Chicago Public Schools Fill Key Leadership Roles

Chicago Public Schools Fill Key Leadership Roles

District Promotes Experienced Leaders to Vital Positions

CHICAGO- The Board of Education Thursday, Oct. 23, approved several key promotions aimed at strengthening leadership within Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The newly-appointed administrators bring extensive experience in educational leadership and have consistently demonstrated the skills needed to support CPS students, families, staff, and the broader community.

These appointments are part of a strategic effort to position proven leaders in roles that directly impact District-wide operations and student outcomes. Each individual selected has shown a strong commitment to educational equity and possesses a clear vision for advancing the success of all school communities.

“CPS is fortunate to have such dedicated and knowledgeable professionals stepping into these critical leadership roles,” said Interim CPS CEO/ Superintendent Dr. Macquline King. “Their expertise and commitment to student achievement will help ensure that our schools are well supported and our students are positioned for long-term success.”

Julie Burnett - Chief of Staff to the CEO

Julie Burnett is an experienced education executive and strategist with more than 25 years of experience across classrooms, higher education, philanthropy, and city government. As interim chief of staff to the CEO of CPS, she has played a central role in addressing Districtwide challenges through transparent, collaborative leadership, helping ensure a strong and student-centered start to the school year.

Ronan Shableski - Chief of Safety and Security

Ronan Shableski, a lifelong resident of the Chicagoland area, has served CPS for nearly 20 years, beginning his career as a watchman. In that role, he greeted students, staff, and visitors each morning, helping ensure they started their day in a safe and welcoming environment.

Dr. Alfonso Carmona - Acting Chief Education Officer (CEdO)

A 21-year veteran of CPS, Dr. Carmona is a respected and strategic educational leader with a proven ability to drive meaningful and lasting change across the District. Dr. Carmona has served in many educational roles, including teacher, principal, chief of schools, and, most recently, Chief Portfolio Officer, and has championed efforts to advance equity, academic excellence, and community engagement. His areas of expertise include curriculum design, budget management, bilingual education, and targeted universalism.

Conrad Timbers-Ausar - Acting Chief Portfolio Officer

For nearly two decades, Conrad Timbers Ausar has led with a focus on driving student achievement and school improvement in historically underserved communities across Chicago. He has served as the founding principal of four high schools, including Englewood STEM, a pioneering early college high school on Chicago’s South Side.

Walter Stock - Acting Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Walter Stock brings more than 30 years of experience in corporate and public finance to CPS. He joined the District in 2014. As the current treasurer and deputy chief financial officer, he has overseen key financial operations, including cash flow management, financial forecasting, debt issuance and management, investment strategy, and risk mitigation.

Emila Zoko - Acting Chief Budget Officer

Emila Zoko, a proud first generation American, joined CPS in 2007 and has since built a distinguished career focused on maximizing the impact of grant-funded resources to improve student outcomes. Throughout her tenure, she has held a variety of leadership roles across the District, consistently working to align funding strategies with the academic needs of CPS students and schools.

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is dedicated to providing a high-quality education to all students, beginning with the District’s free full-day preschool programming for four-year-old scholars and continuing through neighborhood, magnet and selective-enrollment elementary schools that provide a rigorous K-12 education with schools that specialize in the fine arts, world language and culture, dual language, STEM, International Baccalaureate (IB), classical programs, and more. The rising District-wide freshmen-on-track and high school graduation rates reflect the hard work of the CPS community, including families, staff, and students across 635 schools. CPS celebrates the diversity of its students who cite about 180 home languages. Learn more about CPS at www.cps.edu and connect with CPS on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

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