Education Concepts
About Us

Biographies of Education Concepts
Executive Team


Kristy Goodwin, Education Concepts Founder & President

Kristy Goodwin, M.Ed.
Education Concepts Founder & President

Kristy served as a Senior Admission Counselors and Recruiter for over 12 years at Rush University. Mentored 20 years for the Summit Task Force, Apostolic Pentecostal Church of Morgan Park, Argo Temple Church of God in Christ and also a personal academic coach for over 50 youth.

She received a BA from DePaul University and a M.Ed. from the University of Illinois at Chicago both majoring in Education and Instructional Leadership. She is now completing a Masters in Management from Robert Morris University.

As an advocate for minority youth and the desire to give back to the community, Kristy created Education Concepts in 2006. This program’s two tier process, education and professional track, holistically nurtures youth for society. Education Concepts has worked with various private companies and organizations: Rush University Medical Center’s Diversity Network Sub-Committee community mentoring initiative; the Donald Peterson Foundation, and Apostolic Pentecostal Church of Morgan Park Community in Chicago.

Kristy serves as a researcher for the School Finance Adequacy Longitudinal Field-Test Project for the Renaissance 2010 project under the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Kristy is a Committeeman for the African American Advisory Council for the State’s Attorney’s office. She also serves as the Vice President of Communications for the Women in Management-Near West Cook Chapter, (www.wimonline.org).

Kristy’s past professional organizations were: Resources for the Education of Adults in the Chicago Area (REACh), Equal Opportunity Officer for The Illinois Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (IACRAO), Secretary for Women in Management Near West Cook County Chapter. member of The Higher Learning Commission Self-Study Work Group at Rush University, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC), National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP), and the National Association of Advisors for Health Professionals (NAAHP).

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Angela Mason-Johnson
Education Concepts Vice President and Professional Development Consultant

Mrs. Mason-Johnson is the Director of College Admissions Services for Rush University, where she has served in the Student Services and Human Resources areas, collectively, for 13years.

Angela has worked as a Financial Advisor for Northwestern Mutual Life. She brings with her educational, financial and professional development experience. She is an active member of Jack and Jill of America serving as Group 2 and 3 Chair, Mother’s committee co-chair and Assistant Program Director.

Mrs. Mason-Johnson holds degrees in Communications and English from DePaul University. She has taught post-secondary English in the Chicago Public schools alternative schools program.

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Eboni M. Caridine, M.Ed
Education Concepts Vice President of Operations and Program Chairman

Ms. Caridine comes to Education Concepts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where in 2005 she received her Bachelors degree and later received her Master’s of Education in Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2008.

She is currently an Academic Advisor for the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Previously, as an Admissions Counselor, Ms. Caridine was charged with increasing the amount of African American students that attended the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a Researcher for the School Finance Adequacy Longitudinal Field-Test Project for the Renaissance 2010 project under the University of Illinois at Chicago. Eboni has facilitated various workshops geared towards higher education, has been a college and career panelist for several elementary and high school seminars, and has implemented college readiness seminars in various Chicago land high schools.

Eboni is a member of the Illinois Committee on Black Concerns in Higher Education (ICBCHE), Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), the Chancellors Committee on the Status of Blacks (CCSB) at UIC, and a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. She has a passion for education and enjoys counseling students and parents about their choices for higher education.

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Bryant Tillman-Kelly, MBA
Chief Financial Officer

Bryant D. Tillman-Kelly comes to us as a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BA in Political Science and a concentration in Business Studies. After the completion of his undergraduate degree, he began working with Thornton Township High School District 205 while working on a Master of Business Administration at the Keller Graduate School of Management. His numerous projects stemming from working on business plan and proposals bring great depth to our team. As an employee of District 205, he has accomplished great feats in just under two years. He has matured from working as an outreach assistant to the leading representative of the District’s human resources team. His incredible experiences from his professional, graduate school and undergraduate school experiences have served Educational Concepts well.

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Ward Weldon, Ph.D.
Education Concepts Program Planning Advisor and Internal Implementation Monitor

Dr. Weldon is an Associate Professor of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he has served on the faculty for thirty-nine years. He has been honored by his colleagues there with the Excellence in Teaching Award.

Dr. Weldon holds post-graduate degrees in philosophy of education, financial management, and journalism from Northwestern University, The University of Chicago and The University of Iowa. He has worked on educational projects in nine foreign countries and has also consulted with many schools, school districts and educational programs in the United States. He teaches courses at the University of Illinois at Chicago in school finance, economics of education, school administration, and foundations of education.

