Strong nonprofit leadership helps turn a mission into sustained opportunity. In November 2025, High Jump announced five new members of its Board of Directors: Jenny Bekkerman, Prab Chawla, Yeny Ciborowski, Jymme Chaouki, and Nichole Lopez-Tackett. Each joins a board charged with advancing High Jump’s work to expand life-changing educational opportunities for Chicago middle-school students.
Leadership with a shared purpose
The new board members arrive with different personal and professional experiences, but their reasons for joining point toward a common goal. They describe a belief that students’ potential should not be bounded by economic circumstance and that access at a formative stage can have long-term consequences. That shared orientation is especially meaningful for an organization focused on the middle-school years, when academic challenge, guidance, and exposure can reshape what young people expect from themselves.
A Board of Directors provides stewardship, advocacy, and strategic perspective. It helps an organization stay rooted in its purpose while building the relationships and resources needed to deliver on that purpose. For High Jump, the addition of five leaders expands the circle of people investing their time and expertise in students’ futures.
Why representation and perspective matter
The announcement introduces leaders motivated by encounters with High Jump students and alumni, a commitment to Chicago, experience in education and community work, and a conviction that early opportunity can create generational change. Those perspectives matter because they keep strategy connected to the people served. They also help a board ask better questions about access, belonging, and what students need as they move toward high school, college, and careers.
High Jump’s mission calls for more than strong academic programming. It requires champions who can articulate why educational equity matters and who can help the organization build durable support across the city.
Building a broader circle of advocates
New board members do not replace the efforts of educators, families, alumni, volunteers, or supporters. They add another layer of responsibility and connection. As High Jump’s leadership community grows, it strengthens the organization’s capacity to advocate for students, cultivate resources, and keep an ambitious vision in view.
The five new members join an existing group of leaders committed to opening pathways for young people. Their arrival is a practical sign that High Jump’s work is supported by people ready to invest in the next generation of Chicago scholars. Read High Jump’s full board announcement.
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