Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1503521
Shelby WE ARE 9 SUMMER 2023 | ADVOCATE is year's Delegate Assembly was an opportunity to honor the remarkable life and service of Chris Mayer. Chris Mayer's commitment to Arizona educators and students was absolutely unwavering. She spent many years with AEA, strengthening our union in innumerable ways through her brilliance, optimism and positive spirit. AEA will be giving out an annual award in her honor, which her husband, Larry Mayer, accepted this year in memory of Chris. At this year's Delegate Assembly, AEA was proud to honor the 2023 recipient of the Christa McAuliffe "I Touch the Future, I Teach" award. Christa McAuliffe was a "practical visionary" who reached for the stars. Since her tragic death in the Challenger crash in 1986, the phrase she coined to describe her profession – "I touch the future, I teach" – has lived on in our hearts, inspiring us to give our best. Each year, our union selects one extraordinary educator to receive this award based on their work in the classroom and their efforts to advance the profession. As the 2023 award winner, Kevin Anway of the Kyrene Education Association will attend NEA's Salute to Excellence in Education Gala in May 2024 and will be eligible for multiple national honors from the NEA Foundation. Congratulations! Update on the AEA Foundation for Teaching and Learning Aer many months of reflection and discussion, the board of directors of the AEA Foundation for Teaching and Learning has decided to begin a transition process to move the foundation's priority work over to the Arizona Education Association, while winding down the foundation's current legal structure. Of course, the AEA will ensure that the foundation meets all of its existing commitments and that this transition preserves the valuable lessons and community ties that have come from the foundation's work. Please stay tuned for more updates very soon! Honoring the Life and Service of Chris Mayer Congratulations to Kevin Anway!