Chanelle Bell

About Chanelle Bell

I’m Vice President of External Affairs at Teach for America Greater Chicago-Northwest Indiana, where I lead community partnerships, public funding, policy, marketing and communications and a team of four. We ensure, through policy and advocacy, donor engagement, and foundation relations, that TFA can recruit and develop culturally responsive leaders in education. As a fierce advocate for educational equity, I’ve launched many innovative initiatives that positively impact Black and Brown children, both at TFA and in my earlier role at Noble Schools, Chicago’s largest high school charter network. As a nonprofit leader and executive, I’m thrilled to be instituting bold change system-wide. Through building critical relationships with elected officials, foundation leadership, education leaders, parents, and other stakeholders, I’ve created a network of support for TFA. I’ve significantly increased our funding support and reduced barriers to education access for our teachers. I’m a close partner to our Executive Director, providing guidance on my core areas and often acting as the face of the organization. RECENT WINSINCREASING FUNDING & EXPANDING NETWORK | Built case for and secured 200% increase in foundation funding. BRAND DEVELOPMENT & MANAGEMENT | Placed two op-eds in the Chicago Sun-times in 2021 and 2022.LEGISLATIVE EQUITY WINS | Worked with local education policy organizations to remove the 3.0 GPA state requirement for alternative educator licensure candidates, a barrier for qualified teacher candidates from diverse backgrounds. Corps diversity has since increased by 10% from 50% to 60%. EDUCATION ACCESS FOR TEACHERS | Won $2.3M increase in state funding for Minority Teachers of IL. Enables eligible corps members to obtain license and Master’s for free, eliminating cost barrier. INNOVATION | Created and launched Leaders of Color for Systems Change (see featured section for link), a new fellowship for alumni of color. Ideated to promote leadership by people of color where decisions are made that affect children of color. RECENT HONORS & AWARDS• 2023 Chicago Urban League Impact Fellow.• Changemaker of the Year, The Surge Institute, April 2023.• 40 Gamechangers Under 40; Ariel Investments, Oct 2022.• 35 Under 35 Leaders Making an Impact; Chicago Scholars, March 2019STRENGTHS: Branding & Identity, Executive Partnership, External Engagement Strategy, Government Relations, Innovation, Leadership, Nonprofit Management, Policy & Advocacy, Program Development, PR & Media Relations, Strategic & Organizational Planning, Team Building.

Experience

1. Vice President, External Affairs

   Teach For America

   Jun 2022 — Present · Chicago, IL, US

   Reporting to the Executive Director, lead a four person team to develop and drive a regional policy agenda, secure public and private funding, grow community partnerships, lead alumni engagement, and build marketing and communications. Secure $2 million in public and private funding annually and manage $475K budget. Build relationships across stakeholders including Governor’s Office and General Assembly members, and public policy organizations. Manage external consultants. Serve as an extension of Executive Director to external stakeholders. Coalesce leaders and communities to maximize impact. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS• INCREASING FUNDING & EXPANDING NETWORK | Built case for and secured increase in funding from Crown Family Philanthropies by 175%; from for 1 year to per year for 3 years, through public policy and community partnerships. Awarded public policy grant from the Joyce Foundation. • BRAND DEVELOPMENT & MANAGEMENT | Craft and tell the story of Teach for America’s impact through earned and owned media. Placed two op-eds in the Chicago Sun-times in 2021 and 2022 on the importance of Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards and the need for mental health supports for teachers.

Education

• Dominican University

  Master of Science - MS, Education

  2014 — 2016

• Fordham University

  Bachelor of Arts (BA), Theatre/Theater

  2010 — 2014

Skills

• Editorial
• Public Relations
• Social Networking
• Proofreading
• Social Media
• Creative Writing
• Final Cut Pro
• Community Outreach
• Press Releases
• News Writing
• Editing
• Newspapers
• Writing
• Microsoft Office
• Public Speaking
• Ap Style
• Newspaper
• Copy Editing
• Blogging
• Journalism
• Powerpoint
• Microsoft Word
• Management
• Research