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HARRISBURG, PA (August 31, 2023) – The Pennsylvania State Education Association’s three state officers will begin two-year terms in office starting Friday.
Aaron Chapin, a middle school teacher in the Stroudsburg Area School District, will take office as PSEA president, and Jeff Ney, an elementary teacher in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, will step into the role of PSEA vice president. Chapin previously served as PSEA vice president, and Ney as PSEA treasurer.
Joining them is Rachael West, a secondary math teacher in the Red Lion School District, who will take office as PSEA treasurer. West has previously served as the treasurer of PSEA’s Southern Region.
“It is an honor and a privilege to serve as PSEA’s president,” Chapin said. “I’m eager to work in partnership with Jeff and Rachael to lift the voices of our members, promote the great things happening in Pennsylvania’s public schools, and make sure that every public school student has access to a high quality education.”
Chapin previously served as PSEA’s Northeastern Region president and as president of his local, the Stroudsburg Area Education Association. He has also served on the PSEA Board of Directors and on the National Education Association’s Committee for Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules.
Chapin taught fourth and fifth grade for 25 years, most of that time at the Stroudsburg Area Middle School. He’s taught all content areas throughout his career but has focused particularly on social studies and reading.
As president of PSEA, Chapin plans to focus on finding solutions to some of the toughest challenges facing public education today, including crisis-level school staff shortages and inequities in education funding.
“It is our job to fight for the policies and resources that our members need to do their jobs well, so that all Pennsylvania students can succeed and thrive,” Chapin said. “We have a responsibility as a union to listen to our members and to lift up their voices in important debates in Harrisburg and in school districts across the state.”
Ney previously served as president and vice president of PSEA’s Northeastern Region and has served on the PSEA Board of Directors. As PSEA treasurer, he chaired the Budget Committee, Audit Committee, and Property Committee. He has also served as president of his local, the Wilkes-Barre Area Education Association.
During his 20 years as a Wilkes-Barre area elementary teacher, Ney taught students in second to sixth grade and has coached swimming at the high school level.
“I look forward to engaging our members at every level of PSEA,” Ney said. “I have made member engagement a top priority in every leadership role I have held, and I will continue to do so as vice president.”
West has served as a building rep, grievance chair, and president of the Red Lion Area Education Association. She is also a member of the PSEA Ethnic Minority Caucus, the PSEA Legislative Committee, and the PSEA Board of Directors.
As PSEA’s treasurer, West will oversee the financial operations of the Association.
“I am truly honored to have been elected PSEA treasurer,” West said. “It will be a privilege to represent my colleagues who teach and serve public school students every day. As a PSEA officer, I look forward to advocating for all of them to make our public schools the very best they can be.”
An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents about 177,000 active and retired educators and school employees, student teachers, higher education staff, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.
