Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
At Right At School, we’re locally-inspired. We represent the communities we serve. We believe in order to enrich the lives of every child and family, we must create room for each other. Our unique skills. Our stories. And our differences. It’s who we are.
Celebrating Women's Stories
Women leaders from RAS discuss their Pathways to Leadership
Emma Huntley, Inclusion Manager
1. When did your leadership traits first emerge, and how did you get your start in leadership?
The traits that are required in leadership have been fostered in me since youth. I played a lot of organized sports as a child, and my father coached most times. He had really high expectations about how I conducted myself and interacted with my teammates, and he expected me to be a leader. When I think about the skills required to be a good leader, they overlap with the skills required to be a good teammate: communication, listening, and problem solving.
2. Give a brief synopsis of your leadership experience.
I like to think that my leadership experience began in youth. I always tried to be a leader in whatever environment I was in — sports, the classroom, friendships. For me, inclusion is not just a job title/requirement, it is a philosophy in life. I’ve always tried to make others feel valued and included in whatever space I am in, and I think this is the foundation of my leadership experience. At Right At School, this took form in trying to convey to everyone I interact with the importance of inclusion and understanding our students and their differences. I was given the privileged platform to do this through training opportunities.
3. What gender stereotypes have you had to overcome in life? (Personal or professional)
Starting in childhood, I was always passionate about sports and math. These are two areas that, especially in the ‘90s, were dominated by males (and presumed to be strengths of males over females). My parents ingrained in me that I could do anything that I put my mind to, and that my gender should never be thought of as a deterrent. When I was in fourth grade, I decided I wanted to play on the school flag football team. I was the only girl at my school to do that, and one of maybe three in the league. I remember getting weird looks and side comments from boys about football not being a sport for girls, but those definitely decreased over the course of the season as I ended up having the most touchdowns on my team.
4. Have you ever had to make adjustments to your leadership style to earn respect?
There have been times in my life where I’ve felt hesitant to be as assertive or vocal as I wanted to be because I am a woman, but I’ve overcome that over time. I think I’m lucky that my parents taught me from such a young age that I should be confident and that I should not have to change anything about myself to earn that respect.
5. What effect has being a woman had on your role here at Right At School? What effect does your role have on children?
There are some ways that being a woman in this field can be a benefit. There were very few men in my graduate school Child Development master’s program, and I remember them citing multiple incidents where their ability to work with children was questioned or criticized because of their gender. In this way, I think I am lucky to be in this field. Women are often presumed to have more empathy and innate ability to appropriately support children. At Right At School, I love that there are so many women on the leadership team and in upper management. It is reinforcing and motivating to see that. I hope that my role has the effect of making all children feel supported and included at Right At School. It can be hard because I do not have direct interactions with the students we support, so I rely on the area managers and field staff that I train and support to create a space and experiences for students that are in line with the message I try to impart.
6. Tell us about a woman who influenced you. What about her was so inspirational?
My mom. I don’t have a specific quote, but she always told me that I could do anything I set my mind to. She told me not to do it for anyone else or to impress anyone, but that I should do it for me. For that reason, I’ve always been both my biggest critic and my best motivator.
Emma Huntley,
Inclusion Manager
Kelly Christiel, Area Manager
1. When did your leadership traits first emerge and how did you get your start in leadership?
My leadership traits began to blossom around 2004. I worked as a Student Advocate for elementary and high school age students, preparing them for post-secondary options. It was my first experience leading a team, but my boss was a great role model. I enjoyed working alongside her and tried to help her as much as I could because I eventually wanted her job! LOL. But seriously, it was rewarding to support youth in their growth and development to become future professionals.
2. Give a brief synopsis of your leadership experience.
I started in the wonderful world of non-profits. For several years I worked as a Community Resource Coordinator under an Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) grant. In this position, I instituted after school programming for a high school on Chicago’s Southeast side, working as the liaison between the high school and an arts education organization. I hired creative professionals from all over the city to teach, encourage and help shape the lives of these students using art, sports and academic support as a platform. I managed all of the administrative functions of the program to ensure its success and continued funding. That experience helped me land a position as Program Associate with the same arts education organization. In that position, I supported the implementation of arts programs in elementary and high schools throughout the Chicago area.
3. What gender stereotypes have you had to overcome in life? (Personal or Professional)
I have been blessed to work for organizations and companies where gender inequality has not been an issue for myself or my peers.
4. Have you ever had to make adjustments to your leadership style to earn respect?
Yes! Working with parents in Out of School Time programming (OST) can be a challenge… I find that especially as a child gets older, parent participation in school goes down… I spent many days and nights trying to get parents involved in what really excited their children. I wrote notes and letters explaining to parents how important OST is to the development of their children and how their endorsement could take their child even further…[and] I created a parent cafe that ran alongside after school programming. The parent cafe offered professional office space, networking events, workshops and other special interests that got parents [to come] in the school building. While they were there, parents were encouraged to stop by their child’s after school classroom, which enabled them to observe how dedicated and serious [their children] were about perfecting their crafts. [All of this] motivated parents to dedicate energy into supporting their child’s talents.
