Take Five with Gabriela Brizuela: Deputy General Counsel

Take Five is a series that highlights some of the many CPS staff members who are going above and beyond for our schools. If you know someone who is making a difference, nominate them to be featured here. 

Meet Gabriela (Gaby) Brizuela, the District’s Deputy General Counsel of School Law. A member of Jones College Prep’s second graduating class, Gaby began her journey with CPS as law clerk while in law school and has worked her way up to now leading the District’s School Law Unit in the Board of Education’s Law Department. 

Gaby has always known she wanted to be an attorney and saw it as an avenue to making meaningful change in her community. In her current role, she provides valuable insight and counsel to administrators and central office departments on a number of education law issues, including student rights and privacy, student discipline, enrollment and transfer, Title IX, constitutional issues, Local School Council matters, and school culture and climate matters, just to name a few.

What is your biggest priority in your work?

My number one goal is always to make sure that CPS is promoting supports, equity, and opportunity for all students within our District.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Our administrators have very difficult and important jobs, and I love supporting them and working together to achieve the best possible outcome for our students and schools. It’s very rewarding to be able to help our administrators navigate difficult and complex legal issues and take that stress away from them so that they can continue to do the hard and important work they do.

How would your team describe you?

I think my team would describe me as a thoughtful, empathetic, and dedicated individual who leads with integrity and strives to uphold our District’s values.

What do you like to do outside of work?

In my spare time I enjoy reading, playing volleyball, but most of all, spending time with my husband and our beautiful daughter. 

Is there a physical object that has a special significance to you?

After I graduated from law school, my mother gifted me a fairly large Lady Justice statue for me to put in my office. Since it’s so tall and difficult to carry, it never actually made it to my office. Instead, my husband built a special place for it in our home. Eventually my mother gave me a miniature version of that same statute that I now keep in my office as a reminder of her, my values, and the reason I do this incredible work.