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From the Lansing State Journal: https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/education/2026/04/06/as-artemis-ii-heads-to-moon-a-small-town-michigan-teacher-is-headed-to-nasa/89401671007/ Dee Smith In a few months, Dee Smith will make her way from Ashley - a small village of about 500 people located north of Lansing, traveling some 1,300 miles south to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas. Smith will be part of NASA's LiftOff Summer institute, which provides teachers with information and experiences…

Heather Schulz Heather Schulz is a middle school science teacher in Lakeview Public Schools in St. Clair Shores, currently in her 29th year in the classroom. She has been an active union leader for the majority of her career, dedicating her time and voice to advancing the profession and supporting her colleagues. Heather currently serves as President of Local 1…

Aaron Eling Aaron Eling serves as MEA Secretary-Treasurer and is seeking re-election. In this role, he has worked to modernize financial systems, strengthen transparency, and expand support for local leaders across the state. Aaron represents MEA on the Michigan Climate Jobs Coalition and serves on the Statewide AI Steering Committee. He is a participant in the Advanced Education Policy Leadership…

Bob Callender Bob Callender has dedicated his career to strengthening public education, advancing union activism, and delivering meaningful results for his local membership. He has worked for Warren Consolidated Schools for twenty-six years and has served as President of the Warren Education Association for the past ten years. Bob holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Michigan–Flint,…

Chandra Madafferi Chandra Madafferi has proudly served as MEA President & CEO for the past three years and began her membership at Central Michigan University as a student member more than twenty-five years ago. Elected MEA vice president in 2017, she has held leadership roles at the local, regional, and state levels. She earned a master’s degree in education from…

After nearly two decades as a teacher, Brett Smith left his fifth-grade classroom in Linden in 2017 for a new challenge as an MEA officer. Nine years later, he leaves office as MEA vice president this summer proud of the relationships and accomplishments that marked his tenure. “Interacting with members, leaders and staff from MEA, MESSA and MEA Financial Services…

ICYMI: Member lives Olympic dream MEA member Jake Davis, a chemistry teacher at Lincoln Park High School, achieved a long-held Olympic dream in February — but he didn’t compete at the Games in Milan. He officiated. “It’s been a long process, a lot of commitment and sacrifices to be at the top for sure,” he says. Davis began officiating hockey…

L-R Holland teacher Carl Van Faasen, Jenison para Diana Madden, MEA UD Clint Waller, Rep. Nancy DeBoer, and Hudsonville teacher Michael Anderson at a leg council dinner. As a 27-year paraeducator at Jenison Public Schools, MEA member Diana Madden never imagined she would sit down to dinner with the chairwoman of the state House Education and Workforce Committee to discuss…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Support over blame Danielle Cover MEA member Danielle Cover has seen the difference it makes for students when state leaders listen to educators and deliver resources that schools need, rather than issuing unfunded mandates and setting up systems of punishment based on standardized test scores. A 19-year educator, Cover teaches first grade in Ferndale…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Vanessa Wentzloff Last school year, MEA member Vanessa Wentzloff felt genuine appreciation at seeing her students pass paper notes to each other in class. The high school science teacher first saw the behavior after her Oakland County school district — Avondale — instituted a strict new technology policy banning students’ use of cell phones…