Vote Working Educators: Our Slate
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Our Executive Officers and Executive Board
It's official -- we have our slate of candidates.
That equals nine executive officers and twenty-six executive board members -- who make up a part of the one hundred delegates to the AFT state and national conventions!
We'll be introducing all of them to you over the coming days, but we wanted to put the names out to you now so you could see the many rank and file PFT members who are stepping up to say that WE are the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.
Ready to pledge your vote? You can do so here.
Want to meet the slate? Get in touch at [email protected]. We'll arrange to come visit your building before or after school!
Executive Officers
President
AMY NICOLE
ROAT
Teacher
Feltonville Arts & Sciences
General VP
YAASIYN
MUHAMMAD
Teacher
Central High School
Special VP - High Schools
ISMAEL
JIMENEZ
Teacher
Kensington CAPA
Special VP - Middle Schools
KELLEY
COLLINGS
Teacher
Feltonville Arts & Sciences
Special VP - Elementary Schools
PEGGY
SAVAGE
Teacher
Richmond School
Recording Secretary
EILEEN
DUFFEY BERNT
School Nurse
Academy at Palumbo
Treasurer
PAMELA
ROY
Teacher
Thomas Mifflin School
Legislative Representative
GEORGE
BEZANIS
Teacher
Central High School
Associate Secretary
TASHA
RUSSELL
Teacher
Wagner MIddle School
Executive Board
Senior HIgh School ADAM BLYWEISS Teacher Martin Luther King HIgh School Senior HIgh School KRISTIN COMBS Teacher Penn Treaty High School Senior HIgh School JULIE STEINER Teacher Saul High School Middle Years Position CARLOS FREDERICK Teacher Wilson Middle School Middle Years Position KRISTIN LUEBBERT Teacher Bache-Martin School Middle Years Position RAYMOND PORRECA Teacher, Special Education Feltonville Arts & Sciences Elementary School Position MICHAEL BERSTEIN Teacher Southwark School Elementary School Position LISA ANN HANTMAN Teacher McCall School Elementary School Position TAMIKO MITCHELL Teacher Potter-Thomas School Special Education Teacher ELIZABETH MENASION Teacher, Special Education Science Leadership Academy Paraprofessional BREANNA MITCHELL Classroom Assistant Feltonville Arts & Sciences Secretarial Position LISETTE RIVERA Secretary I The U School NTA Bargaining Unit GEORGE RUVARAC Farmer Saul High School Reading Assistants/SSA MARGARET ROLON Supportive Services Assistant Feltonville Arts & Sciences Professional Technical PATRICIA ECKERT Budget Tech Assistant Office of Management & Budget Head Start ALICE CAVALLI Teacher Taggart Head Start Per Diem Substitute CHRISTINE MARTIN Retired Nurse / Per Diem Sub Per Diem Food Services Manager SHARON HANDZUS Food Services Manager I Saul High School Professional Supportive Services (consisting of nurses, therapists, psychologists) TATIANA OLMEDO School Counselor Central High School At Large JOE ALBERTI Teacher Powel School At Large MARGARET DEVINE School Nurse Lincoln High School At Large HERMAN DOUGLAS Teacher Bethune School At Large DAVID HENSEL Teacher Taggart School At Large CHARLES MCGEEHAN Teacher The U School At Large DANIEL SYMONDS Teacher Munoz-Marin School At Large JESSICA WAY Teacher Franklin Learning Center AFT Delegates - in addition to the candidates listed above
