Candidate for
Board Member; Cincinnati City School District

I have deep roots in our community and I will bring the perspective of a dedicated grandmother to our public school system. I grew up in South Avondale and attended the following schools: South Avondale Elementary, Samuel Ach Junior High and Withrow High School.

I earned an Associate in Science degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Cincinnati and a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Xavier University.

I began my thirty-three year career with Cincinnati Public Schools as a Civil Service employee. The Civil Service positions I held include the following: instructor assistant, junior typist, intermediate typist and preschool instructor.

My first certificated teaching position was at Aiken High School, where I taught Child Care Job Training in the Vocational Department. After the vocational program at Aiken closed, I taught preschool at the following schools: Pleasant Hill Elementary, Hays Elementary, and Washington Park Elementary. I served as a consulting teacher in the Peer Assistance and Evaluation Program for a two-year term. I returned to the secondary level as a Career Based Intervention Teacher at Western Hills Traditional High School. My final position, before retiring in 2007, was as a Field Representative for the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, Local 1520. I currently work with the NID Housing Counseling Agency as a Foreclosure Intervention Counselor.

I have had the unique experience of working in a variety of positions within the Cincinnati Public School District and I know the system well. CPS is near and dear to her heart, and the success of the district will always be of extreme importance to me. I will contribute seasoned knowledge and experience to the Cincinnati School Board, as goals are set, operating strategies are developed and curriculum is approved.

I have demonstrated leadership abilities as a classroom teacher, a consulting teacher, in the Peer Assistance and Evaluation Program, and as a Field Representative for Cincinnati Federation of Teachers. In addition to teaching, I am a certified mediator in Permanency Mediation, Truancy Mediation, and Custody and Visitation Mediation. I believe my broad experience in the school system has prepared me to serve our community as a Cincinnati City School Board Member.

I currently reside in North Avondale. I have been married to Derry L. Hooks II, for sixteen years. Mr. Hooks is a Cincinnati Private Police officer and Private Investigator. Derry and I, our children and grandchildren all attended Cincinnati Public schools. We presently have grandchildren and great-grand children enrolled in Cincinnati Public Schools.

I have a strong desire to serve Cincinnati Public Schools and give back to the school district where I enjoyed a fulfilling career.