Dr. Sherly Chavarria is an education leader with over 15 years of experience across various levels of the educational spectrum, including classroom instruction, school leadership, district leadership, state policy, and philanthropy. Currently serving as the Senior Program Officer for Education at the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Sherly is dedicated to advancing educational opportunities and equity for Chicago’s most underserved students.

Previously, as Chief of Teaching and Learning at Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Sherly played a key role in launching significant district-wide initiatives, including the Skyline Curriculum Equity Initiative, which ensures all students have access to high-quality, culturally relevant instructional materials. She also helped launch the CPS Tutor Corps Program, designed to provide targeted academic support to students. She also served as a senior advisor in developing CPS’s new district accountability policy to create a more robust and equitable system of evaluating school performance. Before her district leadership roles, Sherly was the principal of William P. Nixon Elementary School, where she successfully led the school's transition into a Dual Language school, partnering with educators and families to foster a bilingual learning environment that improved student outcomes. She began her career as a classroom teacher in CPS.

Sherly holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and cultural/social anthropology from Stanford University, a master’s degree in teaching from National Louis University, and a doctorate in education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In addition to her work with the Fry Foundation, she serves on the Illinois State Board of Education, the IWERC (Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative) advisory board, and the Chicago Academy High School Advisory Local School Council.

Sherly enjoys spending her free time with her family, reading, and exploring amateur woodworking.