Her Story
About Dora
I served as president of the Independent Authority for 13 and a half years, which is an extension of the Illinois State Board of Education. The Illinois State Board of Education took over our public school district in the city where I live, and they asked me to serve in that role because I am a person that works with kids and does a lot of things in the community. Before that, I was a project manager and PMP for AT&T, where I worked in Global Marketing way back when we started that. I also did a lot of substitute teaching in my community. I've always been involved with children because I had 3 children and raised them through the projects and through the community that we lived in. They went to public school, and once my kids graduated, I went to work full-time doing what I really wanted to do, which was making sure I could educate all three of my kids. I am really that person that looks at another person and sees what they can be. My dad used to tell me that I was going to be great, and that stayed in me. So when I see young people struggling or a situation where they need to be encouraged, I feel very comfortable and at ease doing that. I graduated college and, like anyone else of the 60s, we were part of getting things rolling. I was very active in our church, the National Baptist Convention, which was very active in the Civil Rights Movement. I'm also a singer and love classical music. After I retired, I got back into music and became part of the concert choir at CLC and the gospel choir, and I've been at Carnegie Hall twice singing. I have been very fortunate that I have been able to explore a lot of my desires that I saw when I was a child, and I've actually lived them.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Dora
01What do you attribute your success to?
I have been told this over and over again, and I do it so unconsciously, and that is that I create an environment of family and make people feel welcome. Even the superintendent, when we hired him for the school district that I was president over, said the immediate feeling that he got was that he was welcome. Over these 13 years that I've been doing this work, that's what I hear the most, is that I create an environment, a family, and when people come into my life, I immediately make them feel welcome. That is what we were able to accomplish at the school district that was so broken, is to make them feel a part. We are a family. We are going to do this together. I think that's my strong suit.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My dad used to tell me that I was going to be great, he could see it. And that stayed in me. So when I see young people, and I see that they may be struggling, or a situation may need to be encouraged, then I feel very comfortable and very at ease doing that. That message from my father about seeing greatness in me became the foundation for how I look at other people and see what they can be.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest challenge for anyone that's doing this kind of work, and it's all volunteer, is to believe in what you're doing. You have to trust your judgments. Crowds are awfully ugly sometimes, you know, and they can be very rude. But we can't lose focus of these children. That's why I took on the responsibility, knowing that it's a service. So when we sit before people that don't agree, or think we're wrong, or they're just plain rude, you have to be grounded in who you are, and what you believe, and know why you're there. And if you can do that, and just allow them to be, and like I tell them, you got 3 minutes for public comment. You can turn flips if you like, but I will not be allowing you to disrupt the meeting. You have to be focused and understand your role and understand the assignment. The assignment is simple: get this school district back to where these kids in your community can have a quality education every time they walk in the door. That's what I conveyed to the team that I was working with, and that's what we went forward with. It's all about the children, whatever's said to us doesn't matter, we know who we are. But let's stay focused. And we were able to do that, and brought back and built two new schools. It's just a beautiful thing when I think about all that was done in those years, and we just did it because we love the work. You have to love the work.
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