Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University (EdSystems) is pleased to announce that Executive Director Kyle Westbrook, PhD has been named to the prestigious Thrive Leaders Network. This recognition highlights Dr. Westbrook’s exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to advancing education systems and policies.
The Thrive Leaders Network, supported by The Kresge Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a network of national education leaders in college access, student success, and pathways-focused organizations who are themselves proximate to the priority populations served by the foundations, including Black, Latinx, and youth experiencing poverty. The network is designed to support personal learning and leadership development.
In recognition of Dr. Westbrook’s outstanding contributions to the field, the award includes an unrestricted grant to support his personal learning and leadership development. In addition, Dr. Westbrook and other network members are offered flexible leadership enrichment resources, including virtual learning sessions and in-person gatherings, executive coach matching, and communications tools to foster community and fuel the sharing of best practices.
Dr. Westbrook will be part of the third cohort of the Thrive Leaders Network. This initiative was originally launched in 2022 by The Kresge Foundation. In 2024, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation partnered with the Kresge team to support the network. The Gates Foundation also supports EdSystems’ Accelerated Model Pathways for Information Technology (AMP-IT) initiative to support Illinois school districts in piloting a new vision for IT pathways.
“I am deeply honored to join the Thrive Leaders Network and grateful for the recognition from The Kresge Foundation and The Gates Foundation,” says Dr. Westbrook. “This support recognizes NIU’s and the EdSystems team’s commitment to equity and inspires us to continue creating clear, unambiguous, equitable paths to college and career opportunities. I look forward to utilizing this opportunity to further develop my leadership skills and collaborate with fellow leaders committed to transformative change.”
Dr. Westbrook’s journey in public education spans nearly 30 years, during which he has served as a teacher, leadership consultant, district-level administrator, and executive director in various capacities. He joined the Education Systems Center at NIU in July 2023, bringing a wealth of experience from his previous roles, including founding executive director of the Partnership for College Completion and executive director of education policy in the Office of Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
