The Columbus Education Association is also called the Capital District. It is one of 10 district associations that comprise the Ohio Education Association. Members from these districts elect 2/3 of the OEA’s board of directors. The concept is similar to state government, with each association electing a different number of representatives based on its total membership enrollment. In addition, the Capital District, as well as each of the other nine districts, has a representative on each OEA committee.
Capital District Officers:
Kriston Crombie Stotik, President
klcrombie@hotmail.com
Kriston Crombie Stotik, Capital District President, brings to the position 17 years of teaching and association experience. Stotik has been working for CCS since 1998, teaching English at Centennial High School and working as a staff development specialist at Northgate Center. She began her CEA service as an alternative Faculty Representative in 2002. “My former administration was very challenging and necessitated that we have strong union leadership,” she said. “Some of their actions ran counter to our contract and just basic human decency so I stepped up and made sure that (CEA President) Rhonda (Johnson) and (Vice President) Traci (Johnson) were a presence in my building as I worked through the administration-created minefield. It worked, and I developed a working relationship that allowed us all to get along. “ The experience inspired her. “I remember thinking that I wanted to fight for teachers, our working conditions, and the needs of the teachers and students,” she said. “I’ve always thought that we needed to emphasize the connection between our working conditions and student’s learning conditions. They are one and the same.” Stotik then became a Senior FR, and in 2010 won election to the OEA Board of Directors. She has been Capital District President since 2014. Stotik also has served on the LPDC since 2007 and has lead the committee since 2014. She also is a member of the CEA Constitution-and-Bylaws and Social Justice Committees. “With my background in Professional Learning, I felt that I had much to offer. Capital functions as the professional development wing of our association,” she said. The fight against SB 5 is for her an emblem of what it means to be in an association. “We need to remain vigilant and ready for action as an organization,” she said. “Teachers’ associations are the only thing standing between strong public schools for our nation’s children and their exploitation for profit.”
Regina Fuentes, Vice President
“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything” is an old quote by Alexander Hamilton that Regina feels really captures her reasons for involvement in educational advocacy. Since her start as a high school English teacher at Eastmoor Academy in 1999, Regina has always found ways to advocate for teachers. She did not succumb to the pressures put on her by irresponsible and unprofessional administrators during her early years who tried to push her out of the profession. Instead, she persisted by constantly challenging the status quo and using her CEA union resources to help her persevere and build a voice.
Since 2015, Regina’s union advocacy has become even stronger. She has held the position of Senior Faculty Representative. In 2017 she was appointed as the official CEA Spokesperson which has allowed her to share CEA’s mission on many media outlets throughout the country and on many global platforms. Regina’s direct involvement in the 2022 contract negotiations and strike helped CEA win one of the most progressive contracts for teachers in CEA history. As a result, Regina was invited to represent Ohio teachers at the White House in September of 2022. While these accolades are nice, Regina prides herself as a positive voice for public educators everywhere. “I know that teachers feel defeated and unsupported on a regular basis,” Regina says. “Through my actions, I want them to know that I always have their back. We have to stay in the fight and do what’s best for educators. Teachers give so much of themselves and I want them to know that they are worthy.”
Dorothy Wilson, Business Advisor
wilsond@ceaohio.org
Dorothy Wilson retired from CCS after serving the district for 35 years, as a first-grade teacher, middle school reading specialist and staff development specialist. Throughout her career, she has been a mentor and leader, especially when it comes to matters of diversity within association leadership. Wilson has served as an OEA Board of Director, CEA Board of Governor, an NEA director and leader of the Capital District. She has chaired many committees, including, for more than two decades,, the Minority Involvement Program. Her work has included training minority members in the leadership training program, encouraging them to be vocal and involved and sharing their skills and talents with the organization. She has served at the national level encouraging associations to work toward collective-bargaining rights and to make their voices heard. In 2007, Wilson received the Helen Jenkins Davis Award, bestowed at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Dinner. The award is given in honor of the work of the district’s first black teacher. At that ceremony, then-CEA President Rhonda Johnson said, “Dorothy is known for balance, equality and professionalism.” Wilson makes it a point never to attend an event without bringing along a new potential leader. She said nurturing others is her priority. “I always bring someone along with me so they can see the operation and entice them to join and be part of it,” she said. “I just feel I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity. As an African American, I know how it is to break into what we call the mainstream. I’ve always had people to nourish me to grow, and I want to leave the legacy of helping others.”