IHSA Staff

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Dr. Joyce Dorsey Kenner was appointed to the IHSA Board in October, 2005.  She has been principal of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, Illinois since August, 1995.  She served as an assistant principal at the school prior to her appointment.  

Dr. Kenner is from Dayton, Ohio, and received her Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, majoring in Physical Education and Health, her Master’s from Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio, and a Doctorate in Education from Loyola University in Curriculum and Instruction.  During the past twenty-five years, Dr. Kenner has held various positions including teacher, coach, coordinator, innovator, and administrator in Ohio and Illinois.  She served as Deputy Education Director for the PUSH for Excellence program at Operation PUSH under the leadership of Reverend Jesse L. Jackson.

Dr. Kenner was a cheerleader at Ohio University.  She was an assistant basketball and volleyball coach in Dayton, Ohio.  In 1982 as head coach, her track and field team at Nettie Lee Roth High School in Dayton, Ohio were runner-up in the girls class AA state championships.  She remains actively involved with athletics and sees it as an integral part of a student’s high school experience.  Currently, she is the president of the Chicago Public Schools Athletic Association Executive Board in which she has been a member for 10 years. 

In the capacity of principal, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School was voted one of the outstanding high schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report, is recognized as one of the premier college preparatory high schools in the State of Illinois, and has been recognized for its outstanding Advanced Placement program.  Its Academic Decathlon team has placed as high as second in the nation, and has won 21 City and State of Illinois titles.  Its diverse student body coupled with an outstanding faculty and staff has consistently produced National Merit and National Achievement scholarship winners.

Dr. Kenner was selected for an Outstanding Leadership Award given by the Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Principal’s Association, nominated for membership to the Headmasters Association, and bestowed the First Step Humanitarian Award for her visibility in the community and for engaging in constructive and productive programs for young people.  She has also been recognized by the Kizzy Foundation, Today’s Chicago Woman, and Phi Delta Kappa for her extraordinary commitment to academic success and making a difference in the live of young people.

Dr. Kenner is one of a set of triplets.  She is married to Greg W. Kenner and has one son, Julian.