Union Leadership

President

Michael Mulgrew

Michael Mulgrew is the fifth president of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) which represents 185,000 teachers, paraprofessionals, school secretaries and other professional staff in New York City public schools as well as family child care providers, nurses, adult education instructors, retired members and other titles and organizations.

Secretary

Howard Schoor

Howard Schoor is secretary for the UFT. He earned a bachelor’s degree in American history from Brooklyn College and a master’s degree in education from Long Island University.

Treasurer

Debra Penny Debra Penny is the UFT Treasurer. She was elected to serve as a teacher-member of the Teachers’ Retirement System board in 2016 when she started working full time in the UFT’s Pension Department. Prior to that, Penny served as UFT borough representative for Staten Island, where she was a staunch advocate for educators and public education policies and a fierce defender of public pensions, drawing on her expertise as a UFT pension specialist for her borough.

Assistant Secretary

LeRoy Barr is UFT assistant secretary and also serves as co-staff director, overseeing the daily operation of the union’s extensive field organization and both the pedagogical and non-pedagogical staff at its central office. As staff director, LeRoy plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the union operates at the highest caliber.

Assistant Treasurer

Tom Brown Tom Brown is the assistant treasurer of the UFT and an elected trustee on the board of the Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of New York. As a trustee, he assumes the fiduciary duties with his fellow board members of overseeing the policies, funding and responsibilities of the retirement system to ensure that the benefits for contributors and beneficiaries remain strong.

VP for Elementary Schools

Karen Alford Karen Alford is vice president for elementary schools. Having distinguished herself with her strong union advocacy, Karen was selected as the UFT District 23 representative in 2005 and was elected to her current post three years later. Karen spearheads the union’s Community Learning Schools Initiative.

VP for Special Education

MaryJo Ginese MaryJo Ginese is the UFT Vice President for Special Education. She brings decades of experience as an occupational therapist, then leader for the Supervisors of Nurses and Therapists Chapter, where she was known for helping empower students with self-advocacy for greater independence, and for fostering partnerships with parents to support the medical and educational needs of their students.

VP for Education

Evelyn DeJesus Evelyn DeJesus is vice president for education. A skilled teacher and trained administrator, Evelyn served previously as the UFT’s District 2 representative and Manhattan borough representative. She is a forceful advocate for justice, unafraid to speak truth to power.

VP for Non-DOE Members

Anne Goldman Anne Goldman is the UFT's vice president for non-DOE members, a newly created officer position in the union. A registered professional nurse, Anne was an early leader in the movement to win collective-bargaining rights for nurses in New York City.

VP for Academic High Schools

Janella Hinds Janella Hinds is vice president for academic high schools. She also serves as secretary-treasurer of the New York City Central Labor Council. In her work at the UFT, Janella has championed equity for students and a more meaningful voice for educators.

VP for Middle Schools

Richard Mantell Richard Mantell is vice president for middle schools. From 2006 to 2013, Richard served as district representative for Brooklyn’s District 18. As a district rep, Rich proved masterful at mobilizing union members for political action. He also gave extraordinary support to chapter leaders.

VP for Career and Technical Education High Schools

Sterling Roberson

Sterling Roberson is vice president for Career and Technical Education. He has devoted thirty years of his public school career ensuring that New York City’s students receive a quality academic education with career-ready skills in a healthy and safe learning environment.