Leadership

CEA President John Coneglio

John Coneglio knows the power of CEA. In 2002, when his high school principal was unwilling to address a problem, he called upon all of his training as a Faculty Representative to address the situation. Knowing the contract and knowing that his union would back him made a huge difference. Coneglio, also felt the power when he got involved with our anti-SB5 campaign. He was an OEA “Top 250” signature gatherer and helped get the issue on the ballot. John also worked the phone banks and joined demonstrators at the Ohio Statehouse—and his zeal to represent you did not stop there. John recognizes the difficulties his colleagues face as legislators tinker with education policy in our state—and as CCS struggles to regain the trust of taxpayers. High school teachers, in particular, have unique stresses and responsibilities. “In 2013, I had two opportunities to lobby at the Statehouse on behalf of teachers and students,” Coneglio said. “I think it is important to promote the concerns of high school teachers.” Coneglio has been an OEA delegate since 2002 and an NEA delegate since 2008. He was elected President of CEA in the spring of 2018. He lives in Clinton Township with his wife, Michelle, a kindergarten teacher at Clinton ES, their two daughters and “our dog who recently ate my camera.” He loves backpacking, camping and watching the Buckeyes and the Cleveland Browns. He also served as a Clinton Township Trustee.

 

CEA Vice President Phil Hayes

Victoria “Vicki” Evans has been an active CEA member since 1998. She volunteered as an alternate faculty rep. when Arts Impact MS, merged with her first school, Everett MS. She attended all meetings, taking studious notes and gathered information to report back to her staff. The next year she ran for faculty rep. and has been advocating and advising for CEA members ever since. She is a Multiple Disabilities teacher. Her program has been at Indianola Informal for the last 12 years. There she has served as Senior/Faculty Representative until she took on position as District 1 Governor. She has been a member of several CEA bargaining teams. Last year she served as a member of the core team that fought for our first strike in over 50 years. She loves her union and is always ready to put up a fight. She is an active member of Columbus Education Justice Coalition, DLAMC, OEA Women’s Caucus, NEA Environment and Climate Caucus as well as member of NEA Black Caucus. She recently served as a member of Communications Committee at her first NEA convention.

 

 

District 2 Governor Carla Davis

Carla Davis isn’t one to sit on the sidelines. When the staff and administrator in her building were increasingly at odds, she stepped in. She ran for CEA Faculty Representative and won. Then she got to work, drawing in the ABC and her colleagues and team building. Now, the staff and the principal at Forest Park ES work better together. Davis, a Math CCIT at Forest Park ES, continued her CEA service as FR for another year and as alternate for four subsequent years. When she saw that teaching rights were threatened, Davis joined the fight that defeated Senate Bill 5, working the phone bank and canvassing. She helped register people to vote and promoted pro-education candidates, starting with Obama in 2008.Last year, the 17-year teaching veteran, whose two children attend Columbus City Schools, ran for district governor and now represents District 2. Her husband, Randy-a union member himself for many years, through his job at AT&T-is behind her all the way. Davis says she finds power in solidarity. “When we would go to the District LA, I would meet a lot of people. I like talking to people and seeing what’s working and what we could change in our building.”It’s also about the contract. “I came from a non-union state, Mississippi. Everything the administrators told us to do, we did,” she said. She often talks with colleagues about the importance of knowing their rights. “A lot of times you have the contract, but you don’t really look at it,” she said. Davis encourages fellow CEA members to look in the contract book and become familiar with the hard-won rights they must protect. “Know what’s grievable,” she said.

 

 District 3 Governor Joe Decker

Joe Decker grew up in Cincinnati as the child of a nurse and a teacher. Education, service, and the importance of social justice were concepts his parents modeled every day. Moving to Columbus with his wife Kristi, he supported his daughters as a volunteer when they began their education in Columbus Schools at Westgate Elementary, where Joe was PTA President, Chess Club coach, and a volunteer in the classroom. Wanting to do more, he earned his teacher’s license and returned to Columbus City Schools as an instructor in 2014 at Mifflin Middle School. As a Social Studies teacher, Joe helps his students explore the responsibilities of citizenship in order for them to live the best possible lives as leaders of our community. Being part of a strong union is an essential part of showing that behavior to his students and protecting their interests. As teachers, we are defenders of their rights and of the workplace that our union created for us.

