Jennifer Hockenhull was born and raised in the Midwest, attending public K-12 schools as well as a state college and university.  As a resident of Hartford with two children currently attending Hartford Public Schools, she sees both the challenges and the opportunities for students in the school district.  Jen served on various PTOs in the district and has been a READ to a Child participant reading to a child weekly at a Hartford Public School.  Jen believes watching students learn and grow when given opportunities, and having the honor of being a part of the opportunities, is incredibly exciting and rewarding.

 Professionally, Jen is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who has formerly served as an auditor and tax preparer for non-profits, as the CFO for the City of South Bend (IN) and Hartford, and currently serves as the Director of Finance for Adult Congenital Heart Association (a national nonprofit advocacy association).  Jen also actively serves on two local nonprofit boards.  For Jen, serving non-profit organizations in many capacities has been a lifelong passion.

 Jen is honored to be a member of the Board of Education and is looking forward to serving the students, families, teachers, administration, the City of Hartford, and the State of Connecticut, who attend and/or benefit from the education provided by Hartford Public Schools.

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Francoise Deristel-Leger was born and raised in Hartford, CT. Her parents were born and raised in Haiti before coming to the United States. Since her parents believed that education was the key to survival and success, Francoise attended Kingswood-Oxford School. This gave her the foundation for work in education and philanthropy. She graduated from UConn with a BA in Sociology. Then she earned her Masters in Education at the University of Hartford. She also earned her AMI Primary Montessori certificate at the Montessori Training Center Northeast.

Francoise has worked for Hartford Public Schools as a teacher and is currently developing a public Montessori program in Norwalk, CT. This is the first public Montessori program in Fairfield County. Francoise believes in equity in education for all children. Francoise is also an International Education Consultant. She travels to Montessori and traditional schools around the world providing educational support and professional learning opportunities for the educators. Francoise also started a Montessori school in Uvita, Costa Rica called Casa Del Niño.

Francoise was blessed with the opportunity to attend the Anchors of Emotional Intelligence Institute in 2016. She has implemented RULER in her classroom from that point on. When she is not teaching, Francoise is spending time with her family. She is a proud mother of four children. She also serves on Hartford’s Democratic Town Committee where she serves as Secretary. Francoise is also an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated Hartford Alumnae Chapter.

Francoise does mission work in Haiti with children called Barrels of Hope 4 Haiti where she collects donations that include toiletries, health and hygiene, school supplies, and toys and fills barrels that are shipped to Haiti and distributed to individuals in need. Francoise also runs her own business called A Little Yoga, where she teaches yoga and mindfulness to children and adults. She believes that children and adults need a way to self
regulate by being active and engaged in yoga, deep breathing and mindfulness.

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Tyrone Walker has been a Hartford resident for 20 years, and has volunteered for over 15 years with community-based organizations focused on youth and community development/empowerment. Beyond serving on the Hartford BOE, he is the board chair for the Center for Leadership & Justice, which focuses on community empowerment/development in the Upper Albany and North Main Street areas.

Until 2020, he volunteered in a variety of roles for True Colors, Inc., an LGBTQ youth advocacy and mentoring organization, including as a youth mentor, board member and treasurer. Professionally, Mr. Walker has worked at Pratt & Whitney for over 16 years focusing on continuous improvement, project and quality management.

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Kory Mills was born and raised in Hartford, CT, attending Hartford Magnet Middle School and University High School of Science and Engineering. Kory went on to earn a degree in History and Latin American Studies from the remarkable Central Connecticut State University and then eventually his Masters in Public Administration from UConn.

Kory comes from a multi-racial and multi-cultural family with his maternal family coming to Hartford from Puerto Rico in the 1950s and his paternal African American family having roots in Hartford since the late 1890s.  A former resident of the South End of Hartford and a current resident of Parkville, Kory strongly believes that Hartford’s diversity is one of its greatest assets and credits his childhood amongst the various cultures of Hartford with shaping his current worldview and being. Kory firmly believes that First and Last Tavern is one of the best restaurants in CT and has the best pizza in the state.

