Kimberly Brown (Illinois)

Kimberly Brown ran for election to the Chicago Public Schools school board to represent District 4b in Illinois. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Brown completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Kimberly Brown was born in Salem, Oregon. She graduated from Addison Trail High School. She earned a bachelor's and graduate degree from Northwestern University. Her career experience includes working as an adjunct professor, entrepreneur, chief marketing officer, author, journalist, community volunteer leader, and advocate.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Chicago Public Schools school board District 4b

The following candidates ran in the general election for Chicago Public Schools school board District 4b on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ellen Rosenfeld (Nonpartisan)	41.6	49,351
	Submit photo	Karen Zaccor (Nonpartisan)	30.2	35,825
		Kimberly Brown (Nonpartisan)	9.4	11,128
		Thomas Day (Nonpartisan)	7.7	9,126
		Carmen Gioiosa (Nonpartisan)	7.1	8,414
	Submit photo	Andrew Davis (Nonpartisan)	4.0	4,719

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 118,563
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Brown in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Kimberly Brown completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Brown's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Kimberly Brown's story is deeply rooted in the values of hard work, community, and resilience.

Born to a working-class family, Kimberly's early years were shaped by her parents' unwavering commitment to providing a good education for their children.

Her parents worked multiple jobs to give her and her siblings a good education that included extracurricular activities within walking distance from home.

She knows the doors that opened for her because of their focus on education, and she wants that for every Chicagoan.

Kimberly has the executive level skills to govern CPS (a $9 billion organization), the values to ensure we build a sustainable organization for every child to succeed, the empathy as a CPS parent and educator, and the just-crazy-enough passion to do it as a volunteer.

Kimberly is a Chief Marketing Officer with a background working in highly regulated industries, including government, education, and financial services/insurance. She has sat on multiple nonprofit boards and has experience in nonprofit board governance. She is an adjunct professor and currently on faculty at Roosevelt University and Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.

She is an entrepreneur who ran her own for-profit consultancy focused on data and marketing as well as two education-related non-profits benefiting teen youth and women in technology, respectively.

She is mother of two children. One is in CPS. The other is entering private school for PreK 3.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Successful Chicago Public Schools create a 1) strong economy, 2) safe community, and 3) vibrant society for every human.
Proven Experience & Empathy
Bring Back Buses & Safe Group Commutes to School (bike and walking friendly options) -- if you can't get to school, nothing else matters.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about putting public education at the forefront of governance as the first and primary solution to driving economy, public safety, and infrastructure viability for cities large and small. Schools drive our communities and economy.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Not my political philosophy, but I have a great reading list on my website: https://www.kimberlybrownforchicago.org/home/#reading-list

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

The proven experience and empathy to do the job, communicate, lead teams, and understand the impact of our decisions.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Proven Experience & Empathy. If you have those two characteristics, you can be successful.

Two Critical Definition Points:
The board of education, also called the school board, is a unit of local government that establishes direction, goals, and priorities for a school district and determines policy, budget, leadership, and administration.

While school board meetings are held in public, they are not meetings of the public. Outside of regularly convened meetings, effective boards engage in an ongoing two-way conversation through the use of public forums, surveys, citizens committees, and other engagement tools to determine the community’s aspirations for its schools and students.

Effective school boards: A good school board...

Knows the difference between governance (which is its job) and management (which is the administration’s job).

Makes every effort to operate openly by encouraging public attendance at its meetings and keeping constituents informed of the district’s progress.

Enacts policies after study and consultation with all persons or groups affected.

Attempts to reach decisions that all members can support.

Maintains efficient procedures to conduct business.

Monitors district goals using data.

Works to provide quality education opportunities for all students of the district

According to the IASB Board of Directors Ethics Code:
The board clarifies the district’s purpose.
The board connects with the community.
The board employs a superintendent.
The board delegates authority.
The board monitors performance.
The board takes responsibility for itself.

A good school board member has …
The abilities to work as a member of a team with an open mind
The willingness to spend the time required to become informed
The desire to serve children and the community

- - The recognition that the school district is a large operation and that the board is responsible for seeing that the district is run by highly skilled professionals

What legacy would you like to leave?

That we can make a positive change in our world by volunteering time and expertise to local public service roles.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a life guard at our public pool for most of my teen years. I was also a waitress at IHOP and a local greek diner, Dappers.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

Lead the district vision, ensure a culture of growth and success, support by hiring with highly-trained professional staff.

Who are your constituents?

Chicago community members

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?