MICHAEL ADELSON Teacher FELTONVILLE ARTS & SCIENCES CHRISTOPHER ANGELINI Teacher CROSSROADS ACCELERATED ACADEMY TREVOR ANGELUCCI Teacher KENSINGTON URBAN EDUCATION SARAH ATKINS Teacher JACKSON, ANDREW SCHOOL DELILAH BAINES WASHINGTON Teacher KEY, FRANCIS SCOTT SCHOOL NATHANIEL BARTELS Teacher POTTER-THOMAS SCHOOL DAVID BIANDO Teacher ROBESON, PAUL HIGH SCHOOL JOSHUA BLOCK Teacher SCIENCE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY JENNIFER BRACE Teacher, Special Education WILSON, WOODROW MIDDLE SCHOOL LYNETTE BROWN Teacher AMY 5 AT JAMES MARTIN KARINA BUSTAMANTE Teacher MOFFET, JOHN SCHOOL KENNETH CARMICHAEL Teacher FELTONVILLE ARTS & SCIENCES KATRINA CLARK Teacher THE WORKSHOP SCHOOL ANA COBANI Teacher FRANKLIN LEARNING CENTER SYDNEY COFFIN Teacher EDISON, THOMAS A. HIGH SCHOOL KATHERINE COHEN Teacher GREENBERG, JOSEPH SCHOOL ERICA DARKEN Curriculum Development Specialist MULTILINGUAL PROGRAMS CHRISTINE DEL ROSSI Teacher WILLARD, FRANCES E. SCHOOL JENNIFER DISQUE Teacher, Special Education SAUL, WALTER B. HIGH SCHOOL LIZA DOLMETSCH Teacher DICK, WILLIAM SCHOOL ADAM DURANT Teacher MEREDITH, WILLIAM M. SCHOOL ROBERT FOURNIER Teacher OVERBROOK HIGH SCHOOL LYNDA FOXWORTH Teacher WILSON, WOODROW MIDDLE SCHOOL DONNA GORDON Teacher WILSON, WOODROW MIDDLE SCHOOL JESSE GOTTSCHALK Teacher CRAMP, WILLIAM SCHOOL PAUL GROW Teacher CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL JAMES HARDY Teacher KENSINGTON HEALTH SCIENCES JANENE HASAN Teacher SOUTHWARK SCHOOL REGINA HASTINGS Teacher FRANKLIN LEARNING CENTER BRIAN HUSSEY Teacher SCIENCE LDSHP ACADEMY @ BEEBER MARINA ISAKOWITZ Teacher SCIENCE LDSHP ACADEMY @ BEEBER BRENDON JOBS Teacher GIRARD ACADEMIC MUSIC PROGRAM ANNA KATES Teacher ARTS ACADEMY AT BENJAMIN RUSH MARY CATHERINE KHELLA Teacher FRANKLIN LEARNING CENTER CHRISTINE KOLENUT Teacher COOKE, JAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GAIL KOSKELA Teacher SAUL, WALTER B. HIGH SCHOOL KATHRYN LEADER Teacher HOPKINSON, FRANCIS SCHOOL JONATHAN LEIBOVIC Teacher KELLEY, WILLIAM D. SCHOOL MICHAEL LEIBOWITZ Teacher TAGGART, JOHN H. SCHOOL ROBIN LOWRY Teacher WISTER, JOHN SCHOOL CLARE LUEBBERT Teacher MEADE, GEN. GEORGE G. SCHOOL NORMAN MACQUEEN Teacher MITCHELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KAITLIN MCCANN Teacher, Special Education MC CALL, GEN. GEORGE A. SCHOOL GLENN MCCARTHY Teacher KENSINGTON CAPA LAUREN OVERTON Teacher MEREDITH, WILLIAM M. SCHOOL LARISSA PAHOMOV Teacher SCIENCE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY MICHELE PERLOFF School Nurse DISSTON, HAMILTON SCHOOL JENNIFER POUR Teacher SOUTHWARK SCHOOL THOMAS QUINN Teacher CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL SAMUEL REED Teacher THE U SCHOOL MAXWELL ROSEN-LONG Teacher SCIENCE LDSHP ACADEMY @ BEEBER ANDREW SALTZ Teacher ROBESON, PAUL HIGH SCHOOL KELLY SCHAAF Teacher MEREDITH, WILLIAM M. SCHOOL DONNA SHARER Curriculum Development Specialist MULTILINGUAL PROGRAMS VICTORIA SMITH Teacher FELTONVILLE ARTS & SCIENCES MELISSA SOFFER Teacher WOODROW WILSON MIDDLE SCHOOL MARY JO SOLDACKI Teacher MUNOZ-MARIN, HON LUIS SCHOOL PATRICK SOMMER Teacher, Special Education GREENFIELD, ALBERT M. SCHOOL AMIRA STRONG-NOR Teacher BETHUNE, MARY MCLEOD SCHOOL ELIZABETH TAYLOR Teacher MASTERMAN,JULIA R. HIGH SCHOOL AURA TOWNSEND Teacher ENGINEERING & SCIENCE HIGH ELIZABETH WALLS-ASTO Teacher MC CALL, GEN. GEORGE A. SCHOOL LISA WASSERMAN Teacher PENN TREATY HIGH SCHOOL ANISSA WEINRAUB Teacher ACADEMY AT PALUMBO LUKE ZELLER Teacher SCIENCE LDSHP ACADEMY @ BEEBER A note about our slate: We have left one executive candidate slot unfilled -- that of the long-term substitute position. As all long term subs were laid off at the end of the 2015 school year due to the outsourcing of their jobs, many of them also left the PFT at that time. As a result, virtually no current PFT members have experience working for this bargaining unit, which is a requirement for holding this position.
