FRANKFORT, KY - July 22, 2020 - The National Education Association’s Aspiring Educators elected a new leader, Cameo Kendrick, of Lexington, KY, at its annual conference, which took place just prior to NEA’s Annual Meeting & Representative Assembly.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Kendrick completed her degree in middle school English and social studies. During her two-year term as chair, Kendrick will work full-time with NEA, in both Washington, D.C., and across the nation, to provide visibility on campuses and organize future educators. Kendrick will lead 40,000 student members, who represent more than 1,000 college and university chapters spanning from Maine to Maui.
“I’m ready to continue our collaborative work and find creative ways to keep us more connected than ever. I hope to lift up Aspiring Educator voices, create more spaces for our leaders to grow in our association, and work tirelessly to advance NEA’s work around racial and social justice,” Kendrick said. “As the first mother to be elected Aspiring Educator Chair, I feel grounded in NEA's vision for the future and will fight alongside all our nation’s educators until the promise of a better tomorrow is guaranteed to our students, children, family, and friends.”
“Cameo is a proven leader,” Kentucky Education Association (KEA) President Eddie Campbell said. “She has marched and spoken out on educator rights, chaired KEA committees, and never wavered in her commitment to bring equity and positive change into every classroom for students and educators in Kentucky and across the country. We are so proud of her election, are confident that she will provide clear and meaningful leadership, and are proud to call her a KEA member.”
“We look to our Aspiring Educators for energy, ideas, and bold leadership to shape the future of our union. Cameo has all that, and I can’t think of a better woman to lead our future educators through these tumultuous times,” NEA President Lily Eskelsen García said. “From the RedforEd rallies to the Black Lives Matter movement, Cameo is a proven and vocal advocate for all of our nation’s educators and students—and I can’t wait to see how the program grows with her leadership.”
The NEA Aspiring Educator program is the largest and most influential student group for future educators. It was formed in 1982 by the NEA Board of Directors, when Student NEA merged with NEA. The student program aims to develop quality teachers who are prepared to thoughtfully educate America’s diverse student population, while also creating a new generation of leaders who will move the country, the profession, and the association forward.
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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, and students preparing to become teachers.
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