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Meet Our Members

177,000 members strong

What is PSEA? We are 177,000 members – members who stick up for each other, support each other, and speak out when they need to.

Meet just a few of the dedicated men and women who make PSEA strong, and who make a difference in the lives of Pennsylvania students every day.

Learn how you can join us.

John Odell

Phoenixville EA member John Odell is in his second successful career.

The eighth-grade science teacher studied meteorology at the University of Oklahoma but felt a calling to serve during the time of the Vietnam War. He joined ROTC with plans to stay in the military for two years. That turned into a 24-year career with the Army.

As he approached the end of his military service, he had decisions to make about his future.

“I remember going to all the parent-teacher conferences, and both of my sons had special needs, and I was really impressed by the administration, the school counselors, and all of the teachers,” he said.

Nicole Belick Kratz

Council Rock EA member Nicole Belick Kratz was in her second year of teaching family and consumer science at Holland Middle School when she learned that due to district renovations, she would not have use of a kitchen – for two years.

How do you teach a cooking curriculum without a kitchen? With a little planning, creativity, and innovation.

Kratz asked the Bucks County school to invest in some small kitchen appliances so her students could still independently create food items. Using blenders, waffle irons, panini presses, and microwaves, her students found success in their makeshift kitchen.

Meet Sherri Hughes

Congratulations to North Pocono EA member Sherri Hughes and her third-grade student, Lillianna. They’re the winners of the “My Teacher is an Olympian” contest, sponsored by PSEA, Partners for Public Education, and the Pennsylvania PTA.

Hughes is a third-grade teacher at Moscow Elementary Center in North Pocono School District, Lackawanna and Wayne counties.

The “My Teacher is an Olympian” contest was open to students in kindergarten through third grade. Students were asked to write three original reasons explaining why their nominee shows one or all of the following qualities of an Olympian: friendship, solidarity, and fair play. They were also asked to illustrate one or more reasons.

Meet Mallory Piercy

Mallory Piercy is making strides as the PSEA-PACE chair of Student PSEA.

Piercy, a junior, is a secondary education English major and political science minor at Clarion University. And she sees the impact that politics has on her future career. Now, she wants to make sure other aspiring educators are aware, too.

She's using her leadership position in Student PSEA to boost communications with fellow members and encourage them to use their voices to advocate for public education.

"It's extremely important that as aspiring educators, we are aware of upcoming education policy and can advocate for or against it, because it will impact us and our students as soon as we become teachers," she said.

Meet Kathleen Kole

Kathleen Cole is the recipient of the PSEA School Nurse Section's 2016 Certified School Nurse Leadership Award.

Cole has been a certified school nurse in the Penncrest School District, Crawford County, for 34 years. She currently serves as CSN for two of the district's schools, Cambridge Springs High School and Cambridge Elementary School.

She also mentors college nursing students, new CSNs, and health room technicians; encourages high school students to consider nursing as a career; and coordinates student health fairs, immunization clinics, and the Concussion Management Team.

"I'm so honored to think that my fellow certified school nurses would think that highly of me,'' Cole said. "I accept the award on behalf of all CSNs who do the same thing I do every day.''

Meet Clovis Gallon

For Clovis Gallon, the fight for York City schools is more than protecting public education.

As a leader in the fight to stop the corporate takeover of the city’s schools, Gallon decided that he needed to do more than just teach his students. He decided that he needed to speak for them.

So, he became the public face of the York community’s opposition to efforts to charterize the school district, speaking out on television, radio, and in newspapers for months.

“It wasn’t just about my being able to continue as a professional here in this district,” Gallon said. “It was about where I come from and my community. I’m a graduate of the school. I have children who attend schools in the district. I also coach high school boys’ basketball here,” he said. “I have a lot invested in the community and school district.”

Meet Nancy Dunn

Nancy Dunn believes in the power of the personal connection. The Chichester EA president sees it as crucial to fostering leadership within PSEA.

“I would have never, ever considered a leadership role if it hadn’t been for leaders in my local recognizing my passion and interest, and approaching me to step up,” she said. “It speaks to members who are already in leadership positions providing training and personally challenging members. People are willing to step up, but you have to ask them.”

After the impact her local leaders made on her, Dunn now looks to be that guiding light for others.

“We are training and building up the feeling of confidence in each of our members,” she said. “It’s the ability to not just go to that ‘union person’ in your local. Everybody is that union person.”

Meet Dave Brady

As a leader in his community and his school district, Dave Brady is always helping people.

The York City education support professional serves as a Desktop Support II, fixing computers as part of a team that assists students, teachers, and staff in accessing resources on classroom and office computers.

Caring for children comes naturally to Brady, who helps coordinate the activities of the York County Toys for Tots local community organization. More than 800 local community organizations support the Toys for Tots program across the country.

"In 2015, we were able to provide 32,000 toys to more than 20,000 children in York County through our partner agencies, including the Salvation Army, Crispus Attucks, Centro Hispano, and York City Police," Brady said.

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