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  • Executive Board
    President
    Shari Obrenski

    Email:

    Phone:
    216-861-7676

    Shari Obrenski is the President of the Cleveland Teachers Union. She served as an American History and Government teacher at Jane Addams Business Careers Center in the Cleveland Municipal School District for 22 years prior to becoming President of the CTU.

    Her experience with the CTU before becoming President includes 3rd Vice President, Senior High & Special Schools; Chair of the CTU Publications & Social Committees, Member of Grievance Committee (including Director of Grievances from 2008 – 2014), and Director of Negotiations. As Director of Negotiations, President Obrenski led the CTU members to two ratified contracts (2016 & 2019) that were good for the students of Cleveland and fair for the members of the CTU.

    Ms. Obrenski also serves at the 1st Vice President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, Board Chair for the North Shore Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO), and as a Vice President for the Ohio AFL-CIO.




    1st Vice President
    Tracy Radich

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 226

    Tracy is 4th grade teacher at Joseph Gallagher.  At the Union office, she is a member of the CTU Negotiations Team. Tracy is the best contact for the following categories:

    Continuing Education Credits (CEU's)

    Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP)

    License Renewal

    Staffing

    Workday




    2nd Vice President
    Kurt Richards

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 222

    Kurt is a teacher at Benjamin Franklin.  He has served on the Executive Board for 23 years.  In addition to being elected by members as 2nd Vice President, Kurt is the COPE Director, Director of Political Action and Liaison for CTU with the Office of Contractual Implementation. Kurt is also a member of the negotiation team. His favorite part of working for CTU is helping and supporting members.

    His past Union experience with the CTU includes being a building chair for 12 years and many roles over his 23 years on the Executive Board.  Kurt has experience as the Publications Chair, Legislative Chair, member of the social committee, and co-Director of Grievances. 

    It is best to contact Kurt Richards on questions of the following categories:

     - coaching & differentials

     - Political Action




    3rd Vice President, K-8
    Mary Moore

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 253

    Mary Moore is an Intervention Specialist at Willson School.  In addition to her elected role as 3rd Vice President, K-8 on the Executive Board, Mary Moore serves as Director of Negotiations and on the grievance team. Mary's favorite part of working for CTU includes representing members in hearings and in negotiations.

    Mary was a Chapter Chair for Waverly between 2003 - 2009 before being appointed to the Executive Board.  Her past experience at the union office includes the Nominations & Elections Committee, Social Committee Chair, and a member of the negotiation team before becoming Director of Negotiations. 

    The union topics that Mary is best suited to answer include: 

    - K- 8 issues

    - Special education

    - MOUs (negotiations)

    - Grievances

    - Scheduling

     - CBA




    3rd Vice President, K-8
    Jillian Ahrens

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 238

    Jillian is a 1st grade teacher at Memorial.  Jillian is elected by members as 3rd Vice President (K-8) and represents CTU members in a number of roles, including: co-Director of Grievances, CTU Chair on the TDES Steering Committee, CTU Chair of Humanware/SEL Executive Committee.  She is an expert in social emotional learning (SEL) and has presented at several CASEL conferences on this topic. Jillian's favorite part of working at the CTU is representing the amazing, hard working members.

    Over the years, Jillian has had a lot of union experience, which started as a Chapter Chair. Jillian has served as Membership Chair and Ed Issues Chair while serving members in the K-8 Member-at-Large position before being elected as a 3rd Vice President.  Additionally, Jillian is on the negotiation team and has served on the TGRG Committee.

    Jillian is best able to answer questions in the following categories:

    - Grievances 

    - TDES Evaluation

    - SEL/Humanware

    - Restorative Practices

    -TGRG

    - CBA

    - Building Concerns




    3rd Vice President, Senior/Special
    Debbie Paden

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 252

    Debbie is currently a Teacher On Assignment, serving the District as the Resident Educator Program Coordinator.  In addition to serving as your 3rd VP, Debbie serves as Grievances co-chair. She also serves on the TDES Committee, on the Joint Scheduling Committee, and the LPDC Committee.  Debbie is proud to contribute to the work that CTU does as a  leading champion of good public schools, the protection of individual rights, and the expansion of individual opportunities for all.

