Joyce D. Kenner

Dr. Joyce D. Kenner (born June 14, 1956) is an American educator who served as the third principal of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, Illinois from 1995 to 2022, after five years as the school’s assistant principal. She is among the longest-tenured principals in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and led Whitney Young through academic, arts, and athletics initiatives as well as several high-profile controversies.

Early life and education Kenner was born in Dayton, Ohio, one of a set of triplets born to LaVerne and James Dorsey in 1956; she graduated from Chaminade Julienne High School.

She majored in physical education and health at Ohio University, earned a master’s degree from Wright State University, and completed a doctorate in education at Loyola University Chicago. She joined Whitney M. Young Magnet High School as an assistant principal and, in 1995, was appointed principal, a role she held for 27 years until her retirement in 2022.

Kenner announced her retirement in April 2022 and was honored at a school pep rally in May; Rickey Harris was selected as her successor in August 2022.

Notable events and controversies

Student newspaper confiscation (1996) In her first year as principal, Kenner confiscated approximately 2,000 copies of the Whitney Young Beacon senior issue after a teacher complained about a quoted criticism; reporting at the time described the copies as destroyed.

Selective-admissions probe (2009) Amid scrutiny of "principal pick" admissions at selective CPS schools, Kenner was subpoenaed and testified before a federal grand jury. Media coverage reported that aldermen had contacted her regarding admissions for relatives or constituents; Kenner said she used principal picks to diversify the school and that her choices largely graduated.

Facilities oversight (2016-2019) CPS’s inspector general reported that Whitney Young suffered losses from below-market, off-the-books pool rentals tied to a former swim coach; Kenner received a reprimand and later a five-day suspension for oversight failures.

Petition and community criticism (2020) During protests following George Floyd’s murder in 2020, a petition called for Kenner’s resignation; coverage noted hundreds of signatures and broader debate in the school community.

Staff misconduct case (2021) After reporting by the Chicago Sun-Times on allegations regarding cross-country coach Robert Geiger’s inappropriate conduct, CPS removed the coach; critics faulted the school’s failure to respond sooner.

Personal life Kenner has long emphasized athletics in her own life; she was a cheerleader at Ohio University and has been a recreational tennis player for decades. She has an adult son; at the time of her retirement she also mentioned spending more time with a granddaughter and a soon-to-be-born grandson.

Kenner and Whitney Young students appeared in the 2020 Netflix documentary Becoming, centered on alumna Michelle Obama.