Team Texas (also called T2) is the senior leadership team at KIPP Texas Public Schools. At KIPP Texas, we are all about Team & Family and creating joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose —college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.
In Two Minutes with T2, we give you a chance to meet the senior leaders who are working to ensure every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities.
Meet Kris Cheung, chief operations officer for KIPP Texas Public Schools. Kris joined KIPP Texas in 2018 after serving New York City’s Success Academy Charter Schools, where he oversaw operations for 46 schools and its network office. Next time you’re looking for a good burger joint, ask Kris!
How would you describe your job to a person you meet in the community?
I support a team of non-instructional education reformers that builds, maintains, and operates schools for underserved communities.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
My alarm clock. I know there’s stuff to do and only a limited amount of time to accomplish it.
KIPP Texas has five Core Values. Which one resonates most with you?
Chase Excellence
What are your biggest achievements – personally and professionally?
Still working towards my biggest achievements – personally and professionally.☺
What do you like most about your job?
Our successes positively impact the lives of our Little KIPPsters — our students, and they have absolutely no idea about it.
It’s just you and your favorite streaming service. What you are you binging on?
The West Wing or The Newsroom.
What is your favorite food?
Burgers
What is your guilty pleasure?
Eating burgers
What book are you reading?
The Goldfinch
What is one movie you can watch over and over again?
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
What advice do you have for Big KIPPsters– the KIPP Texas staff?
Find a professional mentor that believes and practices “radical candor.” Sometimes, the truth hurts, but it will propel you to make changes that will benefit you professionally.
What advice do you have for Little KIPPsters–out students?
Get out of your comfort zone by joining a club, playing a sport, or applying for scholarships to study abroad. Find every opportunity to open doors that you never thought about opening. Unique experiences have a way of leaving impressions that define who you are meant to be.
KIPP Texas is hiring for a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. If you want to be part of a supportive team that’s more like a family, then KIPP Texas is for you!
