GETTING TO KNOW SEAN HARDEN
Sean Harden isn’t flashy. He doesn’t lead with grand gestures or chase headlines. He’s not loud like Chicago politics tends to be, nor is he passive or evasive. He’s something more measured: a steady hand with deep institutional knowledge and a calm resolve that feels rare in public leadership. He talks like a businessman, moves like a strategist, and somehow still sounds like someone who actually cares. In January, Harden stepped into the role of Chicago Board of Education President, a position often mired in tension, expectation, and controversy. Chicago’s air is thick with division. Just months in, he’s already facing public criticism and navigating friction from City Hall, CPS leadership, the press, and more. Yet Harden doesn’t seem lost. He speaks like someone who’s studied the blueprint, understands both people and systems, and knows how to move through them. Principals are left trying to make sense of a system that often doesn’t make sense at all. In the middle of it all stands Sean Harden— composed, steady, and notably undeterred.
32 • CPAA QUARTERLY MAG | Q3 AND Q4 2025
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