Secretary-Treasurer, National Education Association
Rebecca Pringle
Rebecca “Becky” Pringle, a physical science teacher from Harrisburg, Pa., is secretary-treasurer of the National Education Association. As secretary-treasurer of the nation's largest professional organization, Pringle ranks third among NEA leadership. She previously served as a member of NEA’s nine-member Executive Committee from 2001 to 2007.
A middle school teacher with 31 years of classroom experience, Pringle has held Association positions at the local, state, and national levels, including the Pennsylvania State Education Association and NEA Board of Directors. Much of her work at the state level focused on increasing minority involvement and enhancing leadership development.
Pringle’s long history of leadership includes a focus on diversity issues, student achievement, and developing leaders within the Association. “In the words of James Baldwin, ‘Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed unless it is faced.’ We have no choice but to face the challenges in public education with vision, commitment, voracity, and courage,” she says.
During her terms on the NEA Board and Executive Committee, Pringle chaired the NEA Reading Task Force and NEA ESEA Advisory Committee, which helped prepare the organization for the law’s reauthorization. Among her many accomplishments, Pringle was instrumental in the development of the report “Excellence and Equity: Closing the Student Achievement Gaps” as a member of the NEA Professional Standards and Practices Committee.
Pringle served for two terms as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. During her tenure, she was elected as the Finance Chair, overseeing the organization’s revenues and expenses, investment portfolio, and budget.
She has been honored with the Pennsylvania Academy for the Profession of Teaching Award and was selected Community Woman of the Year by the American Association of University Women’s Harrisburg Branch.
A Philadelphia native, Pringle received her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in education from Pennsylvania State University. She and her husband, Nathan, have two children – Nathan III manages web production, and Lauren is a producer.