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Vote Working Educators: Our Slate
Our union is 11,000 members strong, and the ultimate power of the PFT comes from those individuals. Below are nine candidates who have distinguished themselves as leaders among the rank and file, working to empower and support their colleagues in every way they can. They bring determination, experience, and vision to their work.
President - Amy Roat
Amy has been teaching middle school English Language Learners for nine years at Feltonville School of Arts and Sciences (FSAS) in North Philadelphia. For fifteen years prior, Amy taught elementary grades throughout Philadelphia and in the Rochester City School District in New York State. She is a graduate of Manhattan College and holds two master’s degrees: an M.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. in Urban Education from Temple University. Amy has been fostering solidarity as the PFT Building Representative at FSAS for the past three years and served on the Building Committee for three years before that. Amy is also a proud member of Opt Out Philly. Drawing on a family history of unionism and political activism, Amy combines fierce determination with equanimity. She has repeatedly demonstrated her ability to communicate with families, fellow PFT members, and the press in a clear and forthright way.
Vice President - Yaasiyn MuhammadYaasiyn is a product of the School District of Philadelphia. He graduated from Martin Luther King High School in 2004, and from Temple University with both his B.A. and M.A. degrees in 2009. First hired at Northeast High School, Yaasiyn lost that position during the district layoffs in 2012 and now teaches at Central High School. As an African American History teacher, Yaasiyn's passion for justice and equality translate into the lessons he delivers his students. Those lessons have focused on the overarching themes of social justice, and this focus has carried over into his work outside of the classroom as well. Yaasiyn has displayed a keen ability to hold tough conversations with teachers across the city. Combined with his demonstrated strengths as an organizer, Yaasiyn's work has expanded the capacity of the Caucus to effectively articulate the mission of social justice unionism.
Special Vice President, Elementary Schools - Peggy Savage
Peggy is a fifth grade classroom teacher at Richmond Elementary School. She has been an educator for 33 years, with 31 years in the School District of Philadelphia. Peggy served as PFT Building Representative for over twenty years, and recently “retired” into the role of Political Liaison at her school. Peggy is a Need in Deed first year teacher, an NAACP Science & Math judge, an alumna of and teaching consultant for the Philadelphia Writing Project, a Lead Teacher for Senator Vincent Hughes' S.O.S Summer Literacy Program, a member of the Philadelphia Teachers Convening Steering Committee, a judge for the Temple Upward Bound Math & Science Symposium, and a Co-Founder of the Girls on Fire summer writing program. She holds a B.A. from Mansfield State University and an Master’s from La Salle University.
Special Vice President, Middle Schools - Kelley Collings
Kelley has been a Philadelphia public school teacher for fifteen years. She currently teaches Math at Feltonville School of Arts and Sciences and has also taught at Hunter Elementary. Prior to becoming a teacher, she was a community and parent organizer for over a decade in cities across the country, including New York, Dallas, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. She and her colleagues at Feltonville School of Arts & Sciences helped fuel the local movement against high-stakes testing in Philadelphia this spring when they publicly organized 40% of the families at their school to opt out of testing. She holds a B.A. from Colgate University, an M.S. from St. Joseph’s University, and an M.Ed. from Arcadia University. Kelley is a founding member and current Co-Chair of the Caucus of Working Educators of the PFT, as well as a leader of the Teacher Action Group of Philadelphia.
