Strategy Two Team Bios

Amanda Achterkirch

Amanda is the Talent Acquisition Professional at District 287. Prior to her new role, she has worked for 287 in HR for 3 years. Her new role focuses on recruiting and retaining excellent staff of color.

Amanda’s passion for equity work started at a young age after experiencing the discrimination that her family faced as Latin immigrants. She was a Gender & Women’s Studies major in college focusing her studies on women’s health, black women’s history, and immigrant women’s history. Through her studies, her passion grew and led her to the field of education where she hopes to be able to make a difference in the lives of students with similar experiences to her own. She is committed to creating an environment where every child has the opportunity to succeed by filling our classrooms with critically and racially conscious staff.

avachterkirch@district287.org

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Anne Becker

Anne is the General Counsel. Her primary role is to provide legal advice and counsel to District decision makers on a variety of issues, from employment and labor law to contracts and policies.

Anne has been interested in equity and justice for as long as she can remember. A focus of her work is examining decisions, policies, practices, and procedures through an equity lens. She has facilitated many dialogues between employees with a goal of seeking mutual understanding and collaboration rather than conflict.

acbecker@district287.org

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Danielle Berry

Dani is a mathematics educator at Epsilon. She is also a member of Care and Treatment’s School Improvement Leadership Team, and serves as the Math Curriculum Group Lead, AVID Site Coordinator for Epsilon and PLC Facilitator for Headway Academy North.

Dani’s interest in equity began in high school when she noticed the harrowing disparities between the education she was receiving and the education her peers in inner-city Birmingham were provided. She became a teacher to provide students with educational experiences that prepare them for the future and ignite their passion for learning. She is committed to working on her own cultural self-awareness while creating learning opportunities, both within the classroom and outside of it, that value diversity and the unique cultural backgrounds of her students and colleagues.

dcberry@district287.org

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Julia Berry

Julia is currently a program facilitator and literacy specialist at NECA; she has previously worked as a Communication Arts & Literature and Special Education-EBD teacher in our district for 9 years.

Julia is an anti-white supremacist. She is confident that explicit dialogue and actions must occur to dismantle our country’s inequitable traditions, beliefs, and systems. She is passionate about utilizing the power of relationships and communication to address our traumatized identities and promote healthy change.

jgberry@district287.org

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Courtney Caldwell

Courtney Caldwell is the Equity Leader in 287. Equity work is both personal and professional for Courtney. She has been engaged in racial equity work in K-12 education for over a decade, with a wide range of experiences both in and out of the classroom. Courtney has a 5 year old daughter, Harper, who fuels her passion for racial equity and social justice. She wants her daughter to be racially conscious and engage in social justice from an early age and knows that as a mother, she is her child’s first teacher. Courtney is excited to bring her passion and skill set in the work to 287!

cmcaldwell@district287.org

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Jon Fila

Jon is a Curriculum Coordinator and Innovation Coach. His primary role involves Instructional Design; identification and sharing curriculum resources across the district. He is the support lead for the district’s Moodle sites and Curriculum Hub. He also teaches English for Northern Star Online.

Jon’s interest in equity is a personal one that stems from childhood. A major focus of his work is to provide opportunity for students; and to address issues of equity, especially as they relate to race and socio-economics. He has an extensive background in Restorative Practices and facilitating groups with students and staff.

jtfila@district287.org

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Antwayn Hunter

Antwayn is the Student and Staff Safety Supervisor and is tasked with overseeing safety and security for Intermediate District 287. He is also a member of the District Mobile Response Team (DMRT). His responsibilities include consulting with district staff on behavior management and security issues, responding to crisis situations and ensuring the overall safety and security of students and staff. He has previously worked in the law enforcement and security fields for a combined total of 28 years.

Antwayn’s interest in equity began when he started with the district. Inequities that were not previously obvious to him, were now very apparent. His primary goal is to promote equity through safety practices and open dialogue.

athunter@district287.org

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Alicia Jensen

Alicia Jensen has worked as a school counselor in the district for eight years, covering the Epsilon, Omegon, W-Alt, and Northern Star Online programs. Prior to working in 287, she held counseling positions in various environments including a private school and a charter school in northern California. She focuses on creating respectful rapport with students, so that she can effectively help them navigate through high school and post-secondary planning. She emphasizes social and emotional learning as a means to help students persevere and cope within the world around them.

Alicia has always had a passionate streak for “fairness”, which ultimately took her into the counseling world. She purposely chose education programs that had intense, progressive, and explicit approaches to social justice and equity. Viewing personal and professional interactions through an equitable lens is her goal. She is eager to evolve further, as the district moves forward, as well.

ALJensen@district287.org

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Jennifer Nelson

Jenny Nelson, EdD, is the Director of Planning & Improvement. As part of her work, Jenny coordinates the design, implementation and measurement of the Strategic Plan, oversees School Improvement Planning and provides professional development. She has worked in education for over 20 years in various roles giving her perspectives from many aspects of education.

Jenny’s involvement in racial equity greatly increased with the work she did in the South Washington County School District with their Office of Equity and Integration. In the positions she has held since that time, she has committed to her own growth in understanding how her actions and the actions of the organizations she works for contribute and/or interrupt racial inequities. She firmly believes that educational opportunities, or any others for that matter, should not be limited because of a person’s race.

jlnelson@district287.org

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Jeffrey Tillman

Jeffrey Tillman, is a Para Professional with Explore Middle at North Education Center. He’s been with the district for 10yrs. His experience in this program gives him a firm foundation in understanding the social and emotional needs of the students. Some of his daily duties include making sure the classroom is a safe place and also assisting teachers with the individualized curriculum in the area of math, science and Read 180.

Jeffrey tries to set a good example for the students on a day to day bases. He acts with respect, pride and dignity in order to dispel all stereotypes directed towards African-American men.

jbtillman@district287.org