Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/348932
AEA Advocate x Fall 2014 33 Students across this country will have a historic new team advocating for their interests and the empowerment of the educators dedicated to their success this coming school year. Delegates attending the National Education Association's (NEA) 152nd Annual Meeting and 93rd Representative Assembly (RA), meeting in early July in Denver, elected new officers and executive committee members to lead the nation's largest union, representing nearly 3 million educators, making NEA the first major union to be led by three women of color. NEA's new officers include Lily Eskelsen García, a former state teacher of the year and elementary school teacher from North Salt Lake, Utah; Rebecca S. "Becky" Pringle, a physical science teacher from Harrisburg, Pa.; and Princess Moss, an elementary school music teacher from Louisa County, Va. Lily Eskelsen García, a former Utah Teacher of the Year who started her 20-year career in education as a lunch lady before becoming an elementary teacher who worked with homeless children, was elected to head NEA. Eskelsen García previously served two three-year terms as NEA vice president and was named by President Obama to serve as a commissioner on the White House Commission on Education Excellence for Hispanics. An outspoken advocate for preserving and promoting public education for every student, she has been a vocal critic of high stakes testing and other policies that detract from student learning and exacerbate inequity in our education system. "We must measure what matters and put students' needs at the center of the system once again. We can no longer allow politicians who have never stepped into a classroom define what it means to teach and learn," said Eskelsen García. "At a time when nearly 50 percent of public school children live in low-income families, our country must refocus its priorities on the needs of the whole child and bridge the gaps that have only grown over the last decade. We know what is at stake, and it is why we are educators. It is why we are fearless and why we will not be silent." NEA Delegates and Colleagues Say Farewell to President Dennis Van Roekel As delegates wrapped up the NEA RA, they also said farewell to outgoing NEA president and past AEA president Dennis Van Roekel who has presided over the past six RA's, consistently demonstrating pragmatic leadership, decisiveness, and optimism, even in the face of mounting attacks on public education and unions. Van Roekel steered NEA through one of the most tumultuous times in public education history, as right wing politicians and so- called education reformers sought to defund education, strip educators of their collective bargaining rights, and privatize schools to turn a profit. The 3 million members of the National Education Association thank Dennis Van Roekel for his service and passion for students and educators. As he leaves Denver at the close of his last RA, friends and colleagues — from former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Conner to renowned education advocate Linda Darling-Hammond — say farewell and wish him well upon his retirement from the National Education Association, but not from the work of serving our public school students. As Justice O'Conner said, someone with Van Roekel's passion never really stops serving, and she wishes him the best as he continues to "go forward with service and help for the teachers of this country." 2 Delegates make history by voting for new leadership team to head nation's largest union NEA elects García, Pringle and Moss to Leadership at Annual Meeting For more information on the 2014 NEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly, go to www. nea.org/annualmeeting. Vice President elect Rebecca Pringle, left, President elect Lily Eskelsen Garcia and Secretary-Treasurer elect Princess Moss celebrate after the election results were announced during NEA RA on July 4, 2014, in Denver, CO. Photo by Rick Runion Members of the Arizona delegation hold up cut outs of NEA President Dennis Van Roekel during his Keynote address at the NEA RA on July 2, 2014. Photo by Calvin Knight