Jennifer DeFranco, the 2010 Mom Congress Illinois delegate, is a mother of two children in the public schools in Northeastern, IL – ages 11 and 8. She is active in the community, school district and PTA. She has served as PTA President, VP of Legislation, VP of Membership, and she recently developed a classroom based volunteer program at her children’s elementary school (TEAM) that she is coordinating and maintaining to assist with learning gaps in reading and math within the student population. She currently serves as the Membership/Marketing Director for the Illinois PTA, serves as a member of the Illinois State Board of Education Standardized Testing Review Committee, is coach for both her children’s soccer teams, is a Girl Scout leader for 22 - 5th grade girls, volunteers at a local PADS (Public Action to Display Shelter) Homeless shelter, and previously served as the Vacation Bible School Director for her church. She also serves as a member of the Navigate 15 Community Engagement Facilitation Team for CCSD15, which serves more than 13,000 Elementary and Junior High students in Palatine, IL.
Additionally, in 2008, she worked to secure a Proclamation proclaiming Bullying Prevention Awareness Week from the Governor of Illinois and the Mayor of Palatine. She spearheaded efforts for the week in October and continues to work to support anti-bullying efforts in her district and throughout her state. Her work was highlighted in the companion book for the movie Waiting for Superman and she was awarded Senate Recognition from the State of Illinois for her ongoing efforts favoring anti-bullying legislation in Illinois.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Illinois State University with minors in Writing and Speech Communication. Before her retirement to motherhood in 2000 she worked as a national marketing representative and writer for the health care and public service sectors of KPMG Consulting in Chicago. She currently works as a freelance writer and “professional” volunteer who continuously works to ensure fair and equal education for all children in Illinois. She resides with her 2 children, husband and their dog, Jasmine, in Palatine, IL.
Contact Jennifer via email or on Twitter at @jendefranco
Resources for Bullying Prevention:
