Chicago Teachers Union Interim President


With both a gubernatorial and mayoral election pending, the Chicago Teachers Union is also prepping for contract negotiations with the city, while President Karen Lewis is out fighting brain cancer. Interim President Jesse Sharkey, often a fixture on the CTU's frontlines, sits down to talk about the issues and the direction of the union.

Jesse Sharkey was raised by a single mother in rural Maine. He studied at Brown University in Rhode Island, and is a trained historian and high school social studies teacher. Sharkey spent three years at Chicago Vocational High School before working at Nicholas Senn High School. In addition to his role at CTU, Sharkey serves as one of 40 vice presidents for the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

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View a timeline of Sharkey’s career to learn more about the interim CTU president.

--Timeline by Kristen Thometz.

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