5. What effect has being a woman had on your role here at Right At School? What effect does your role have on children?
This is an interesting question! I’d say being a woman working for RAS has allowed me to build wonderful professional and personal relationships with other female industry leaders across the country. Hearing about and seeing the impact of their work has been inspiring for me.
I stand in that space between education and recreation and I believe children appreciate that. Most of my younger relatives think my job is so cool! Many of them participated in events and trips with me and even helped me with “special” projects. A couple of them went on to study early childhood education and I’d like to believe that I and other educators in our family were their influencers.
6. Tell us about a Woman who influenced you. What about her was so inspirational?
Dr. Barbara A. Sizemore was a Chicago Public School teacher/principal, college professor, dean for the School of Education at DePaul University and an author. She was also my mother’s third grade teacher! Dr. Sizemore pioneered and was responsible for school reform in African American communities. The Forward in her book, Walking in Circles: The Black Struggle for School Reform, describes her this way:
“Dr. Sizemore was involved in the struggle for academic and cultural excellence, successfully and for many decades. Few educators can match her record of excellence in teaching, research, theory building, institution building and political activism.”
But it’s perhaps this quote that best summarizes why she has been such an inspiration in my professional journey.
“The cry of the ghetto is being heard by a nation with its fingers in its ears.” – Barbara A. Sizemore.
Kelly Christiel,
Area Manager
Pat Heibel, Chief Operating Officer
1. When did your leadership traits first emerge, and how did you get your start in leadership?
It started early on! You know the saying, “She’s not bossy; she is a leader before her time”? That was me! I was always the captain on a team or the president of my class in high school. From a career standpoint, I started out as a department manager out of college and continued to climb the ranks along the way. Twenty years later, I found my true calling, which is the career I am in now. I was lucky someone understood that my skills could transfer out of retail and into childcare and education.
2. Give a brief synopsis of your leadership experience.
I have worked in a management capacity my whole life — split almost evenly between retail management and education management. I always craved the next opportunity and worked hard to reach each level along the way. I talked Mark Rothschild into hiring me as a VP of sales because it was the only position I could think of that he did not have at the time. While my sales skills were good enough to get in the door at RAS, they weren’t my passion as much as operations was. Around nine months later, I got the opportunity to help with operations. Fast forward another six months and I was promoted to COO.
3. What gender stereotypes have you had to overcome in life? (Personal or professional)
Early in my career, being a woman in a management position was not as easy as it is today. I purposefully used the name “Pat” instead of “Patti” or “Patricia” so people would not know if they were dealing with a man or woman. At one point in my career, I worked for a heavily male-dominated retailer, and I was supposed to share a room at a training out of town. Much to my surprise, I opened the hotel room door to find all male belongings in the room and on the bathroom counter. Good news — I got my own room that trip!
4. Have you ever had to make adjustments to your leadership style to earn respect?
Yes, over and over again! I think we all have to make adjustments along the way to our style and the culture of the organization we work for. Coming to the education/childcare industry after working with a heavily male-dominated retailer, I learned to adjust quickly. The first site visit I did, I made an educator cry because she was not wearing a name tag. I learned I needed to quickly soften my approach in this industry, which was more child-centric and sensitive. The other big learning experience I had was discovering how women’s vocabulary is much different than men’s. I used a book that I highly recommend to women, “Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office” by Lois P. Frankel, to help better understand the differences and similarities.
5. What effect has being a woman had on your role here at Right At School?
I like to believe the biggest effect I have had here at RAS is to advocate and empower women in their careers. Believe in them, challenge them, and watch them rise to the occasion.
6. Tell us about a woman who influenced you. What about her was so inspirational?
This will not be your typical answer! I was inspired by a high school home economics teacher. Yes, I said home ec. I am that old! LOL. Growing up in a small rural town in the late ’70s, it was expected that you get married, have babies, and live in the town. I remember telling my teacher that I did not want that life. I did not want kids. I did not want to get married and I really wanted a career. She encouraged me and told me that I could do anything I wanted in life and I did not have to follow the norm of the area or town. I did just that! I always let her know what a huge impact that conversation had on my life.
Pat Heibel,
Chief Operating Officer
Cheylaya Stalling, Program Manager
1. When did your leadership traits first emerge, and how did you get your start in leadership?
My leadership traits first emerged early in my childhood. I was the oldest, so I made sure that whatever I did, the little kids did as well. LOL. I would tell them, “You guys follow me and I’ll teach you. But when you show other people, make sure it’s better than me. And don’t mess up because I’ll say I didn't teach you that!”
2. Give a brief synopsis of your leadership experience.
My leadership experience really started to come out in high school. In my junior year, I and my co-captain led our ProStart cooking team in the national competition. We competed against 50 other schools. My team was down after some mishaps in the kitchen. I pulled us together and said, “Let's just rock with what we’ve got and know.” Thirty-two hours later, we placed second. Our school had never placed before. It was the highlight of my high school years. The following year, I led the team all by myself and we ended up placing fourth or fifth.
