Nora Flanagan
Chicago,IL
Summary
Bringing extensive experience and a proven commitment to continuous professional development in education and nonprofit sectors. Expertise includes writing, editing, public speaking, and team leadership, with a focus on education, equity, and labor rights. Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, coupled with a deep understanding of community and global issues related to access and bias, provide a strong foundation for impactful roles in political and nonprofit strategy, communications, research, and organizing.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
Work History
Project Organizer
Chicago Teachers Union
Chicago, Illinois
08.2023 - Current
- Core member of four departments in a role designed for my unique skill sets: Organizing, Research, Communications, and Policy
- Participated in weekly leadership strategy sessions, including with state-level partners
- Built, strengthened, and leveraged external partnerships with more than ten ally organizations, both locally and nationally
- Planned, hosted, and presented at stakeholder meetings at least weekly in communities across Chicago to hear concerns, share information, and plan community response
- Coordinated over a dozen policy and candidate campaigns
- Planned and executed community level actions at least monthly
- Wrote and edited dozens of campaign communications
- Mediated conversations between labor and management to resolve conflicts without the need to file a grievance
- Spoken at over twenty city government meetings, press events, coalition and community meetings, advocating for policies and contracts that directly improved families’ lives.
- Collaborated with city officials, state legislators, and members of Congress
- Coordinated members to travel and speak with elected officials, offer public comments at local and statewide hearings, and publish editorial pieces
- Planned and executed over ten media events from proposal to run-of-show
- Written and edited communications at least weekly for a range of purposes and audiences, including resolutions, contract proposals, policy briefs, internal communications, promotional materials, FAQs, and more
- Served as a key point of contact for 29,000 members, as well as the public, media outlets, elected officials, parents, other labor organizations, and community partners
- Led social media strategy and management team across all platforms, including 13K member online space moderation and content creation, leading a team of sixteen and increasing positive engagement by over 50%
- Researched and reported on topics ranging from government funding formulas to organizational safety, providing at least one published piece per week for member communications
- Presented at national conferences about education, labor rights, bargaining, and research strategies
English Teacher
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago, Illinois
01.1998 - 01.2023
- Lane Technical College Preparatory High School (1998-2008)
- Northside College Preparatory High School (2008-2023)
- Department Chair (2010-2013)
- Improve curriculum maps, propose and implement original coursework
- Organize professional development events
- Organize and lead programs specifically designed to support struggling students from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds
- Assist in planning and implementation of a reporting system for students to share and find resolution for incidents of cultural hostility within the school community to improve overall climate
- Mentor new department members, student teachers, and observers from all area colleges and universities
- Form interdisciplinary committees to address a range of issues facing our student population
- Build and maintain relationships with external partners ranging from the Newberry Library to Google
- Maintain an unshakable passion for teaching and learning
- Several years of service as a Chicago Teachers Union delegate, committee member, content creator, and strategist
Education
Master of Education - Curriculum, Instruction, and Evaluation, Concentration in Urban Education Studies
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois01-2003
Bachelor of Arts - English; Concentration in Secondary Education
University of Illinois At Chicago
Chicago, Illinois01-1998
Skills
- Strategy
- Organizing
- Research
- Written Communication
- Community Engagement
- Working Across Teams and Departments
- Public Speaking
- Traditional and Digital Media
- Adaptable Multitasking
- Problem Solving
Accomplishments
- Award-winning educator and organizer, recognized by Disney, University of Illinois at Chicago, the City of Chicago, and others
- Featured TED Talks speaker with over three million total views
- Co-author, curriculum designer, and professional development leader for Confronting White Nationalism in Schools, featured by NPR, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and NBC
Affiliations
- Phi Beta Kappa (1998-Present)
- National Council of Teachers of English Member (1998-Present)
- Disney American Teacher Award Winner (2001)
- Newberry Teachers as Scholars Program Participant, Curriculum Designer (2009-2013)
- Google for Education Curriculum Designer and Program Participant (2013-2017)
- ORD Camp attendee (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
- Speaker or Panelist for Disney (2001-2003), The Oprah Winfrey Show (2002), Chicago Public Schools (2001-2005), Chicago Day of Silence rally (2006), University of Illinois at Chicago (2001-Present), Google (2015), South by Southwest (2016), Chi Teen Lit Fest (2016), TEDxWrigleyville (2020), featured TED speaker (2021)
- Western States Center Senior Fellow (2019-Present)
- Comic Book Legal Defense Fund content creator and curriculum designer (2019-2023)
- Illinois State Commission on Holocaust and Genocide Education (2020-Present)
Timeline
Project Organizer
Chicago Teachers Union
08.2023 - Current
English Teacher
Chicago Public Schools
01.1998 - 01.2023
Master of Education - Curriculum, Instruction, and Evaluation, Concentration in Urban Education Studies
University of Illinois at Chicago
Bachelor of Arts - English; Concentration in Secondary Education
University of Illinois At Chicago