Dr. Christine Benson is a member of the Illinois State Board of Education. She is a retired career educator with 35 years of experience, 17 as a teacher and 18 as an administrator in Illinois public elementary, middle, and high schools. She served as a central office administrator focusing on budget management, curriculum development, and grants. Benson served as superintendent at Mendota High School, Ottawa Elementary School District, and Streator Elementary School District. She served on the Boards of Directors for the Illinois Association of Administrators and the American Association of School Administrators. She is a member of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials and the Illinois Music Educator Association. She has presented workshops statewide on school finance and leadership and served as adjunct professor teaching school finance at St. Francis University. She represented Illinois at the RTI Summit in Washington, D.C., and was an invited guest speaker of the Center on Education Policy at the Forum on No Child Left Behind at George Washington University. She received her doctorate in education from Northern Illinois University, and a master’s in education administration and bachelor’s in music education from Illinois State University.
The only organization dedicated solely to helping state boards advance equity and excellence in public education.