3. What gender stereotypes have you had to overcome in life? (Personal or professional)
Wow… I can't even touch the surface of the gender stereotypes I've had to overcome in life. I think the most common one is the “angry woman”. For me, that has been the hardest to overcome. I’ve even had to adapt my communication skills in order to not come off as upset or angry, even in the workplace.
4. Have you ever had to make adjustments to your leadership style to earn respect?
Absolutely! Especially working with such a diverse group of women. Sometimes, you have to put yourself in the shoes of others to understand them as a person. I’ve grown in such ways over the years that I can adapt my approach with people by demonstrating that I value them (employee, friend, etc.) and want them to succeed beyond the work environment.
5. What effect has being a woman had on your role here at Right At School? What effect does your role have on children?
Being a woman has not affected me here at RAS. I also do not feel that it has had an effect on my role with children. Here in the program, I’m just Miss Chelaya. I’m the one who’s here to help guide you in the right direction and help you with school work (not math though, because Miss Chelaya doesn't do that). I’m here to let you make mistakes, messes, and memories. All that matters is the smile on the faces of the families I serve. It's happiness and laughter.
6. Tell us about a woman who influenced you. What about her was so inspirational?
Mae C. Jemison. I’m not sure why I became obsessed with her. But I remember doing a report on her in third grade and being mesmerized that she was the first African American woman in space! I thought, if she can do that, then I know I can do anything I put my mind to.
“Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.” — Mae C. Jemison
Cheylaya Stalling,
Program Manager
DEI Initiatives
See our DEI metrics and learn what we’re working on.
A monthly blog by RAS Inclusion Manager Emma Huntley — dedicated to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
“Inclusion is not bringing people into what already exists; it is making a new space, a better space for everyone.”
— GEORGE DEI
For those of you who I have yet to meet personally, my name is Emma Huntley, and I am the Inclusion Manager at Right At School. It is my goal (heck, it’s the reason Right At School created my position) to make our program spaces inclusive and accessible to all children, families, school partners and employees. As George Dei’s quote suggests, this goes beyond bringing individuals into a stagnant space; it requires us to evolve and adapt to make our space truly conducive to success for all parties involved. This is why Right At School prioritizes inclusion, constantly increasing awareness, resources and training in order to meet the demands of our ever-evolving community.
I will be writing a monthly blog dedicated to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, sharing stories and ideas that continue to forge Right At School’s mission of accessibility to all children and families. I want this blog to help you, as Right At School employees, understand a little more about why it is important and beneficial for us to consider DEI as just as integral to our success as academics, social-emotional learning, and healthy lifestyles. Further, I hope to share practical advice about how to put these concepts into effect in program.
I grew up in Evanston, Illinois – a suburb outside of Chicago. Evanston is known for its racially diverse population, and growing up we often referred to our community as a “bubble.” Looking back, our “bubble” shared a lot in common with many communities whose diverse populations were experiencing inequities, especially in education. While attending a small liberal arts college, I noticed more imbalances in the experiences of diverse groups of students, and became interested in and passionate about understanding and contributing to real changes that correct the inequities I saw throughout the learning community.
During the summer after graduating from college, I worked at the preschool on the campus of a university in northern California. This preschool is associated with the school’s psychology program, and known for their research-based and developmentally appropriate principles and practices. There was a student in my class, let’s call him Jack. Jack had difficulty communicating with staff and peers, had frequent melt-downs, and would often wander off or appear unengaged in the activities or materials. In short, Jack demanded extra attention from staff and frequently frustrated or upset other students. Ultimately, the head teacher met with Jack’s parents and recommended they have Jack evaluated (he was diagnosed with Autism) and determined that Jack’s needs exceeded what the program could offer.
I was upset. I felt like we had failed this student and family. The day that Jack left program, I began looking for jobs in clinics in Chicago that provided family therapy and services for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. That was thirteen years ago, and since then I have worked in various positions helping children with Autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities; as a researcher, therapist, and teacher. I loved the direct interactions, relationships I developed, and daily successes I saw with the children I worked with. However, in speaking with parents of these children, they told me that no matter how much progress their child made in therapy, they still felt like there were programs and activities their children could not do that their peers without special and diverse needs could. This is what brought me to Right At School – I wanted to be part of an organization that was committed to creating a dynamic and evolving space, accessible to all students and families, regardless of needs, race, sexual orientation or other differences.
I really want this blog to be engaging, relevant, stimulating and beneficial for you as Right At School employees. Therefore, please send me your thoughts, reactions, disagreements, and ideas for future blog topics.
I look forward to hearing from you,
— Emma Huntley
Social Media Cards
District and school leaders share their favorite quotes from inspiring Women.
Dr. Shannon Harvey
Deputy Superintendent
Angela Sheffey-Bogan
Principal
Celebrating Black History
Watch special messages from LaToya Thomas and Monique Sargent as we recognize and celebrate Black History.
Our Commitment
We serve more and more communities across America every day. That’s why we work hard to elevate everyone’s voice. And while we’ve got a lot to celebrate, there’s plenty of work to do. Our goal is to ensure every single person in the Right At School community feels valued and supported, and that’s where we’re heading.
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