Gina leads DPI’s K-9 Student Programming– Pritzker Tech Talent Labs which is focused on the development of skills, belongingness, and learning pathways into computing and related tech fields, and the progressions from elementary to high school.
Previously, Gina was Director of Community and Director of Programs for Chicago Learning Exchange (CLX). She was the strategic lead for CLX Professional Learning Community, Learning Pathways and Digital Badges: CSforCHI: Computer Science, and Illuminating Energy Pathways. Her responsibilities included the development of programs and services to grow and add value to the CLX community through professional development opportunities, meetups, conferences, and other tools and resources. In addition, Gina served as project lead for CSofCHI an EcoSystemsforCS a CSforALL initiative that catalyzed communities across the US in creating community-led systems change in K-12 computer science education. Prior to joining CLX in 2018, she served as Senior Manager of Digital Engagement at the Chicago Architecture Foundation and was an active member of the CLX community, formerly Hive Chicago. She was active in the internet health movement as an invaluable Hive Chicago member and was selected in the first cohort of “Network50” – 50 People Who Made the Internet a Better Place in 2016.
Gina also spent several years as a district administrator for Chicago Public Schools (CPS), leading training and strategic planning in the offices of Mathematics and Science, E-Learning, and Teaching & Learning. Ms. Grant is passionate about data and learner analytics. While at CPS, Gina served as co-lead for a project focused on summer school learning outcomes, and her leadership with a multi-year middle grades specialization and social-emotional learning project received national recognition and helped author the district’s middle grades specialization policy. Gina holds a Master’s degree in Education Leadership from American College of Education, a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Clark Atlanta University.