EAST LANSING — Chandra Madafferi was elected president of the Michigan Education Association on Saturday at MEA’s Representative Assembly at the MSU Kellogg Center in East Lansing.

Madafferi, a longtime teacher in Novi Community Schools and vice president of the 100,000-plus member union since 2017, will begin a three-year term as president on July 15.

“It is both humbling and an honor to have been elected MEA’s new president. I am eager to return the respect and prestige to the education profession that has been absent for so long,” Madafferi said. “Now more than ever we must rally around all our members who, in turn, are the daily supports and inspiration for our students. This includes securing better wages, benefits, working conditions, and professional supports. Together, we can make education the profession of the future, thereby strengthening our state for generations to come.”

In addition, the following officers were elected to three-year terms, also beginning July 15:

Vice President: Brett Smith, a teacher in Linden Community Schools and MEA’s current secretary-treasurer

Secretary-Treasurer: Aaron Eling, a teacher in Grand Haven Area Public Schools

MEA’s Representative Assembly is the organization’s highest decision making body, made up of more than 500 delegates elected by PreK-12 through higher education employees from across Michigan.  The RA elects MEA’s officers, establishes the organization’s budget and dues, and sets policy for the state’s largest education employee union.