Valencia Koker serves as the Senior Vice President and Executive Director for City Year Chicago. In her role, she oversees all aspects of the organization including operations, marketing, fundraising, partnerships and educational and career development outcomes. A proud veteran, having served in the United States Air Force Air National Guard, she is a recipient of the Air Force Achievement Medal.



After being accepted into the New Leaders principal preparation program, she served as a resident principal and immediately after, she was selected as the founding principal to lead the turnaround efforts for McNair School of Excellence. During her tenure, McNair’s school rating improved dramatically on all metrics. After almost two decades of being categorized as one of the lowest-performing schools in the district, McNair achieved level 1+ and level 1 status under her leadership.

Valencia has also served as an Executive Director of a charter school and principal of Dewey School of Excellence. She takes pride in the development and mentoring of others, as a New Principal Mentor, Chicago Leadership Collaborative Mentor Resident Principal, Network Lead Principal, and in the Chicago Principals Fellowship. She is a Chicago Urban League IMPACT Fellow, in the Change Collective and the Leadership Greater Chicago’s Signature Fellows Program.

Alongside her career in the military, education and not-for-profit industries, she is also the Board Chair of GODDESS Mentoring, a longtime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the doting mother to her son, Carter, and always acknowledges him as her greatest accomplishment.