Ella Flagg Young NEA's first female president

Luminaries

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Leaders of the National Education Association have been leaders in the greater education community since NEA's founding in 1857 as the National Teachers Association. During the first fifty years, administrators led the organization, but as classroom teachers increasingly dominated the membership, the Association leadership came from the ranks of teachers.

The people featured here are a sampling of the visionaries who have helped the Association grow into the nation's largest professional organization and the most authoritative and influential voice for America's public education employees.

See NEA Presidents and Annual Meeting Cities
for a complete list of NEA presidents since 1857.

Thomas W. Valentine In 1857, Thomas W. Valentine (New York), president of New York State Teachers Association, invited educators to form a national teachers' organization. More	Ella Flagg Young Ella Flagg Young (New York and Chicago) was the first woman elected president of the NEA, in 1910. More
Zalmon Richards In 1858, Zalmon Richards (District of Columbia) became the first elected president of the National Teachers' Association (NTA), later renamed the National Education Association. More	Cornelia Adair Cornelia S. Adair (Virginia) was the first classroom teacher elected president of NEA, in 1927. More
Thomas W. Bicknell Thomas W. Bicknell (Rhode Island), a writer, educator, and nationally known publisher of educational journals, served as NEA president in 1884. More	Kate Frank Kate Frank (Oklahoma) was a teacher who dared fight a wrongful termination. Her case had major ramifications for the rights of all educators. More

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