Middle school English teacher and union activist from California elected to NEA Executive Committee

DENVER-A dedicated California teacher and union activist will serve on the Executive Committee of the National Education Association. Cecily Myart-Cruz, a middle school English teacher from Inglewood, Calif., was elected by her union siblings at NEA's Representative Assembly (RA) to serve on the organization's influential and highest governing body.

As a classroom teacher for more than three decades, Myart-Cruz has dedicated her life to advocating for students, public schools, and union members. As president of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), representing more than 37,000 educators, she organized UTLA members and school families behind the strongest COVID-19 health and safety measures in the country, leading to a series of agreements with Los Angeles Unified School District that kept the district one of the safest big-city school districts in the country.

"Cecily Myart-Cruz has a proven track record of standing up for her community. Her commitment to her students and colleagues, along with her deep background in organizing, has translated into immense growth for the Los Angeles community," said NEA President Becky Pringle. "As public schools face even more challenges and communities come under attack, NEA members are mobilizing and speaking up, and Cecily is on the front lines. Her unwavering commitment to racial and social justice will help power our movement forward and protect the rights of every educator and student."

Before becoming president of UTLA, Myart-Cruz served as UTLA-NEA's vice president, UTLA West Area chair, and Racial Justice co-chair. Nationally, she has served as an observer on the NEA Board of Directors, and as chair of the NEA Black Caucus. She has also been a member of the Community Schools Task Force; the Safe, Just, and Equitable Schools Task Force; and the Human and Civil Rights Committee.

"I am deeply honored to serve on the NEA Executive Committee, and I carry with me the voices of educators, students, parents, and communities who got us here," said Myart-Cruz. "I look forward to serving the three million members of NEA in this new capacity using my skillset of coalition building, organizing, leadership, relationship building and more to this role. We are NEA and I will put our issues front and center to fight the unwarranted attacks on our professions, and the freedoms we hold dear. Together, we will grow our collective power by engaging with members, deepening community partnerships, and pulling others up along the way."

For more information on NEA's Annual Meeting and RA, go to nea.org/ra.

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The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at nea.org.