LYNN E. MCGINNIS-GARNER
Lansing,IL
Summary
Experienced in cultivating enduring relationships with parents, students, and teachers to drive educational programs and facilities administration. Skilled in budget and grant management, student academic performance evaluation, curriculum outlining, policy development, and education reformation. Demonstrates perseverance in achieving organizational growth, sustaining academic performance, and guiding students towards academic goals through effective leadership. Expertise in school operations and administration, grant management, program evaluation, budgeting, and cost analysis. Organized and detail-oriented with strong evaluative, analytical, and logical reasoning skills. Capable of multi-tasking, prioritizing responsibilities, and thinking innovatively. Possesses strong decision-making and problem-solving abilities to identify educational gaps, lead programs and workshops, and successfully fund school projects. Stellar negotiator with the ability to establish rapport with regional organizations, CBOE, local school council, and neighboring school administrations.
Overview
2026
2026
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Administrator In Charge
Chicago Board of Educatiom
01.2018 - Current
- Skillfully managing all facets of educational programs, operational activities, staffing, budget, discipline, attendance, community relations, staff development, technology, coaching, and the culture and climate of a school.
- Offered friendly and efficient service to customers, handled challenging situations with ease.
- Participated in team-building activities to enhance working relationships.
- Devoted special emphasis to punctuality and worked to maintain outstanding attendance record.
- Drove operational improvements, which resulted in savings and improved profit margins.
- Handled sensitive information discreetly, maintaining strict confidentiality at all times as required by company policy or legal regulations.
- Managed human resources functions, including hiring, onboarding, and employee evaluations for optimal team performance.
- Evaluated staff performance and provided coaching to address inefficiencies.
- Served as a liaison between departments, fostering open communication channels that improved overall organizational function.
PRINCIPAL
Anna R. Langford Community Academy
07.2008 - 08.2017
- Participated in team-building activities to enhance working relationships.
- Worked within applicable standards, policies and regulatory guidelines to promote safe working environment.
- Developed team communications and information for meetings.
- Learned new skills and applied to daily tasks to improve efficiency and productivity.
- Performed classroom evaluations to assess teacher strategies and effectiveness.
- Fostered a positive learning environment by promoting open communication among staff, students, and parents.
- Managed budgets and resources efficiently to ensure optimal allocation of funds for school programs and initiatives.
- Cultivated positive relationships between community members, school students, and teachers.
- Led school improvement efforts by setting clear expectations for staff performance and providing regular feedback on progress towards goals.
- Developed strong relationships with stakeholders to foster trust, collaboration, and commitment to shared goals.
- Increased teacher effectiveness through comprehensive coaching, professional development opportunities, and mentorship programs.
- Mentored newly hired educators and provided encouragement and feedback.
Adjunct Professor
American College of Education
06.2013 - 07.2014
- Evaluated and revised lesson plans and course content to achieve student-centered learning.
- Used variety of learning modalities and support materials to facilitate learning process and accentuate presentations.
- Evaluated and selected instructional materials and texts to prepare course materials and lesson plans.
- Engaged students with insightful and compelling classroom discussion of topics relevant to coursework to boost student learning and retention.
- Advised students in academic matters to improve student performance.
- Built relationships with students, mentoring on personal, professional and academic goals while providing coaching on effective study habits.
- Taught leadership courses, providing instruction to up to 15 undergraduate students. going into leadership positions.
Assistant Principal
Jesse Owens Elementary School
- Oversaw schedule management and protocols for orientation, registration and related activities.
- Supervised and evaluated teaching and support staff through instructional leadership and professional development.
- Facilitated continued education for teaching staff through implementation of quality curriculum training and appropriation of necessary resources.
- Analyzed and interpreted government regulations and professional journals to verify educational initiative conformance to legal and quality requirements.
PRINCIPAL
Edward White Elementary Career Academy
- Monitored and evaluated educational programs to maintain high-quality performance objectives and standards.
- Supervised afterschool program to promote student growth and maintain safety for all attendees.
- Instructed small groups of teachers and students.
- Facilitated continued education for teaching staff through implementation of quality curriculum training and appropriation of necessary resources.
School-Wide Resource Teacher
James McCosh School
- Developed and implemented performance improvement strategies and plans to promote continuous improvement.
- Created spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel for daily, weekly and monthly reporting.
- Proved successful working within tight deadlines and fast-paced atmosphere.
Primary and Intermediate Computer Teacher
James McCosh School
- Developed team communications and information for meetings.
- Created plans and communicated deadlines to complete projects on time.
