Career Advancement Center
Advancing Your Impact in Education
At Teach For America Greater Chicago–Northwest Indiana, we support our alumni as they grow as leaders and pursue impactful roles throughout the education landscape. Our career advancement resources are here to help you take the next step whether that means deepening your impact, expanding your skill set, or exploring new leadership opportunities.
From school-based roles to policy, advocacy, and nonprofit leadership, we’re here to help you move forward with clarity, confidence, and community.
Upcoming Events
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Alumni can sign up for a 1:1 with a NACE Certified Career Coach
Our Coaches offer individualized support based on your career pathway. -
Harnessing Your Strengths: Turn Your Top 5 into Your Next Opportunity
Gallup’s CliftonStrengths is a research-backed self-assessment that helps you identify your top talents and understand how you naturally think, feel, and work—providing a strong foundation for self-reflection, personal growth, and more intentional career development.
Alumni can join a team-based Gallup Strengths workshop led by a certified Strengths Coach to receive a free CliftonStrengths code and discover their Top 5 strengths. Through collaborative activities and guided reflection, alumni will explore how to understand and apply top 5 strengths in professional settings, recognize how strengths combine and show up in your career, and leave with a strengths-based elevator pitch that can be used in interviews and networking opportunities.
Register for a Gallup Workshop
Fall 2025 Career Acceleration Series
Join the Teach For America Career Center for our Career Acceleration Series from October 15th to December 3rd, 2025! Presented alongside fellow mission-aligned organizations, these virtual events will cover a variety of topics to support, inspire, and accelerate your career. All sessions are open to alumni, corps members, staff and members of the TFA network, except where noted (*will be noted in session description).
Session 1: Design Thinking for a Lifetime of Purpose-Driven Career Impact
Presented by Mission Collaborative Wednesday October 15th at 6:00 pm CTLearn how design thinking can help you align your values, passions, and strengths to a lifetime of purpose-drive career impact. This session is for current corps members, TFA alumni, TFA staff and members of the TFA network.
Session 2: Building Your Financial Future: Smart Strategies for Every Stage of Your Career
Presented by Horace Mann Wednesday October 29th at 6:00 pm CTWhether you’re managing debt, buying a home, or planning for retirement, this session offers practical financial guidance tailored for educators and mission-driven professionals across all career stages. This session is for current corps members, TFA staff, TFA alumni, and members of the TFA network.
Session 3: Fuel Your Career of Impact: Networking with Purpose in the TFA Alumni Community
Presented by Teach For America Career Center Wednesday November 5th at 6:00 pm CTUnlock the power of purposeful connection with the TFA alumni community. This interactive session will feature a panel of notable TFA alumni who will talk about building relationships, identifying mentors, and creating a personal networking plan to support your next career move and long-term impact now—and at the 35th Anniversary Summit in 2026. This session is for current corps members, TFA staff, and TFA alumni.
Session 4: Breaking Into the C-Suite: Executive Pathways in Education & Social Impact
Presented by Axis Talent Partners, JoHo Talent Network, and Spencer Stuart Wednesday November 12th at 6:00 pm CTGain insider tips from executive recruiters and senior alumni on how to rise into leadership. Learn what hiring managers look for, emerging trends, and how TFA works with mission-aligned organizations to help connect our alumni network with opportunities. This session is for current corps members and TFA alumni.
Session 5: AI for Impact: Mapping Your Mission-Driven Career with Precision
Presented by Jeremy Schifeling & Omar Garriott, The Job Insiders Wednesday November 19th at 6:00 pm CTUse AI to explore new roles, tailor your resume with recruiter-ready language, and map your top career fits. Discover how alumni are using AI to navigate decisions based on salary, growth, and mission alignment. This session is for current corps members, TFA alumni, TFA staff, and members of the TFA network.
Session 6: Coming Soon! Special Partner Presentation
Wednesday December 3rd at 6:00 pm CT -
Download these tools to update your materials, sharpen your story, and prepare for next steps with clarity and confidence.
Getting started:
5 R’s FrameworkThe 5 Rs are here to guide you through your career advancement journey whether you're exploring, preparing, or growing into new leadership. Use this guide to navigate our list of resources based on where you are in your journey.
Reflect:2020 Vanderbilt Career Center Created by Katharine Brooks and Grace J. Foy
This interactive workbook from Vanderbilt University uses quick, creative visual thinking exercises to help you clarify your goals, uncover new insights about yourself, and take the first step toward career clarity and confidence.
This region-specific guide highlights key roles across education leadership, policy, and nonprofit sectors designed to help you explore advancement opportunities, deepen your impact, and take the next step in your career journey.
Refine:
Skip to page 2 for a Resume 101 snapshot
Reach out:
Role Application:
Career Connect
Unlock new career opportunities with our alumni-only job board—filter openings to your interests and connect directly with alumni ready to help you get in the door.Josh K-12
An external job board that helps you access education roles across the country and in Illinois.
Share a job or find your next opportunity through the alumni network.
Alumni
Looking to support fellow alumni or explore new opportunities? Join our alumni LinkedIn group to post open roles and browse positions shared by others in the regional network.
Employers
Hiring at your organization? Use our content submission form to share job openings—we’ll feature them in alumni-facing career communications and resources.
Schedule a Coaching Session
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Diana Diaz
If you just finished the corps or are seeking general career coaching support such as resume critique or interview prep, Diana is your person!
Diana (she/her/ella) is a proud first-generation college graduate born in Mexico and raised in Chicago’s Gage Park neighborhood. Having experienced firsthand the doors education can open, she is passionate about making opportunities accessible and supporting alumni as they envision their own impact in education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Business and Marketing and began her career in marketing before transitioning into education, serving as a College & Career Counselor. In her current role as External Affairs Manager, Diana supports alumni engagement and public affairs initiatives while bringing a wealth of knowledge in career exploration and resources to her coaching practice. Outside of work, she enjoys playing soccer and spending time with her husband and two dogs.
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Caryn Lichtenberg
If you are in the classroom, interested in school leadership down the road, or want to understand how to grow your impact in schools, Caryn is your person!
Caryn (she/her) is the Managing Director of Alumni Leadership and brings 15+ years of experience in teaching and nonprofit leadership. She began her career as a 2008 Teach For America corps member in the Bay Area and has since served in the Chicago nonprofit sector at City Year before returning to Teach For America, where she supports alumni in staying connected to their commitment to education. Her background in career coaching deepens this work, as she helps educators and leaders navigate professional growth and change with clarity, connection, and purpose. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and currently resides in Chicago with her husband, two energetic boys, and their goofy dog, who keep her grounded and inspired.
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Jasmin Rosales-Montas
If you are outside the school building, but staying in education-adjacent roles (non-profit, policy, advocacy), Jasmin is your person!
Jasmin (she/her/ella) is a proud first-generation college graduate with Mexican roots from Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. She has dedicated over 12 years to policy, advocacy, and organizing, and currently serves as Managing Director of Public Affairs, where she helps lead the region’s state funding requests and alumni engagement strategy. Jasmin is a 2021 Negocios Now “40 Under 40” honoree and an alum of the Surge Fellowship Class of 2024. She also serves as the Vice President of the True Value Boys & Girls Club Council, the very club she grew up attending. Jasmin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Syracuse University and a Master’s in Public Administration from DePaul University.