Member Directory

Rocio Caravantes is a lifelong labor, immigration and gender justice community activist in Chicago. As a member of Healing to Action, she spearheads the SexEd Works grassroots campaign.

Mikaela Salmans is a fifth grade teacher on the far South Side of Chicago. She grew up in Oakland, California and moved to Chicago to attend the University of Chicago, where she received her bachelor's in sociology and public policy and her master's in teaching. Since moving to Chicago, she has worked in Chicago Public Schools as a coach, tutor, teacher's assistant, student teacher and classroom teacher. Mikaela loves working with students and helping them see their true worth and dignity.

Darryl Bundrige is the Executive Director and Vice President of City Year Philadelphia. As Executive Director, Darryl inspires, challenges, and supports staff along with 200 AmeriCorps members (ages 18-25) serving as mentors and tutors in 19 schools across Philadelphia.

Mike Friedberg has been a passionate youth advocate since 2007. He began working with students at a community center and has been a Chicago Public Schools teacher since 2012. He currently teaches seventh and eighth-grade science and has previously taught language arts. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two children. His writings can be found at livesleepteach.blogspot.com.

Brandon Crittendon is a 2020 graduate of Back of the Yards High School. He will be attending Ohio State next fall and is planning to major in journalism or sportswriting.

Kelisa Wing is the author of “Weeds & Seeds: How To Stay Positive in the Midst of Life’s Storms” and “Promises and Possibilities: Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline” (both available on Amazon). She also is a 2017 State Teacher of the year, speaker, teacher and activist for discipline reform.

Rachel Brick is a 2019-20 Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow. Rachel is a 9th grade English and ESL teacher at Pritzker College Prep, where she serves as the English department chair and the English learners coordinator. Before teaching in Chicago, Rachel taught 1st grade in New York City at P.S. 46 and 180. In New York, she was a founding Common Core Fellow and worked with teachers to develop and implement CCSS curriculum. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BA in English and received her MS in Dual Language/Bilingual Childhood Education from the Bank Street College of Education.

Krista Siems Wilson is a 7th and 8th grade math teacher at ACERO Charter Schools-SPC Daniel Zizumbo Campus in Chicago and a 2019-20 Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow.

Bryan Meeker teaches biology at Garcia High School, in the Acero charter school network. He is a member of the Chicago Teachers Union, Mikva Challenge and Educators 4 Excellence, a teacher-led policy and advocacy group.