- Improved operations through consistent hard work and dedication.
- Demonstrated respect, friendliness and willingness to help wherever needed.
First Grade Teacher
James McCosh School
- Taught students subject-specific material, learning strategies and social skills.
- Kept classroom clean, organized and safe for students and visitors.
- Helped students develop self-esteem and life skills by fostering healthy conflict-resolution, critical thinking and communication.
- Assessed student learning progress and comprehension with routine tests and standardized examinations.
- Utilized data-driven instruction to identify areas of need for individual students and adjust teaching methods accordingly.
- Differentiated instruction to accommodate diverse learning styles, ensuring all students made progress towards academic goals.
Sixth Grade Teacher
St. Dorothy Catholic School
06.1982 - 06.1987
- Assisted students in developing self-assessment skills and personal studying techniques.
- Communicated realistic and consistent expectations for student behavior and employed fair strategies to resolve problems.
- Communicated openly with parents and guardians to keep everyone informed of students' progress and quickly implement improvement strategies.
- Guided students through transition from elementary environments to middle school with new standards and requirements.
- Collaborated with colleagues on curriculum development, integrating cross-curricular concepts into lesson plans for a more comprehensive learning experience.
- Increased student engagement by incorporating hands-on activities and group projects into lesson plans.
Education
Ed.D - Curriculum And Instrucion
Illinois State University
Normal, IL12-2002
Ed.D - Curriculum And Instrucion
Illinois State University
Bloomington, Illinois12-2015
Ed.D - Curriculum And Instrucion
Illinois State University
Normal, IL12-2002
Master of Science - Educational Administration
Chicago State University
Chicago, IL05-1989
Bachelor of Science: B.S. Education - Elementary Education
Western Illinois University
Macomb, Illinois01-1981
Bachelor of Science: B.S. Education - Elementary Education
Western Illinois University
Macomb, Illinois01.2023
Ed.D - Curriculum And Instrucion
Illinois State University
Bloomington, Illinois12-2013
Skills
- School Operations and Administration
- Program Development
- Mentoring and Coaching
- Grant Administration
- Community and Parent Involvement
- Safety and Discipline
- Technology Procurement
- Budgeting
- Instructional leadership
- Policy and procedure adherence
- Common Core learning standards
- Educational staff supervision
- Team Building
- Verbal and written communication
- Program and Resource Evaluation
- Administrative support
- Parent engagement and communication
- Student achievement
- Data-driven instruction
Accomplishments
Led the successful turnaround of a struggling school on Chicago’s South Side, increasing student attendance to 95%, improving eighth-grade graduation rates to 95–99%, and significantly raising student growth scores. Reduced discipline infractions and fostered a safe, positive learning environment where students thrived socially, emotionally, and academically.
Affiliations
- Phi Delta Kappa Professional Fraternity | Chicago Chapter
- Delta Sigma Theta Service Sorority | Chicago Chapter
- Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development
Certification
- 1981 Type 10 Multi categorical Teaching Certificate (K-12) - State of Illinois
- 1989 Type 75 General Administrative Certificate
- 2008 “Turnaround Specialist” Program | University of Virginia
- 2013 Superintendent Endorsement | State of Illinois
- 2017 “Being a Trauma-Informed School” | Chicago State University
Timeline
Administrator In Charge
Chicago Board of Educatiom
01.2018 - Current
Adjunct Professor
American College of Education
06.2013 - 07.2014
PRINCIPAL
Anna R. Langford Community Academy
07.2008 - 08.2017
Sixth Grade Teacher
St. Dorothy Catholic School
06.1982 - 06.1987
Assistant Principal
Jesse Owens Elementary School
PRINCIPAL
Edward White Elementary Career Academy
School-Wide Resource Teacher
James McCosh School
Primary and Intermediate Computer Teacher
James McCosh School
First Grade Teacher
James McCosh School
Ed.D - Curriculum And Instrucion
Illinois State University
Ed.D - Curriculum And Instrucion
Illinois State University
Ed.D - Curriculum And Instrucion
Illinois State University
Master of Science - Educational Administration
Chicago State University
Bachelor of Science: B.S. Education - Elementary Education
Western Illinois University
Bachelor of Science: B.S. Education - Elementary Education
Western Illinois University
Ed.D - Curriculum And Instrucion
Illinois State University
Chicago Fellow
As a Chicago Public School Fellow, I represented a core group of principals who were identified and selected as outstanding school leaders in the 21st Century, who would engage in a 12-month intensive professional development opportunity and who would stay in the district and take on additional leadership roles..