Suzanne Kerbow

Suzanne Kerbow has been with the Polk Bros. Foundation since 1989 and is currently its Program Director for Education. Suzanne has primary responsibility for the Foundation’s on-going involvement in supporting Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) full service community schools, which stay open late and partner with a variety of nonprofits to offer programs and services for students, their families, and community members designed to reduce students’ barriers to learning and increase parents’ engagement in their children’s education. She oversaw the Foundation’s Full Service Schools Initiative (1996-2000) and was a founding co-chair of the Chicago Campaign to Expand Community Schools (2002-07), a partnership between CPS and members of Chicago’s philanthropic community that helped launch more than 100 community schools.

Suzanne is a founding board member of the Federation for Community Schools, a state-wide clearinghouse for best practice and policy advocacy, and co-chair of the national Funders for Community Schools. Ms. Kerbow has co-chaired Forefront’s Poverty Task Force and its Education Member Issue Group and currently participates in Thrive Chicago’s High School Transition working group, the Partnership for College Completion’s Investment Committee, and Forefront’s Leadership and Human Capital subgroup.

Suzanne’s bachelor’s and master’s degrees are in religious studies.