Catalyst Caucus

Katelyn Johnson began community organizing in 2004, getting to know low-income community residents by going door-to-door asking community members about their views, concerns, and dreams, with a focus on affordable housing. She began working on education reform as gentrification threatened to change the neighborhoods surrounding schools. As a cohort coordinator with Grow Your Own Teachers, she works to develop teacher candidates who are dedicated to teaching in public, neighborhood schools. In 2010, she was named Executive Director of Action Now Institute, an organization whose mission is to strengthen the voices of people in less-advantaged communities and to research, identify, and address opportunities for positive change in Chicagoland. A key issues for Action Now Institute and Grow Your Own teachers is equity in education, and Katelyn continues to work with community partners, parents, and schools leaders in order to find solutions to many community issues around education.

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