After graduating Illinois State University with honors in 2006, Jeremy taught 4th grade students at a charter school on Chicago’s southwest side. There, Jeremy saw a teacher turn-over rate at 80 percent for two consecutive years. In order to correct the instability in the school, Jeremy organized his fellow teachers by joining forces with Chicago Alliance for Charter Teachers and Staff, a project of the American Federation of Teachers, Illinois Federation of Teachers and The Chicago Teachers Union.

In April 2009, Jeremy, along with nearly three-fourths of teaching staff across three schools, filed for collective bargaining rights. After battling with the administration, which did not want to give teachers a voice at the table, Jeremy and the teachers won two decisive victories:gaining recognition by the State of Illinois and then finally a secret ballot election—where teachers overwhelmingly voted yes to stability by voting in favor for collective bargaining.

The teachers ratified a three-year contract in the Fall of 2009, which includes curriculum and professional development, parent-community partnerships, a new teacher evaluation process, class size limits and improved salary and benefits.

Jeremy left teaching in 2009 to pursue a career in public policy and advocacy. He currently works for Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson (IL-11) as office manager. He has assisted Congresswoman Halvorson in organizing an education advisory committee in the Congresswoman’s district to bring educational stakeholders together to discuss and debate education issues and the future of the profession. Currently the group is looking at the upcoming reform of No Child Left Behind and what needs to be improved and changed.

Jeremy also was elected to the Grundy County Board in the 2008 election to a four year term.