pressure over a string of controversial Facebook posts supporting Hamas, backing 9/11 conspiracy theories, and making sexist comments.
Mayor Johnson picked Rev. Johnson as president of the school board after replacing the entire board when the previous members resigned en masse. Johnson and the other new board members were sworn in on Oct. 24 at a meeting of the board's agenda review committee.
Next month, the first-ever elected CPS board will take office—alongside the members appointed by Mayor Johnson. Ten of the members were elected in November, and 11 others were to be picked by Johnson.
The eleventh board member has yet to be announced.