Contact: Will Potter   (202) 822-7823

November 2, 2007

NEA President Inducted Into Illinois Labor History Society Hall of Honor

WASHINGTON—The Illinois Labor History Society will induct NEA President Reg Weaver into its Hall of Honor today, in recognition of his advocacy of the basic right of every child to a quality public education.

Weaver will be honored at the Illinois Labor History Society Annual Awards Dinner in Oak Brook, Ill., where he will be the guest speaker. As part of the ceremony, the society will also honor Ella Flagg Young, the first female president of the Illinois Education Association and NEA, and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the NEA.

“This is a tremendous honor, to be recognized alongside men and women who have given so much to improve the lives of working families and their children,” Weaver says. “I’m proud to be part of this rich history.”

The Illinois Labor History Society says it inducts “those who have worked well in the vineyards, as often as the mighty whose names may be well known.” Other inductees include Studs Terkel, Mother Jones and Joyce Miller, former vice president of the AFL-CIO.

Weaver is serving his second term as president of the 3.2 million-member NEA, the nation's largest professional employee organization. As a middle school science teacher from Illinois, and 30-year classroom veteran, Weaver has been a lifelong advocate for quality public schools. He served as president of his local in Harvey, Ill., president of the NEA affiliate in Illinois, and now leads one of the most influential education organizations in the nation.

A recognized expert on public education issues, Weaver has testified before Congress on federal education policy, and has been named one of Ebony magazine’s 100 Most Influential Black Americans for his national influence. He also serves as vice president of Education International, an organization representing more than 29 million teachers and education workers in 166 countries.

Back home, Weaver is listed on the Danville High School Wall of Fame and serves as an honorary member of the Advisory Board for the Department of Educational Leadership at Roosevelt University, which is his alma mater. Weaver earned his bachelor of science degree in special education for the physically challenged at Illinois State University.  He received a master’s degree from Roosevelt University in Chicago.

“I left Illinois to advocate for quality public schools on a national level,” Weaver says. “As NEA president, I have the perfect pulpit from which to tackle the most pressing issues in public education. So it’s a special honor to be recognized for that work back home."
 

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The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators
and students preparing to become teachers.