I am a longtime resident of New Rochelle. I am married with one daughter who is now living in NYC and of whom I am most proud. My mother is a New Rochelle business owner and I have three sisters and one brother. I attended Ursuline HS and graduated from Iona College for both my undergraduate and Masters degree. I am a WIPRO/Mercy College STEM fellow and have served as a Union rep and mentor for my colleagues for over 30 years. I enjoy walking and exercising while listening to music.
How long have you been working in the district?
After completing my student teaching and substituting for the CSDNR, I began working full time in the district in 1987. I have been teaching for 34 years. I did my student teaching at Trinity and I have never left!
How long have you been active in the union?
I have been active in the Union for most of my career, first as a building rep and for the last 10 years as a member of leadership. I have served as a delegate to the Representative Assembly, been active in Vote Cope and in Community Outreach. Additionally, prior to COVID, I served as a representative to the Retirement Convention and have brought back much information to the Union regarding retirement.
What other positions have you held?
In addition to the above, I have served for over 10 years on the negotiations committee and I am the treasurer for FUSE.
What encouraged you to become involved in the union?
Not what, but who! My friend Diane Delgado encouraged me to get involved. I was very vocal at the building level and had many relationships with people at City Hall, so it was an easy decision to step up and advocate for our members. We were fortunate enough to be surrounded by many strong women who encouraged us to listen and learn and become involved. We saw early on how fortunate we were to be a part of a strong bargaining unit, and we continue to fight for safe and equitable working conditions.
What made you decide to go for a leadership position?
I was encouraged by then-President Martin Daly who thought I would be an asset to the FUSE leadership. He trusted me and gave me the confidence to speak about the things that were important to me - especially as an elementary school teacher.
Additionally, I enjoyed being a part of the Negotiations Committee, and I felt like I wanted to do more.
Can you tell us a little bit about the position you hold in leadership, what you do in it and why it’s an important position for our members?
I am the treasurer for FUSE. It is my fiduciary responsibility to oversee the fiscal affairs of the Union, periodically report to the membership and the Executive Committee on the Union’s finances, and act as a signatory on all financial documents. I review bank statements and confer with the accounting firm for the Union when we are audited each year.
I needed to become familiar with EDlaw as to what our union can and cannot use our dues for, what constraints we must adhere to regarding VOTE COPE funds and what we needed to do to ensure that we remain current with our NYSUT dues and membership.
I must keep accurate records of the Union’s finances, assist in the preparation of the Union’s budget, manage finances, and countersign checks.
Being part of leadership entails attending monthly meetings and being a part of member and community outreach initiatives. It is also part of my responsibility to attend ED meetings.
What do you think is the most serious issue facing our union today?
I think our Union leadership faces many challenges today dealing with new central administrators and preserving our contract. My goal is to help educate newer members as to the importance of knowing our contract and how important it is.
What is the most difficult and the most interesting part of your work for the district?
Working under COVID conditions has been a challenge for us all! I work with very young students, and I worry all the time about their health, their progress, and their well-being. I find it interesting to work with the building administration as we look to solve the issues unique to our population. I am also very passionate about continuing my work with bringing STEAM experiences to all our students - especially those who are historically underrepresented.
What is the most difficult and the most interesting part of your work in leadership?
Working with the many personalities who all have the best interest of our membership is both interesting and challenging. We are all so passionate about our members, and we all have so many ideas to improve work for our members. I come at it from an elementary standpoint and I always try to remember that as leaders we have to listen and represent ALL the positions that make up our very unique bargaining unit. It is interesting to see how we are able to come together and meld compromises.
What advice do you give to members who are thinking about becoming involved in union leadership?
Just take a small step and get involved. Come to a Board of Reps meeting or come to one of the many community events when they are held and lend support. At the very least attend your bBuilding meetings and listen and contribute your ideas.
What or who motivates and/or inspires you personally?
I am most inspired by the people who came before me and who left us with a well-established and strong union. People like my friend and colleague Sandy Annunziata who we just recently lost too soon. There are so many men and women. I actually have started to go through the archives to create a document and pictorial history of our Union. I am hopeful that I can inspire more people to fill the shoes when we leave.
Do you have a story of something that has happened in your work or in your life that we could share?
The one that comes to mind occurred coming back on the train from an RA in Washington, DC. Not being one to ever sit still, I realized that one of the passengers was the President of the Mt. Vernon union who had spoken at the convention about Vote Cope. I sat next to him, and we struck up a conversation. By the time we pulled into the New Rochelle Train station, I had the name of the NYSUT Vote Cope representative and a plan to have him speak at our opening day ceremony. As a result, we collected more contributions of Vote Cope dollars. We were later recognized by NYSUT for our work and presented an award that is now displayed at the FUSE office.
Is there something that you’d like to share that not everyone knows about you?
I am older than I look!
|