Evan Eslinger began his experience with union activism as an NEA member in the suburban Kansas City area, where he spent eight years as a teacher, coach, and local association president. In 2005, he began union staff work as an Organizational Consultant and organizer with the Arizona Education Association. He then accepted a position with Education Minnesota in 2007, serving as an organizer and organization development specialist throughout the state. He began working for the NEA and became an AFSE member in 2010, eventually serving several leadership roles in AFSE and being elected AFSE president in 2019. He now lives back in suburban Kansas City, where he takes his union activism with a side of barbecue and live blues music.
Vicki Carr-Rodriguez is an Organizational Specialist with the National Education Association (NEA). Before working for the NEA, she was an English teacher for 28 years in St. Lucie County, Florida. She also served as the full-time released President and Vice President of her local union association for 14 years before retiring in 2018 to work for the Florida EA and now NEA. Vicki is an avid gardener of Florida native plants and is the mom of one “grown” son and two rescue dogs.
Amy Simpson spent the first 14 years of her professional career as a citizen advocate and campus organizer for state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs). She worked for consumer and environmental protection, and good government issues (e.g. campaign finance reform) on the state and federal levels in Colorado, Massachusetts, and Ohio. In 2003, she moved to Las Cruces, NM to begin my second career as a high school English and film teacher. She taught English and Film Studies at the high school and college level for the next 12 years. She co-organized the first successful union drive in Charter School in NM. After experiencing attacks on public education in New Mexico, she became a local leader in efforts to fight the devastating policies and (de)forms forced upon students, teachers, and public education. She has been an AFSE member working with the Center for Organizing since 2015.
John "Jonas" Barriere has dedicated his life to organizing since the age of 18, engaging deeply in political, community, and union initiatives. A proud member of AFSE, he has held various roles including steward, bargaining team member, and representative to the pension board, demonstrating his commitment to worker rights and justice. Currently, Jonas works on the Zone 1 team, where he plays a crucial role in supporting union organizing efforts across Maine, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia, striving to empower workers and strengthen communities through collective action.
