NLU's Commencement Speaker 2023

Commencement is a time to celebrate across the university, especially in honor of our graduates. Part of the festivities for Commencement 2023 will include this year’s graduation speaker: Chicago native, Dr. Janice Jackson.  

Dr. Jackson has over twenty-two years of experience working in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). She is known as a top national educator and leader in the field of public education.

Her journey began after graduating from CPS and pursuing her B.A. and M.A. from Chicago State University. Then, she began her work as a social studies teacher and a debate team coach at South Shore High School. She later went on to serve as a high school principal, District Network Chief, and Chief Education Officer while completing an M.A. and Ed.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 2017, Mayor Rahm Emmanuel appointed her as CEO of CPS. She was the first CPS alumna to be positioned in this role.

While CEO, Bill Gates noted the data-driven approach Dr. Jackson implemented for students’ success was “a model for the nation.” During her tenure, she had record-breaking academic achievement, high school graduation, and post-secondary completion numbers.

Upon her twenty-two years with CPS, Dr. Jackson joined the Carnegie Foundation as a Senior Fellow, where she has been focusing on issues of equity, such as improving high school and college attainment nationwide and ensuring that minority students receive social and emotional support and equal opportunities. In 2021, she was selected as a Resident Fellow for the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago.

That same year, Dr. Jackson became the CEO of Hope Chicago, a two-generation scholarship organization that aims to eliminate barriers in educational and economic equity through debt-free college strategies and providing support to students in need. At present, she is also a board member for the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center, and A Better Chicago. 

In her own words: “Our story is Chicago’s story; our success is Chicago’s success: it belongs to students, parents, dedicated educators, support staff, and principals. We all envision a bright future for our students, one in which every student in every neighborhood has the ability and support to achieve success.”