Felicia Butts

I met Felicia when I joined the Talent team in 2019, and over the last few years I have had the lovely opportunity to learn more about her and the incredible work she leads. She currently leads teacher pipeline development and preparation programs to meet the Chicago Public Schools’ growing demand for high quality teachers in critical subject areas, such as Arts, Bilingual Education, STEM, Early Childhood Education and Special Education.

When I ask her about what she sees as her origin story, she reflects that it has been a fortunate series of experiences which led her to the path she is on (which she didn’t know existed). Growing up in the Austin neighborhood in Chicago, she saw how there were adults who were supportive of kids, and those who were not. This, coupled with her mom’s work as a social service worker in childcare facilities, motivated her to want to become a child psychologist and help solving problems for kids. 

She fondly remembers her teachers, who were not just people at school but adults who were part of the community where they taught. She would see them on the bus, meet them at the grocery store; they were trusted adults who knew their students by name. 

She started as a psychology major in college, and along the way learned about the  African American Studies program. It was something she had been looking for, something which she did not even know existed. It was a robust, integrated curriculum ranging from history to art, education to psychology. The program made her want to be a professor, to participate in research which would inform change. She chose sociology as her minor. 

Through classmates she was introduced to Teach For America, and landed up teaching pre-k for seven years at an Englewood neighborhood school. During this time, she also had her first child. The work was rewarding but she had known that it would not be forever.  She came across an education policy role and worked in it for a few years, before coming to CPS four years ago, where she now leads the Teacher Residency work and the Teach Chicago Tomorrow program. 15 years in the education space seem to have flown by. 

She muses that if she had tried to fit herself into the idea of what she thought she should be, she likely would not be happy in the way she is now. 

When I ask her if she has any advice to share, she mentions that as someone who is extremely introverted, she would have found more mentors earlier. She has always been very independent but in retrospect, would have tried to learn more from other experiences instead of doing everything herself. 

She remains professionally fueled by her love for her work, and wakes up everyday wanting to do it. Interactions with people, seeing students walk across the stage and graduate, pass exams after multiple attempts, get scholarships, all of these are moments she cherishes. She wants everyone who wants to teach to have the chance.

Personally, she is learning how to unplug, and how to do it every single day. When she isn’t watching her babies grow, she enjoys watching both comedy and emotional movies – it gives her an opportunity to process her emotions. 

When I ask her about the Felicia of the future, she reflects that in five years from now, her kids will be starting and ending elementary school and she is curious about what that will be like. Someday, she would also like to share about the work she leads, the lessons and successes with other school districts across the country. The work spans so much but some of her proudest moments are the largest ever cohort of resident teachers (180); launching an emergency fund and trusting people for whatever they needed support with - daycare, surgery, travel. To serve well, it is important for her to never be too far removed from the experiences of those being served, and to remember that to predicate compassion or assistance on a person's ability to do something you would expect them to do is not the right thing. 

There have been several profound influences in her life, starting from her mom, to her 8th grade teacher Miss Zenza Laws, who was like a mom at school. She dealt out tough truths without tearing anyone down, and Felicia credits her with helping her get a high school scholarship which opened many doors academically and socially. 

Professor Tracy Vaughn Manley in college; Dr Kimberly Garrettt, who was her field supervisor at TFA; Mrs Nashone Greer-Adams who was the director of the site where she taught, have all been instrumental in shaping who she is today. She mentions that in many ways, she grew up at the school she taught, right along with kids.