Utah Elementary School Teacher, Pennsylvania Physical Science Teacher and Virginia Music Teacher Re-elected to top NEA Positions

BOSTON - The majority of the 7,500 delegates to the National Education Association Annual Meeting voted to keep NEA President Lily Eskelsen García, Vice President Becky Pringle and Secretary Treasurer Princess in office for another three-year term. They will begin serving their second term on September 1, 2017.

“We are the members of the National Education Association,” said Eskelsen García in her keynote address yesterday to the 96th NEA Representative Assembly. “We are the voice of education professionals. Our work is fundamental to the nation, and we accept the profound trust that is placed in us.”

“This is not a drill. We will be fearless. We will hold strong,” she continued. “We will focus on growing even stronger — defending our students, our families and our communities.”

The trio’s election in 2014 made history, marking the first time that any union was led by an all-minority, all-female leadership group.

Also re-elected was California educator George Sheridan, who has served on the nine-member NEA Executive Committee since 2014. The committee, which consists of three executive officers and six members elected at-large by the Representative Assembly, is responsible for general policy and interests of NEA and acts for the NEA Board of Directors in between its four regularly scheduled meetings each year.

Former Oregon Education Association President Johanna “Hanna” Vaandering was also elected to the Executive Committee. Vaandering, a physical education teacher from Beaverton, Oregon, and Sheridan will begin their three-year term on September 2017 as well.

Election results:

NEA Officers

NEA President Lily Eskelsen García

NEA Vice President Becky Pringle

NEA Secretary Treasurer Princess Moss

NEA Executive Committee

George Sheridan, California

Johanna “Hanna” Vaandering, Oregon

At-large Education Support Professionals (3-year term)

Sequanna Taylor, Wisconsin

Donna West, Alabama

Margaret Powell, North Carolina

Karen Barnes, Texas

Brenda Johnson, Minnesota

Vallerie Fisher, Washington

Tracy Phillips, Nevada

At-large Education Support Professionals (1-year term)

Julie Wickersham, Washington

NEA members from every state are in Boston to address the major issues facing schools, students and the teaching profession during the NEA’s 155th Annual Meeting and 96th Representative Assembly June 25–July 5 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

The RA is the top decision-making body for the nearly 3 million-member National Education Association, where delegates adopt the strategic plan and budget, resolutions, the legislative program and other policies of the organization. NEA’s RA is also the world’s largest democratic deliberative body. The theme for this year’s convention is “Uniting Our Members and the Nation For Strong Communities.”

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