It was Preston Williams who gave Jennifer Ivory-Tatum her big break in education, when Urbana’s then-superintendent hired her away from Champaign’s Unit 4 to be the new principal at King Elementary.

And it’s a retired Preston Williams now, 15 years later, who Ivory-Tatum still turns to for words of wisdom now that she’s superintendent of Urbana schools.

“He recruited me to Urbana and encouraged me to apply for the King School principal job,” Ivory-Tatum says. “He mentored me through those first two years as a new administrator, which were extremely tough, and then several years after. He continues to be a good listener and mentor in my role as superintendent.”

Speaking of extremely tough, Ivory-Tatum’s first year as superintendent ended amid a global pandemic, which has also consumed the first half of Year 2 on the job.

The three-degree College of Education alumna, who hopes to welcome some students back to school buildings after New Year's, took time out to answer a few questions from News-Gazette Editor Jeff D’Alessio spotlighting leaders of organizations big and small.

Read the full story at the News-Gazette website...