    Debbie can answer questions related to:

    -Academic Achievement Plans (AAP)

    -IPDP (Individual Professional Development Plan)

    -Grievances

    -License Renewal

    -Linkage

    -New teachers to CMSD

    -Resident Educator Program




    Treasurer
    Jim Wagner

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 255

    Jim Wagner is a 5th grade regular education teacher at Benjamin Franklin school.  In 2021, Jim was elected as Treasurer of the CTU after serving in the Trustee role for a number of years.  Jim is an OFT representative on the Ohio Educator Standards Board, which meets quarterly in Columbus.  He is also an OFT Executive Council Delegate for CTU. Working with the members to solve problems and make members happy is Jim's favorite part of working at the CTU office.

    Before being elected by members on Executive Board, Jim served as a chapter chair.  Past union experience also includes CTU Membership Chair, CTU Social Chair, Member-at-Large for K-8, and Trustee representing K-8 members.

    Jim should be contacted for the following question categories: 

    ADA accommodations

    Assaults & Menacing

    CEUs (Continuing Education Credits)

    Grievances

    IPDP (Individual Professional Development Plan)

    License Renewal

    Preliminary Investigations (District-level)

    Special transfer hearings




    Secretary
    Michelle Rzucidlo

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 257

    Michelle is a Preschool Intervention Specialist at Mary B Martin.  Michelle is elected as Secretary for CTU and is the appointed Bargaining Unit Director.  She serves members as a VP for the North Shore AFL-CIO. Additionally, Michelle is a part of the negotiation team for CTU.  Michelle's favorite part of working for the CTU is interacting with members.

    Michelle is the best contact for questions in the following categories:

    -ADAs

    -Ease @ Work

    -Healthcare 

    -Leaves of absences

    -Preschool

    -Retirement

    -School calendar

    -Special Education

    -Workday




    Sergeant-At-Arms
    Cheryl Neylon

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 264

    Cheryl Neylon is a technology teacher at Charles Mooney. She is on the Grievance Team and participates in Workday Trainings with the District. Cheryl serves as the OFT Communications Committee Chair.  Cheryl's favorite part of working for the CTU is meeting and talking to new people and helping members!

    Cheryl's past union experience includes serving on the UCC for Charles Mooney,  being the Membership Chair, an elected Trustee - and appointed to Head Trustee by colleagues.

    Cheryl can also answer questions related to: 

    -ADA accommodations

    -Electives

    -ESP

    -Fact Finding hearings

    -Grievances

    -Preliminary Investigations (school level)

    -Special transfers

    -Substitutes

    -Workday




    Trustee-at-Large
    Mark Baumgartner

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 272

    Mark is an English Teacher at Max Hayes High School.  He's held the elected position of Trustee-at-Large for 16 years and been the appointed Director of Professional Issues for 14 years.  Mark serves on the CTU negotiation team, is a Board Member of the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, and the OFT Educational Issues Committee Chair.  Mark's favorite part of working at CTU is actually getting to work to improve the lives of our members and working with the district on educational issues that impact learning. 

    Mark can be contacted for questions in the following areas:

    Academic Achievement Plans (AAP)

    ER & D

    JSC

    Linkage

    PACE

    PowerSchool

    Professional Issues, Director

    Redesign Schools

    Say Yes

    TDES (& TDES Steering Committee)

    Tutoring




    Trustee-at-Large
    Andrea Dockery-Murray

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 266

    Andrea is a visual art teacher at John Adams College & Career Academy.  She is elected as Trustee-at-Large by members.  Additionally, Andrea serves as an OFT Executive Council member, and Chapter Chair for John Adams.  Andrea's favorite part of working for CTU is supporting all members. 

    Past Union experience that Andrea brings to the table includes being an elected K-8 Member-at-Large representative.  Andrea has attended AFT Conventions as your CTU Delegate and has been a dedicated union member since beginning her career in CMSD. 

    She can also be contacted for questions regarding the following topics:

    -Electives

    -ESP

    -Tax Program

    -Written mutual agreements between the principal & UCC




    Trustee, K-8
    Bonnie Hedges

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 240

    Bonnie is a 5/6 math and science teacher at Willson.  She serves on the UCC team at Willson and is an elected K-8 Trustee on the CTU Executive Board.  Bonnie's favorite part of working for CTU is helping the members. Bonnie believes that the CTU makes a difference and enjoys being a part of that work.

    Bonnie's past union experience includes being a Union Chair for 15 years and being an appointed member of the Executive Board prior to being elected.  While appointed, she served as the Legislative Chair. 

