As an educator with more than three decades of union activism, I am delighted to be running for the office of President of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. As the candidate with the most experience at the local, state, and national levels of our unions, I bring a breadth of knowledge and a record of accomplishment to the role that I am seeking.
As your fellow educator, I have served as an elementary teacher and middle/high school counselor. For many years, I assisted as a peer mentor and data coach, taught undergraduate and graduate courses as an adjunct professor and supervised student teachers. Along with my students, fellow educators, parents and community members in my regional district, I have participated in numerous efforts as we achieved our shared goals.
As a community leader, I have been very active with the Salem State University Alumni Association for three decades. Aside from serving on committees, I’ve had the honor of representing fellow alumni for five years as President and continue to serve as a Legacy Board Member. At the state level, I have volunteered with the Massachusetts Parent Teacher Association, led as the 35th State President, and participated in various leadership roles. Since 2019, I have been elected twice as a Member Representative of the National PTA Board of Directors. As one of the leaders of the largest volunteer child nonprofit in the world, I have the opportunity to work with parents, educators and communities to ensure that "every child’s potential becomes a reality."
As your MTA Vice President, I worked with our MTA committees representing ALL members of our association. I extended my assistance to our local presidents and coalition partners throughout Massachusetts. I attended regional meetings and supported the efforts of our members in the Massachusetts Community College Council, the Massachusetts State College Association and the Higher Education Leadership Council, as well as associations within Berkshire, Bristol, Norfolk and Plymouth counties. I visited many of your school communities and campuses, conversed with you and your colleagues and enjoyed meeting and reading to your students. As your next president, I will continue to participate in all of these efforts.
As chair of the Advisory Budget Committee, I advocated for a $0 net change in your dues for the two years I served as your officer. Along with committee members and staff, I led training for our new presidents and leaders at the Summer Conference. Along with our members, I continued to lobby for your interests from Beacon Hill to Capitol Hill. I met with our congressional leaders and many of our state legislators. Throughout my term, I was the only MTA officer to consistently represent your voice among state leaders at the National Education Association, National Council of Urban Education Associations, and National Council of State Education Associations. As your Vice President, I shared your mission, vision and values as a unionist and demonstrated my commitment to the MTA.
As your next MTA President, I am most interested in your voice and choice as we strengthen our union. I have a vision that goes beyond what MTA is today and looks at what MTA can become. As I crisscross our Commonwealth, it is quite clear what our members want and deserve: results not rhetoric, service not slogans, teamwork not trouble. We have the talent, time and treasure to reimagine our state association and answer the essential question: What’s best for our members? As your next leader, I am committed to working with you as we:
- Prioritize contract negotiations and enforcement
- Explore election reform in the MTA
- Train local officers monthly
- Strive for Social Security fairness
- Insist upon a living wage for Education Support Professionals
- Advocate for and accomplish our legislative priorities
- Lobby for COLA increases
- Address the needs of higher education
- Expand the MTA Benefits program
- Pursue a better state retirement formula
- Gain greater health and dental benefits
- Re-create and expand partnerships
- Achieve victories through ESSA
- Provide quality PD, test prep and licensure assistance
- Enrich orientation programs for leaders
- Offer funding for NBPTS certification
- Increase member participation at union conferences
- Deliver Diversity, Equity and Inclusion trainings regularly
- Identify and promote alternatives to state assessments
- Celebrate our differences and successes
TOGETHER, WE ARE ONE MTA! Moving forward, I am committed to unifying our membership, standing shoulder to shoulder as we continue to support and advance your professional and economic interests. We must strengthen our commitment to human and civil rights as we advocate for quality public education. I am confident that we can capitalize upon our strengths and learn from our challenges. As the largest labor union in Massachusetts, we must lead our profession and public education forward. Some may suggest that there is only one of two approaches to MTA leadership: either compromise or fight. As your next MTA President, I will continue to work on your behalf, using all of our collective power, strategies, and resources to support your decisions in determining what will best serve MTA members, our students and our communities. We need to rebuild a culture of trust.
Throughout my years of activism, I have had opportunities to listen, learn and lead. As your officer, I was committed to participating in all committee meetings; represented your interests at the local, statewide and national levels; worked diligently to ensure that our dues did not increase; developed relationships and promoted partnerships; endorsed efforts within your local associations; and earned your support as I exercised my role representing you. I am a proven leader with significant experience from preschool through graduate school. I have a record of building strong coalitions with stakeholders to achieve positive results.
I am well prepared, deeply experienced and best positioned to serve as your next MTA President. I ask for your support and vote on Saturday, May 21. Mostly, I thank you for all that you do for our profession, fellow educators, students, families and communities!
