Trustee
Karin M. Norington-Reaves is a lifelong public servant with more than 30 years of experience in education, law, advocacy, community and workforce development. She is the founding CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, the nation’s largest federally funded workforce development system with more than 90 delegate agencies under its umbrella. Under her leadership, The Partnership has grown to serve 140,000 people and 1,000 businesses annually. Norington-Reaves leads a diverse portfolio of 26 initiatives providing job training and placement, and has managed approximately $500 million in corporate, federal and philanthropic funds to date.
A Chicago native, Norington-Reaves holds a J.D. from Southern Methodist University School of Law, and a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature from Northwestern University. She began her career as a bilingual Spanish educator teaching Spanish-speaking children to read and write in their native language and English as a Second Language to adults.
Norington-Reaves is the proud mother of a blended family of four children, including an MPA student through eighth grade.