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Education Concepts Spokeswoman

Imani Josey,
Miss Cook County 2010
Education Concepts Spokeswoman

"I'm extremely honored to represent this amazing organization. This opportunity is truly a blessing and I am excited to do everything possible to make this a rewarding experience for the young men and women that are being mentored."

"I am extremely impressed by this organization's commitment to the community and dedication to developing youth holistically."

"Organizations like this are hard to find and hard to match in passion, but I look forward to the challenge as we work together to mentor these deserving youth."

Oak Park, IL – On Sunday, January 17, Imani Josey was crowned Miss Cook County 2010 at the Oak Park Arms, in Oak Park IL. She is the recipient of a $1000 scholarship sponsored by the Near West Cook Women In Management Young Women’s Mentoring Program donated by Mrs. Nancy Maczka Burke.

In June, 2010, Imani competed in the Miss Illinois Scholarship pageant in St. Charles, IL and wowed the crowd and judges, finishing with a Top Ten for the title of Miss Illinois, 2010. The Miss Illinois Scholarship Association is a duly-accredited state preliminary scholarship association in the Miss America Organization – the world’s largest provider of scholarship and cash assistance to young women.

A magna cum laude graduate of the John H. Johnson School of Communications at Howard University, she is a former Miss Chicago 2009, Miss John H. Johnson School of Communications (2006-2007) and District Miss Black and Gold for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (Miss Mid-Atlantic Alpha Chapters 2007-2008). She plans to attend graduate school for communications in the near future. Imani graduated from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in 2004.

An award winning playwright, her one act play GRACE was selected by the Pegasus Players theater company over 600 entries across the city and was produced at the Chicago Cultural Center at the annual Young Playwrights Festival. She now serves as a judge for the annual competition. She is a former editorial intern for Jet Magazine, and has written two cover stories and conducted several interviews with celebrities and business professionals. She has also held internships with the legal advocacy organization the Advancement Project as well as the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

During her 2010 reign, Imani will spend the year promoting her platform The Fight for Air: Asthma Awareness. Imani will speak at a variety of schools in conjunction with the American Lung Association. Imani’s platform is very important to her because she is an asthmatic and wants to help others understand and control their disease. She will also fundraise for the Children’s Miracle Network and other community and charitable events.

Imani is a trained dancer and also cheerleads professionally with the Chicago Mustang Dancers and serves as the team’s captain. She is also a former cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls as a Luvabull. Imani serves as a volunteer for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. She is the granddaughter of Ebony Magazine Executive Editor Emeritus Lerone Bennett and daughter of Ebony Magazine Senior Editor Joy Bennett and attorney Michael R. Josey.

To schedule Miss Cook County 2010 at your event or for more information please contact:
Debbie Freitag, Miss Cook County Executive Director
Number: 630-849-8865
E-mail: misscookcounty@gmail.com

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Executive Team

Kristy Goodwin, M.Ed.
Founder & President

Angela Mason-Johnson
Vice President and Professional Development Consultant

Eboni M. Caridine, M.Ed
Vice President of Operations and Program Chairman

Bryant Tillman-Kelly, MBA
Chief Financial Officer

Ward Weldon, Ph.D.
Program Planning Advisor and Internal Implementation Monitor

Board Members

William Davis (D)
State Representative 30th District

Cordus Easington, M.D., Ph.D
Internal Medicine

Wrenetha Julion, Ph.D
Faculty Nurse and Researcher
Rush University Medical Center

Candice Dawson, Ph.D

Cleota Porter
Gamaliel Leadership Group

Junior Board Members

Manuel Whitfield Jr.
Junior at Perspectives Charter High School

Lauryn Murphy
8th Grader at Meadowview Elementary School


Spokeswoman

Imani Josey
Miss Cook County 2010


Our Team

Maria Jones
Outcomes Consultant

Ta’sha Williams
Director of Conflict Resolution

Tasha Evans
Project Director

Tiffany Lee
Facilitator

Bonny Sanders
Executive Assistant

Maria Jones
Project Analyst


Parent Company

Unity Development


Past Partners

Donald Peterson Foundation
petersonfoundation.org

Apostolic Pentecostal Church of Morgan Park
apcmorganpark.org


Interested in Partnering with Education Concepts?

We are looking for partnerships in the form of: cash gifts and or donors, property investments, labor, sponsorships, technical skills, instructional materials and/or equipment.

Partnerships that seek to incorporate these efforts will be favorably considered.