 

District 4 Governor Neil Moore

 

District 5 Governor Regina Fuentes

“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.”

 

District 6 Governor Lori Barton

Lori began her teaching career in Columbus City Schools in 2007, after completing the Transition to Teaching program through the University of Dayton. As an Intervention Specialist, she taught elementary students with emotional disturbances for the first eight years of her career in schools on the northeast side of the city. She switched to teaching students with multiple disabilities in 2015, and she continues that work today at Avondale Elementary on the west side.

Her commitment to labor advocacy is rooted in a deep family tradition of union membership. Her father was an autoworker for 30 years and a proud member of UAW; her mother was a member of the UFCW; and her grandfather was a steelworker who served as president of his local for many years. Its union hall was even named after him in his memory.

Over the years, she has served as faculty representative, member of the Membership Action Team, picket captain during the strike of 2022, and now as Governor for the mighty District 6. She considers it an honor to serve her union, and will continue to do all she can to amplify and strengthen the collective voice of educators.

 

District 7 Governor Dr. Jada Jackson

We are stronger together!  That’s a motto that Dr. Jada Jackson has known and believed in for  her entire life.  As the daughter of two union leaders, one of whose first day on the job in Ohio was spent on the picket line with the Communication Workers of America Local 4320 as they exercised their right to strike for better pay and working conditions for its members. Dr. Jackson understands that membership, solidarity and adherence to the contract are invaluable to having a strong union.  This is why Dr. Jackson takes great pride in being a member of CEA since 1997.  During her tenure, Jackson has served as a Faculty Representative and a Senior Faculty Representative before becoming District 7 Governor. In addition to her work with CEA, Jackson is also active with OEA,  belonging to both the Doris L. Allen Minority Caucus and the Women’s Caucus, along with representing OEA in the NEA Educator Diversity Collective, researching and analyzing trends for recruitment and retention of teachers of color.

For the past several years, Dr. Jackson has also been active on the national level in multiple capacities. She demonstrates her dedication by extending her services to support early career educators in other states, including Iowa and Florida, as a Lead Virtual Coach with NEA. She has also served as Teacher Leadership Initiative Lead Facilitator for NEA after completing her own TLI project. Additionally, Dr. Jackson  has experience as a Professional Practice Communities Facilitator, curating content to support early career educators and relevant problems of practice. Dr. Jackson’s current work includes collaborating with NEA’s Leaders for Just Schools, where she works alongside other dedicated educators to advance equitable outcomes for students. Fighting for equity, working for fair labor practices, and supporting colleagues is in her blood, in her actions, and most importantly, in her heart.

 

District 8 Governor (Vacant)

 

 

District 9 Governor Traci Arway

Traci Arway is all about making sure no one gets left behind. As a district Special Education Coordinator, she has seen how easy it is to lose sight of the umbrella of Association protection. “We are teachers on special assignment,” she said. “Sometimes we’re in that go between role between teachers and administrators.” When she was housed at Livingston Avenue ES, Arway saw professionals moving between buildings and struggling to build cohesive strength and certainty of their protection as CEA members. Sometimes coordinators were asked to overstep contract boundaries, and they were not sure how to say, “No.” “For instance, we cannot be put into positions to evaluate and report on teachers,” said Arway. That’s why Arway decided to get more involved. First, she served as a Faculty Representative of the newly-formed Special Coordinator unit. Now, as she enters her 16th year with the Columbus City Schools, she is beginning her term as District 9 Governor. Her aim is to continue the work she started. “Being in the role of coordinator and being in District 9 is unique,” she said. “Being governor helps me advocate for all the specialists involved in the IEP process. It helps me advocate for those people I work with every day. My goal is to continue to push the special education needs forward and continue to advocate for our profession and make sure we have a strong voice at the table.” Arway has taught at Livingston ES and Clearbrook MS. She comes from a union background. Her mother is a retired teacher and former OEA member. Her father, employed by the Ohio Lottery Commission, belongs to OSEA. “I’m also a political junkie,” she said. “Being involved in CEA keeps me in the forefront.” Arway and her husband, Kevin, a retired Whetstone High School teacher, live in northwest Columbus with their three children.

