Roberts is elected to NEA Board of Directors

Todd Roberts, Senior Elementary Education Major, stands with the Kansas National Education Association Student Program bulletin board that he helped to create in Visser Hall. Over the summer, Roberts was elected to the National Education Association Board of Directors.

For the past four years, Todd Roberts, senior elementary education major, has been actively involved with the National Education Association Student Program (NEA SP). On June 27, he was elected to the NEA SP Board of Directors (NEA SP BOD).

             

Roberts attended the Summer Leadership Conference for NEA from June 23 through June 28 in Philadelphia and was elected while at the conference.

             

As the Kansas NEA SP State President this past school year, Roberts wanted to be on the BOD because he felt it was the next step.

             

“I wanted to be more involved and have more of an impact on NEA,” he said. “Being on the BOD is just a natural progression for me; it is the next level for me.”

             

In order to get elected to the BOD by nearly 300 students at the conference, Roberts had to campaign for four months. He raised around $2,200 in donations from his supporters and with that money he was able to purchase items to hand out with his Wizard of Oz inspired slogan, “Todd Roberts for NEA Board of Directors with Courage, Brains, and Heart,” on them such as stress relievers, fortune cookies, pens and post-its.

             

Being on the BOD, Roberts, along with two other students, will represent over 60,000 students across the nation. He will travel to Washington D.C. five times in the next year in order to fulfill his duties. His position includes lobbying legislators on education issues such as No Child Left Behind, college affordability and school funding.

             

“The opportunity to meet with congressional people and to impact education in such a huge way is something I’m really looking forward to,” Roberts said.

             

Roberts first got involved with NEA when he was a freshman in college at Highland Community College. He was the recipient of an education scholarship and because of this he was required to be involved. After attending his first KNEA conference at ESU, though, he realized he wanted to become more involved.

             

The next year he was Highland CC KNEA President and then from 2005-2006 he became the KNEA SP State President Elect in order to become the state president last year.

             

All of these positions have helped prepare Roberts for his position on the BOD this year. Roberts is also currently the president of ESU’s KNEA SP and is excited to made a difference I that role throughout the year.

                                                                                                                                                               

“I hope to get the organization more involved in the community and on campus,” he said. “I want to do more professional development through having speakers come in to discuss interviewing, resumes and even a first year teacher panel.”

 

Last Updated August 27, 2007>