Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1533002
ASSOCIATION GOVERNANCE 11 SPRING 2025 | ADVOCATE 2025 Board of Directors Candidates AEA President, 3-year term Marisol Garcia Home Phone: 602-826-5270 Local Association: Isaac District Education Assoc School District Employed: MKU Middle School (former) Years Employed: 20 Employment Position: Teacher Subject/Grade Level: 8th Grade/ Social Studies Total Years of Educational Employment: 21 Total Years as an AEA Member: 20 Total Years as an NEA Member: 21 Higher Education Degrees Held: Post BA - Secondary Education Social Studies List (up to 4) the most important positions held in local, state, and/or national education associations: Current President AEA 2022-Current Vice President AEA 2016-2022 Local President IDEA 2010-2016 Board of Directors AEA 2012-2016 Delegates, I come to you humbly, asking for your vote to reelection of AEA President. Over the last three years, our union has begun a journey of self-reflection and transformation to become a true organizing labor union. We leveraged our relationships with labor, community organizations, and our national organization, NEA, to ensure we had the support needed to make the institutional changes needed to create our new path forward. We have grown in members and in power. We must continue this path to meet the moment we are currently facing. Politicians' intent on defunding public education have targeted educators, promoted attacks on our colleagues, and have been committed to rewriting our history. Only together, listening, gathering, and organizing will we build the power to win. e power to fundamentally change our lives lies in the hands of our union and the solidarity that we have with working families. Organizing, classroom by classroom, workstation by workstation, school by school, is how we will bring change to a system built on the exploitation of our workforce. e power of a local to organize for change is the essence power. As a leader in our state organization, I believe it is our duty to support the work of locals through investment and training. My commitment is to be a democratically elected leader who is committed to organizing with a racial, social, economic justice mindset and a committed vision to collectively fight until all Arizona educators are treated with the dignity we deserve. AEA Vice President, 3-year term Amber Gould Home Phone: (602) 469-7707 Local Association: Glendale Union Education Association School District Employed: Glendale Union High School District Years Employed: 13 Employment Position: Teacher Subject/Grade Level: English/ High School Total Years of Educational Employment: 13 Total Years as an AEA Member: 15 Total Years as an NEA Member: 15 Higher Education Degrees Held: BA Secondary Education English, M.Ed. in Education Administration, NBCT List (up to 4) the most important positions held in local, state, and/or national education associations: AEA Treasurer 3 years NEA Director for Arizona 6 years NEA Program and Budget Committee 4 years Glendale Union Education Association President 5 years AEA Delegates, I come to you with a deep commitment to our collective voice and ask for your vote for AEA Vice President. Strength through solidarity has defined my leadership at every level. As a local president during Red for Ed and the pandemic, I stood with educators demanding fair wages and safe working conditions, proving collective action drives change. As NEA Director for Arizona and a member of the NEA Program and Budget Committee, I fought to protect our union's financial stability and ensure we could organize despite attacks on labor. Now, as AEA Treasurer, I prioritize transparency and investment in our locals. As a high school teacher, I live these values daily while empowering the next generation. All of this was possible because we stood together as a union. Real change has always come from collective action, not division. And now, we must focus on the urgent fights at our doorstep. We are on the verge of real transformation. Politicians wouldn't attack us if they didn't see our strength as a threat. Our power lies in unity. Every educator, every education support professional, every union member has the ability to build a public education system that reflects our values, but only if we stand together. AEA, let's work together to build an even more powerful, justice-driven union that empowers educators, strengthens our communities, and fights tirelessly for the dignity, respect, and resources all Arizona educators deserve! More info at GouldandAtkinsforAEA.com AEA Vice President, 3-year term Angela Philpot Home Phone: (480)717-9536 Local Association: Gilbert Education Association School District Employed: Gilbert Public Schools Years Employed: 9 Employment Position: Teacher/Supervisor Subject/Grade Level: GED/ELAA/6-12th ELA Total Years of Educational Employment: 27 Total Years as an AEA Member: 24 Total Years as an NEA Member: 27 Higher Education Degrees Held: Master of Arts in Equity, ESL and Multicultural Education, Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education List (up to 4) the most important positions held in local, state, and/or national education associations: AEA Vice President 3 years AEA Treasurer 6 years NEA Lead State Treasurer 4 years Apache Junction Education Association Local President 4 years I have been proudly serving as your AEA Vice President for the past three years as part of the first all-women officer team in AEA history. Together, we have organized our colleagues to join our union and be part of the change we need in Arizona's public schools. Now more than ever, our union needs leaders who understand what it is like to work in our schools at every level in this post- pandemic environment. As the only candidate who has been a classified employee and taught elementary, junior high, high school, and college students, there is no substitute for my 27 years of education and union experience. I am the first vice president in over a decade who served six years as AEA Treasurer and as the lead treasurer for all 51 NEA affiliates. As a native Arizonan from the rural mining town of Globe-Miami, we are born union members. I began as a student member, eventually becoming local president in rural Apache Junction, earning the AEA Local of Distinction award under my leadership. A proud product of Arizona's public schools preK-12, I am young enough to remember when Arizona schools were funded so it can be achieved! We have more work ahead of us and there are no shortcuts to our goals. During these times of uncertainty, we will always lead with integrity, honesty, transparency and union values. I would be honored to continue the work we have started...together. Vote Angela Philpot for AEA Vice President on May 10! AEA Treasurer, 3-year term Josh Atkins Home Phone: 314-800-3445 Local Association: Paradise Valley EA School District Employed: Paradise Valley USD Years Employed: 7 Employment Position: Certified Educator Subject/Grade Level: Middle School Total Years of Educational Employment: 10 Total Years as an AEA Member: 9 Total Years as an NEA Member: 10 Higher Education Degrees Held: Master's in music List (up to 4) the most important positions held in local, state, and/or national education associations: