Judith Camacho-Campbell
Director of Federal Affairs, Chicago Public Schools
A Chicagoan and proud product of CPS, Judy has fifteen years of experience working in high-need communities as an advocate for parents and students. She currently serves as the Director of Federal Affairs at CPS, managing relationships with the federal government and agencies which includes monitoring national legislation that impacts PK-12 education, liaising with district and DC offices of the IL Congressional delegation, and partnering with external stakeholders to advocate for school district needs. In her previous role at CPS in the Family and Community Engagement unit, she led the implementation of district-wide initiatives and engagement strategies for a variety of stakeholders.
She has led high-profile, transformative school projects in consultation with content experts, community members, and parents. Judy’s role in FACE was expanded as a member of the Network 6 team where she guided the development of the network continuous improvement plan, provided feedback on school CI plans, and led problem-solving discussions to identify focus areas to drive student achievement. Her passion for equity led her to co-develop a series of principal seminars on multi-tiered systems of support during her time with Network 6.
She continues to be a thought partner to school leaders citywide when a need to mitigate challenges requires family involvement. Prior to joining CPS, she was the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations for Cristo Rey Jesuit High School where she gained experience in grant writing, event planning, and board development. Judy credits her formative experience at Cristo Rey as the key to finding her vocation and uses that north star to ensure all spaces she is a part of will benefit from her gifts through passion and purpose. While at CRJHS, she moderated three extracurricular programs, one of which culminated with an all-expenses paid trip for ten students each year at a symposium hosted by Tufts University. Her work with youth was highlighted by the Chicago Fire Foundation in 2011 and she was recognized as a Hispanic Hero.
Judy’s Mexican immigrant family instilled a deep passion for service and is currently on the board of Architreasures, an arts-based community development organization. Over the span of eight years, she tutored high school students in Math, Writing, Spanish, and History through a partnership with UIC’s CHANCE Program and the CHASE Fellowship Institute and elementary students through Big Shoulders Fund at St. Hyacinth and St. Sylvester. Judy is a first-generation college graduate that attended Boston University and Loyola University Chicago’s Graduate School of Social Work. She lives in Bridgeport, her lifelong community, with her husband and two pups.
