In 2014, former Utah Teacher of the Year Lily Eskelsen García was elected NEA president by delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly. Since then, Eskelsen García—or Lily, as she's known to most NEA members—has been a fierce supporter of public schools and union groups, while fighting to ensure every public school student gets the opportunities they deserve.
“Maybe it’s crazy for each of us to think, ‘My job is to change the world.’ But we do that every day with our students,” she told RA delegates this summer as she bid them goodbye. “I’m not sad to leave. Because it’s time to go home. But mostly because you’ll still be here," said Eskelsen García, whose term ends on August 31. "You will all still be here to do this great work. And nothing stops that.”
Celebrating Six Years of President Lily Eskelsen García's Love and Dedication to NEA Members
![Lily Eskelsen Garcia addresses 2019 Representative Assembly](https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/styles/554wide/public/2020-11/2019-Lily-RA-1400.jpg?itok=nJPkcbUQ)
#RedforEd Sparks Real Change
![Lily Eskelsen Garcia joins St Paul educators on strike](https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/styles/554wide/public/2020-11/2019-StPaul-strike-BLM.jpg?itok=U7AMpncP)
She marched with educators
![Lily Eskelsen Garcia speaks at a rally against Betsy DeVos's policies](https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/styles/554wide/public/2020-11/2017-DeVos-rally-1400.jpg?itok=BdgJVY_z)
Opposing the anti-public school, pro-privatization agenda
![Lily Eskelsen Garcia attends the signing of ESSA](https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/styles/554wide/public/2020-11/2015-ESSA-signing-1400.jpg?itok=lgZRc5fQ)
The Every Student Succeeds Act is Signed into Law
![Lily Eskelsen Garcia at elementary school in Abbeville, Louisiana](https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/styles/554wide/public/2020-11/2015-Lily-Lousiana-1400.jpg?itok=qEZkH2pu)