ELIZABETH D. PURVIS, Ed.D., Executive Director, came to Chicago International Charter School in March 2003 with more than 15 years experience working with children with disabilities and their families. After completing her doctoral degree at Vanderbilt University in 1997, Dr. Purvis was a member of the faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago where her work focused on research and personnel preparation in urban education.
Dr. Purvis has served on Charter Review and Evaluation committees for Chicago Public Schools; is a member of the Chicago Public Schools Coordinating Council for Creating More Learning Opportunities; was President, Illinois Division of Early Childhood, 2003-2004; and was an Executive Board Member, Illinois Council for Exceptional Children. She is on the editorial review board of two peer-reviewed professional journals. She has published and presented numerous papers and been awarded various grants in her field.
Dr. Purvis earned her B.S. in educational research from Bucknell University and her M.A. from Columbia University.
THOMAS C. MCGRATH, Chief Operating Officer, is the newest edition to Chicago International Charter School, having started in October 2007. Mr. McGrath has more than eight years of experience in management consulting. In addition to serving traditional clients in the private sector, he spent a significant amount of time working in the regional education market, including engagements with the Renaissance Schools Fund, IL State Board of Education, Chicago Public Schools, and the Metropolitan Planning Council. He is responsible for planning and managing CICS's financial performance, capital projects, facilities, and central office operations.
Mr. McGrath earned his M.B.A from the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business and his B.A. in economics from the University of Illinois.
ERIN LANOUE, Associate Director, came to Chicago International in October 2002. She earned her Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in political science from Providence College. As Associate Director, Mrs. Lanoue oversees the new school application process through CPS' Renaissance 2010 initiative; manages Parent, Student and Teacher satisfaction surveys; and monitors compliance with local, state, and national statutes. Additionally, she coordinates the lottery and campus enrollments, and she oversaw CICS' 5-year charter renewal.
ANDREA BROWN-THIRSTON, PhD, earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University and her doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Andrea joined Chicago International in September 2007 and brings experience most recently from higher education where she was an assistant professor of teacher education at Concordia University Chicago in River Forest, Illinois. She was also the Project Coordinator of the Teacher Quality Enhancement (TQE) Grant Project, whose main goal was to prepare talented teachers for high-need schools.
Andrea's background also enables her to consult as a Supplemental Subject Matter Expert with Cardean Learning Group, LLC, a for-profit, educational company that develops online courses for several universities across the country. Additionally, Andrea has published several articles and presented at local and national conferences; Rowman & LIttlfield Publishers recently accepted her proposal for a co-authored book on mentoring African American and Latina girls. As the Chief Academic Officer at Chicago International, Andrea is responsible for collecting data related to student achievement, reviewing and monitoring the instructional delivery models utilized across the network, and maintaining and developing relationships with key personnel at the campuses and EMOs.
CHRISTINE POINDEXTER, Chief Data Analyst, is responsible for measuring student performance and achievement growth. She initially came to CICS in July 2005 as a doctoral intern working with the Chief Education Officer. She currently is a doctoral candidate at Loyola University Chicago in applied social psychology with an emphasis on academic achievement motivation among minority students. She also teaches statistics and social psychology courses at the Loyola University.
Previously, Ms. Poindexter was Director of Research for E.L.I.A.S., an educational services provider, evaluating how federal start-up dollars are used in Illinois charter schools. At CYCLE WIZ Factory of Learning, Ms. Poindexter was the Executive Director of Program Evaluation and Research. There she designed applied program evaluation strategies, including quantitatively analyzing academic achievement of students in the program.
Ms. Poindexter earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Loyola University New Orleans, and a Master of Arts degree in applied social psychology from Loyola University, Chicago.
R. J. MCMAHON, Director of Development, joined Chicago International in January 2006. He brings fund development, non-profit leadership, and school start-up experience to the organization. He was the founding president of St. Martin de Porres High School in Waukegan, IL, a member of the Cristo Rey Network. Before his non-profit and education days, Mr. McMahon spent 14 years in the corporate world and earned his M.B.A. from Loyola University Chicago and his B.A. in economics from Boston College. He coordinates and leads all marketing, public relations, and development activities for Chicago International.
MEGHAN SCHMIDT, Director of Special Projects, joined Chicago International in the summer of 2004. Ms. Schmidt has more than 10 years of experience as an educator in both public and private school settings. Most recently, her responsibilities were focused on middle-school curriculum and assessment. Ms. Schmidt works with the Education Management Organizations (EMO) and CICS campus personnel to coordinate special school programs and monitor needs as they relate to student performance. Currently, she oversees the implementation of tutoring services on 10 Chicago International campuses and coordinates more than 150 after-school and community-based programs across the network. Ms. Schmidt is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
