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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING DR. SHEILA HARRISON-WILLIAMS FOR 34 YEARS OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP SERVICES
WHEREAS, Dr. Sheila Harrison-Williams was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, to Lorraine Harrison, raised on the Westside of Chicago, attending Chicago Public Schools graduating from Westinghouse Area Vocational High School; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Harrison-Williams earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago), majoring in Special Education and Elementary Education; Master of Arts Degree from Northeastern in Educational Administration; Degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Northern Illinois University (DeKalb); post-graduate work at Northeastern and Northern Illinois Universities, achieving an Early Childhood Education Certificate from Northeastern and Chief School Business Official Certification from NIU; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Harrison-Williams is currently completing her fifteenth year as Superintendent of Hazel Crest School District 152½ in Hazel Crest, Illinois. Prior to Hazel Crest, Dr. Harrison-Williams served as Superintendent of Fairmont School District 89 in Lockport, Illinois for two and a half years; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Harrison-Williams is an active member of the following organizations: the American Association of School Administrators; the Illinois and the National School Boards Association; the Illinois Association of School Business Officials and the Suburban Superintendents Association; She is a life member of the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) and served on the Executive Board as treasurer since 2015; and
WHEREAS, in June 2011, Dr. Harrison-Williams co-founded the HWC Executive Leadership Institute, designed to provide a more in-depth preparation program for those who aspire to become superintendents; and
WHEREAS, July 1, 2018, Dr. Harrison-Williams assumed the role of President of the Illinois Association of School Administrators, where she has served for the past 12 years as an At-Large Governing Board Member and an Officer; She is the first African American to serve as President of this organization in 73 years; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Harrison-Williams has received several awards and recognition as an educational leader, the most recent being the recipient of the 2018 IASA South Cook Superintendent of Distinction Award; 2018 Commissioner Richard Boykins 4th Annual Trailblazer Award; 2016 Reaching Back Foundation's Phenomenal Woman in Education Award; 2014 Kings Daughters Ministry Dream Makers Award; 2012 Chicago Defender “Women of Excellence” Award; Co-recipient of the 2012 AASA Dr. Effie H. Jones “Humanitarian” Award and the 2011 NABSE Joseph E. Hill “Superintendent of the Year” Award.
WHEREAS, as a devoted educator, Dr. Sheila Harrison-Williams has been married to her husband Ulysses Williams for 35 years, mother of Sir Charles and Ulyssa, grandmother of Siriah, Talijah, Sir Charles II and Aliyah, Mother in-law to Dominique.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that on behalf Toni Preckwinkle, President of the Cook County Board and the Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby congratulate Dr. Sheila Harrison-Williams on her retirement and for the commendable service and leadership she has provided throughout her tenure; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this Resolution be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that an official copy of the same be tendered to Dr. Sheila Harrison-Williams to celebrate this auspicious occasion.
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