Ms. Sandra Lopez

District Programs Coordinator

As the District Programs Coordinator, Ms. Lopez works cooperatively with the Administrator of Grants to provide direction and leadership for grant and professional development services to School District 132.  Ms. Lopez assists the director in addressing all compliance issues and ensures meaningful parent involvement through school governance.

Ms. Lopez’s professional experiences include her role as an ambassador for United Way/Crusade of Mercy.  Her expertise and experiences in gang violence prevention resulted in her selection by the Embassy of the Mexican Government to facilitate a prevention conference in the District of Mexico City.  There she addressed government officials on the importance of youth input and involvement.  She has diligently assisted educators in re-directing misguided “At Risk Youth” toward comprehensive services.

Her employment history includes 12 years of being progressively responsible for meeting the changing needs of a community by establishing and leading new youth leadership programs.  She was responsible for training on and development of curricula for the Americorp National race relations volunteer program.  Mrs. Lopez worked with a group from the Human Relations Department on race relations where some of the researched based techniques were utilized for mediation purposes at some Chicago Public Schools with high rates of violence and racial tensions.  She was acknowledged by the United States Democracy and Human Rights Bureau Department of the “Presidents Initiative on Race” from Washington, D. C.

Education
Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership/Youth Development
Aurora University, Aurora, Illinois
Master of Science in Human Services Administration/Non Profit  Management  Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies, Chicago, Illinois
Currently attending Chicago State University seeking Masters Degree in Educational Leadership

Certification - Illinois Department of Human Services:
Infant Mortality Reduction/Base Line II Community Team Training
Paradigm Shift –Building Participatory Consciousness
Problem Solving – Professional Certification Association, Inc.
Expanding Skills:  The Experienced Group Facilitator
In Touch Planning Process Training

slopez@sd132.org