Special Vice President, High Schools - Ismael Jimenez
Ismael is a dedicated educator, who for the last ten years has worked with children in both preschool and high school settings. Born in Philadelphia and a graduate of Temple University, Ismael spent time working at a child care program serving children living in transitional housing, and then became a social studies teacher in the School District of Philadelphia in 2009. He taught at Germantown High School until it closed in 2013, and currently teaches African American History at Kensington Creative and Performing Arts High School. Ismael has been an active Building Committee member for every year he has worked in an SDP school. He has also facilitated several district-sponsored professional development sessions on issues ranging from structural racism to bridging the knowledge gap of students between high school and postsecondary institutions. Ismael's teaching and activism are rooted in the theoretical framework developed by Paulo Freire, which emphasizes the role that education plays in the transformation of the world.
Recording Secretary - Eileen Duffey
Eileen is a fearless, relentless advocate for public schools. As a 21-year veteran school nurse, she currently works at Academy at Palumbo and Stearne Elementary, and has previously worked at Meredith, Nebinger, and Furness. She earned her B.S. and M.S. from St. Joeseph’s University, and her nursing degree from Hahnemann. She is a proud member of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools, and co-produced the video "Our Schools Are Not for Sale," which won the nationally-recognized Home Town Media Award. In 2011, she successfully organized and led a 22-week rally which brought national attention to Philadelphia’s layoffs of school nurses. Since then, Eileen has continued to pressure the District to resist outsourcing the work of certified school nurses. She strengthens her organizing work by cultivating relationships with church communities, educational leaders, city councilpersons, and grassroots activists. She is a member of POWER through her church.
Associate Secretary - Tasha Russell
Tasha has been teaching in the school district for 20 years. She currently teaches at Wagner Middle School, and has also taught at Kinsey Elementary, Stetson Middle School, Lowell Elementary, and Roosevelt Middle School. She holds certifications in Physically and Mentally Handicapped, BCIT (Technology), and Educational Administration. She is a longtime Teaching Consultant with the Philadelphia Writing Project, as well as Teachers Lead Philly fellow. She earned her B.S. at Penn State and holds two M.Ed. degrees: one from Penn State and one from Cabrini College. She is currently completing her Ed.D. in Educational Technology at the University of Phoenix.
Treasurer - Pamela Roy
Pamela has taught students in the School District of Philadelphia for nine years, at Hopkinson, Edwin Vare, Roberto Clemente, and currently at Mifflin Elementary. She holds a B.A. from Bard College and an M.S. from Michigan State, and is certified in Elementary Education, Middle Years Science, and Biology. Besides the caucus, she is a Public Youth Forum Debate coach in the middle school league, a Need in Deed experienced network member, a member of Philly Core Leaders, and a board member for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of Americans for Democratic Action. Her graduate degree in science, attention to detail, and love of organization, spreadsheets, and analysis give her the skills to deal with the minutiae involved in handling and safeguarding our collective resources.
Legislative Representative - George Bezanis
George has been teaching since 2001, and joined the School District of Philadelphia nine years ago as a Social Studies teacher. He first taught for four years at Edison High School and now works at Central High School, where he also serves as a PFT Building Representative. He holds a B.A. from Penn State Honors and an M.Ed. from Holy Family University. As both a teacher and the proud father of two Philadelphia public school students, he believes that fair and equitable public education--no matter what race, ethnicity, zip code, or socioeconomic class a child happens to be born into--is the building block of American democracy. Not afraid to speak truth to power, George has given several standout speeches to the School Reform Commission. Apart from being a proud public school parent and teacher, he is also an elected Democratic Committee person in the 63rd Ward and President of the Fox Chase Homeowners Association.