Professionally, Kory has spent his career as a municipal employee with the City of Hartford. Kory began working in the Office of Management, Budget, and Grants in 2016 and assisted in guiding the City through the MARB process. Currently, Kory works in the Office of the Chief Operating Officer as the Performance Manager for the City of Hartford. Kory’s family has a long history of working as educators and paraeducators in Hartford and serving the residents of Hartford on the Board of Education allows him to finally contribute in a similar way. Kory believes that “education is a great equalizer” and will work hard to contribute to that lofty goal.

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Shontá Browdy is a Hartford native and proud mother of two.  Her oldest, a graduate of the Hartford Public Schools, and her youngest is currently being educated in the Hartford Public School system. She attended Hartford Public Schools and is a proud graduate of Thomas Snell Weaver High School. Shontá has served on School Governance Councils, PTO’s and facilitated many education forums across the city. For years her advocacy work has been centered on children receiving an education that will equip them for a successful life and for families to better understand the educational system. She is the Assistant Secretary for The Greater Hartford NAACP branch and Executive Committee Member of The CT Conference NAACP.  Shontá also serves as Secretary for both The Greater Hartford African American Alliance and The Hartford Police Accountability Board. She felt the need to serve on the Hartford School Board after working in the Hartford Public School system and gaining a better understanding of the successes and struggles.

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Steven Tatum (he/him/his) began his 10 year career as a high school English teacher in his home state of Vermont in 2013. In 2017, he was awarded the Human and Civil Rights Award by Vermont-NEA for his work organizing teachers, students, and parents around issues of identity and equity in the classroom. Having spent summers in Hartford starting in 2014, Mr. Tatum moved to Hartford full time in 2018 and taught in Hartford Public Schools until 2023. In addition to his work with students, Mr. Tatum led professional development initiatives about racial identity and curriculum bias, proficiency or competency based grading, restorative justice practices, and social and emotional learning. He was also elected by his colleagues to serve as a building representative and Executive Board member with the Hartford Federation of Teachers. 

Mr. Tatum brings to the Board of Education his deep knowledge of the teaching and learning environment and the broader structures that impact day to day work in schools. His firsthand experience of the challenges that staff and students face informs his conviction that stakeholders working together will be able to improve outcomes and build a better education system here in Hartford.

Steven earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and a Master of Arts in Teaching Literature from Bard College, where he was also trained in collaborative pedagogy as a peer writing tutor. He is now a worker-owner of The People’s Saturday School, an emerging worker-owned cooperative of facilitators based in Hartford dedicated to the principles and practices of care, accountability, and cooperation. 

In his personal life, Steven appreciates spending time outside in every season. He is a wonderer, writer, partner, housemate, brother, son, friend, bassoonist, listener, kayaker, and tea drinker. He is fascinated by the power of stories to shape and reshape the ways we live in the world.

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Ruth R. Fortune has lived in Hartford since 2012. Her two older children currently attend Hartford public schools and her youngest will also attend Hartford public schools when she begins prek-3 in 2025.

 Ruth moved to the US from Haiti when she was 12. She was an English language learner and was impressed with the quality of the public education she received in Westbury, New York from grades 7 to 12. Ruth moved out of the English as a second language (ESL) program after a year and thereafter began taking honors classes and eventually Advanced Placement (AP) classes in high school.   

Ruth works as a trust and estate attorney at the law firm Wiggin and Dana. She advises and implements estate plans and asset protection strategies for intergenerational wealth transfer. Ruth has also represented families from underserved communities through her firm’s pro bono practice and as a volunteer attorney with the Center for Children’s Advocacy, a Connecticut non-profit. Ruth previously worked at the law firm Czepiga Daly Pope and Perri where she also practiced trust and estate and elder law. Prior to practicing law, Ruth worked as a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch.

 Ruth graduated cum laude from Baruch College in Manhattan and received her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law where she served on the Connecticut Moot Court board. Ruth currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Betty Knox Foundation and the Hartford County Bar Association.

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Email Stephen Wilson