Chicago Public Schools Announces New Chief of Family and Community Engagement

CHICAGO – The Chicago Board of Education Thursday afternoon approved the appointment of Fanny Diego Alvarez to the role of Chief of Family and Community Engagement (FACE). Ms. Diego Alvarez has more than 15 years of experience in educational program management, and she will bring dynamic, strategic leadership to the FACE department. Ms. Diego Alvarez, a proud CPS graduate with a master’s degree from the University of Chicago, will begin her role as the District’s Chief of Family and Community Engagement, July 8, 2024.

"Deeply rooted in the community and with a breadth of experience working directly with our students, Chief Diego Alvarez is exactly the type of person that we need to lead Family and Community Engagement for our Chicago Public Schools," said Mayor Brandon Johnson. "CPS families are at the heart of our school communities. I am confident that Chief Diego Alvarez has the experience and expertise necessary to advance CPS into a new era where families and directly-impacted communities have a real seat at the table when decisions are made that affect their lives."

Ms. Diego Alvarez spent 13 years at Enlace Chicago, a non-profit community organization based in Little Village. There, she led programmatic growth, eventually serving as Director of Education. In that capacity, she built and sustained cross-sector partnerships between Enlace, neighborhood schools, faith institutions, and other community organizations, and she worked directly with more than 5,000 students and families from the Little Village community.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Fanny Diego Alvarez to lead our District’s Family and Community Engagement office,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “As an experienced leader in the world of educational nonprofits and engagement programs, Chief Diego Alvarez brings the necessary communication, collaboration and cultural competency skills to our important work with families and community partners.”

Ms. Diego Alvarez has previously served the Chicago Public Schools community as a Sustainable Community Schools (SCS) project manager. Here, she steered SCS programming and ensured that those programs conformed to the guiding principles of racial justice and equity, a whole child approach to education, a reflective learning culture, shared leadership and collaboration and building from community strength.

Most recently, Ms. Diego Alvarez has served as Director of Learning and Leadership Development at the Grand Victoria Foundation, a philanthropic organization that envisions a “strong, livable, and equitable Illinois where every resident has an opportunity to thrive.” In this role, she oversaw the growth and development of a statewide education justice grantmaking portfolio, supporting local organizations working with youth, parents and educators across Illinois.

Originally from Mexico and raised in Chicago’s Little Village community, Ms. Diego Alvarez is a graduate of Farragut Career Academy High School. She holds a master of social work degree from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois Chicago. She has served on a volunteer basis with organizations such as West Side United and Chicago United For Equity. She has also served as a board member on the Advisory Board for the Dominican University Graduate School of Social Work and the Truancy in Chicago Public Schools State of Illinois Task Force.

Ms. Diego Alvarez's education and her years organizing community-based partnerships and program development and implementation provide the necessary experience and skills to successfully lead the FACE team.

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About Chicago Public Schools (CPS)

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-8 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 more than 322,000 students who cite 190 home languages. Learn more about CPS at www.cps.edu and connect with CPS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.