 

District 10 Governor Becky Coyne

In her 30 years as an art educator, Becky Coyne has witnessed the best in what the arts has to offer to ALL Columbus City Schools students and their families- namely creative, well rounded, and inspiring programs developed by the Unified Arts educators of Columbus City Schools. The Unified Arts has been strongly supported by CEA to ensure permanent language in the contract that allows for unique curriculum to be implemented by UA teachers, all while ensuring dedicated time to teach our students without cuts to arts programs. Becky never forgets (and is unafraid to let people know!) that the District 10 Educators may be small in numbers comparatively to the larger CEA membership, but they have the most impact, teaching ALL of Columbus’ nearly 50,000 students. The rest of the units in District 10 are equally impactful to the district- supporting students, their families, and programs, and generally being the heart and soul of the district- Librarians, Gifted and Talented teachers, Pre School Special Education, Teachers on Special Assignment- as well as those who help our teachers and students- PAR, TOSAS. PBIS, SELP, Central Enrollment, NPSS, and Kingswood members. Becky feels lucky to know and work with the talented members of District 10, and will never stop advocating for their rights and the rights of our students. “The members of District 10 are a critical part of Columbus Schools,” she said. “The departments of District 10 are the shining stars in our district. We have children and educators who are talented, far beyond what many people understand. I want to keep the spotlight on our outstanding students, and supporting their teachers is one piece of what keeps us moving forward.”

 

High School Governor -at- Large: Megan Hinz

High School Governor -at- Large: Clarence Daniels

Middle School Governor -at- Large: Keith Emrick

 

Budget Director Tom Busher

Tom Busher was a business teacher at Southeast Career Center where he instructed an accounting program for juniors and seniors. A retired member of the Association, Tom has served as Faculty Representative, ABC member and past member of the Ohio Business Teachers Association (OBTA). Tom oversees the revenue and expenditures of all CEA accounts, budgeting and is the CEA financial representative with Capital District, CEA Foundation and numerous financial organizations that conduct business with CEA.

 

 

 

Election Chair Brittany Herb

Brittany Herb had a very unconventional approach to leadership in CEA. In 2016, she was in her eighth year teaching and decided to complete the Teacher Leadership Institute (TLI) program offered through NEA. While participating in this course, she realized a harsh reality: new teachers were leaving the profession at record numbers. With the support of CEA, she was able to create a committee to help retain new educators in our district called Columbus Early Career Educators (CECE). They can be found around Columbus the last Friday of every month to offer an opportunity for educators to collaborate with other educators in years 0-10 of experience, open to all CEA members. Throughout Brittany’s career, CEA has consistently acted in her best interest. They have supported her with disgruntled administrators on multiple occasions, as well as, in creating CECE. Brittany has marched at the State House, supported those speaking against SB 5, and spoke to city council about the importance of social emotional learning in CCS, especially after the Pandemic. Brittany is passionate about being an educator in Columbus and is eager to create change in our broken system. She serves as our Elections Chair and has taught at Johnson Park, Sherwood, Woodward Park, Ecole Kenwood, Monroe, Buckeye, CCPSG, and Starling (she was staff reduced 4 times) but most recently she will be one of our negotiated SEL positions at Highland and Sullivant. She welcomes your questions about NEA, OEA, and CEA elections.