The Chicago Public Education Fund

Venture capital fund for public education welcomes new staff
2 experienced program managers join team; 2 others promoted

Following the successful completion of its first $10 million leadership fund, The Chicago Public Education Fund announced two promotions and three new appointments today.


New to The Fund:

Michael Alexander and Maggie Blinn, who will manage program investments. Sarah Long, who previously managed program investments, has moved to Nashville, where her husband will be attending business school.

Judy O’Malley as Executive Assistant to the President


The promotions include:

Mike Sanders to Development and Communications Manager
Jennifer Salmon to part-time Communications Associate

The Fund’s team brings a combination of business and education expertise to the organization:

Michael Alexander manages program investments. He joined The Fund in July 2003. Previously, Alexander was the executive director of teaching and learning for Atlanta Public Schools, where he initiated comprehensive professional development initiatives to grow, support and monitor the consistent, effective implementation of standards-driven instructional processes and research-based reading practices throughout the district. Prior to that, Alexander served as the director of the Collaborative for Urban Excellence at the Brown University Annenberg Institute for School Reform. He was also the principal of Guggenheim School in Chicago for nearly a decade. Alexander completed an urban superintendent fellowship through Harvard University, earned his M.Ed., also from Harvard, and his B.A. in elementary education from the University of Illinois.

Maggie Blinn manages program investments. Blinn joined The Fund in May 2003. Previously, she was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, where she worked with corporate management teams to plan and implement strategies for achieving a superior competitive position. Prior to that, Blinn practiced law at Sidley, Austin Brown & Wood in the corporate securities group. Blinn earned her J.D. cum laude from the University of Chicago, and graduated with the highest honors with a B.S. in accounting from the University of Illinois at Champaign.

Judy O’Malley is the executive assistant to the president. Prior to joining The Fund she served as executive assistant to the Chairman Emeritus of Hartmarx. She has also worked for the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation as the administrative assistant to the medical director of the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Operating Rooms. She is a founding director of WBEZ’s Stories on Stage. She earned her B.A. in Theatre & Education from Clarke College and his M.A. in Theatre from University of Illinois.

Michael D. Sanders is responsible for managing investor relations, development and communications for the Fund. Before joining the Fund, Sanders worked as a merchandiser at the corporate headquarters of retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, managing product development, manufacturing and marketing. He has also held marketing positions with Northwestern University Press and previously served as reporter and producer for the NBC affiliate in Topeka, Kansas. Sanders earned his BS in journalism cum laude from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

Jennifer R. Salmon is the part-time communications associate. Jennifer currently attends Roosevelt University, working on her Masters of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications. Prior to joining the Fund in March 2003, she worked as the communications specialist for an inner-city community development organization in Kingston, Jamaica. She has also worked at the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago as the Coordinator of the Business Development and Imagineering department.

# # #

As a venture capital fund for public education, The Chicago Public Education Fund is an unprecedented catalyst for improving school leadership and student achievement system wide. Launched by a group of corporate and civic leaders, The Fund brings private sector dollars and expertise to high-impact programs aligned with Chicago Public Schools priorities. Find out more at www.cpef.org.