    Bonnie can be contacted for questions related to the following:

    -AAP

    -CBA

    -CEUs (Continuing Education Credits)

    -Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP)




    Trustee, Senior/Special
    Dorothy Fair

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 242

    Dorothy is an Intervention Specialist at East Tech. She is your elected Trustee, Senior/special.  Dorothy's favorite part of working at CTU is meeting people from all over the US and other countries.  She also loves seeing that she is making a difference on the local, state & national levels.

    Dorothy can answer questions in the following areas:

    -Differentials

    -FLMA (and LOA)

    -Humanware (SEL)

    -PBIS

    -Special Education




    Trustee, K-8
    Cindy Antonio

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 225

    Cindy Antonio is a Middle School 6-8 ELA Teacher at Willson. She currently serves as a Trustee, K-8 for the union.  In addition, she is the Director of the Member Mobilization Leaders (MMLs) and holds workshops related to student loan forgiveness.

    Before being elected to the Executive Board, Cindy was the Union Chair for Willow.  She was elected as K-8 Member at Large and served as the Salary & Benefits Chair prior to serving as Trustee.  Cindy's favorite part of working for CTU is helping CTU members to understand that their voices are heard.  She enjoys helping to answer questions that members may have, so feel free to reach out with any questions! 

    Union topics that Cindy is most knowledgeable about include: 

    -Employee benefits

    -Healthcare

    -Political Action

    -Public Service Loan forgiveness

    - STRS/ Retirement




    Member-at-Large, K-8
    Stephanie Henderson

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 262

    Stephanie is a Kindergarten teacher at East Clark.  Stephanie was a building chair for several years before being elected to the CTU Executive Board.  She currently serves as Member-at-Large, K-8 and serves as the Civil, Democratic, and Human Rights (CDHR) chair.  In 2021, Stephanie served as the Educational Issues Chair before returning to the CDHR Chair again this year.  Stephanie's favorite part of working for the CTU is serving our members!

    In addition to general union questions, Stephanie can answer questions regarding the following topics: 

    -CDHR

    -Educational Issues

    -Grade Level Preference

    -Kindergarten-related questions




    Member-at-Large, K - 8
    Christy Rorick Brown

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 235

    Christy is a 6-8 Low Incidence Intervention Specialist at Joseph Gallagher.  Christy was elected to the CTU Executive Board in 2021 as Member-at-Large (K-8), after serving as an appointee for several years.  In 2022, Christy took over as co-chair of the Joint Special Education Committee (JSEC) and sends out regular updates in the Special Education newsletter, which can be found on the website HERE.  Christy also continues to serve as the Publications Chair, which is a position she's held since first being appointed to the Executive Board. The CTU Publications include the Critique, Official CTU Facebook page, & CTU Pinterest page. The CTU also communicates with our members through text, personal email, and member mobilization.  Christy's favorite part of working for the CTU is helping members.  Feel free to reach out to Christy with any questions you may have!

    The topics that Christy can answer questions about (in addition to general CBA questions) include: 

    - CTU Communications

    -Special education

    -Union publications




    Member-at-Large, K-8
    Shauntina Thornton

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 273

    Shauntina is a Middle School teacher at Nathan Hale.  She has served on the UCC at Nathan Hale for the past 4 years. In 2020, Shauntina joined the Political Mobilization Leadership (PML) team (now known as MMLs) and worked with 8 other new leaders in engaging members with the union for various campaigns and projects.  In 2022, Shauntina was appointed to the CTU Executive Board and became the Legislative Chair.  Shauntina's favorite part of working for the CTU is continuing the work for members and advancing our union efforts.

    She can be contacted for questions regarding:

    -Legislative Issues

    -Member Mobilization Leadership organizing

    -Political Action




    Member-at-Large, senior/special
    Justin Willis, Sr.

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 243

    Justin is a Transition Coordinator at JFK Highschool and various K-8 buildings.  Before serving as an Executive Board member, Justin served the CTU as a Chapter Chair and as the assistant chair to various committees, including: Civil, Democratic, and Human Rights Committee (CDHR); Salary & Benefits Committee; and the Legislative Committee. Justin was appointed to the Executive Board before being elected in 2021, serving as the Community Relations Chair.  In 2021, he was elected as a Member-at-Large by members to the Executive Board and continues to serve as the Community Relations Chair. Justin also is a member of the OFT Executive Committee and OFT Executive Council.  Justin's favorite part of working for CTU is working for all members and helping the Greater Cleveland community. 

    Justin wants to hear from you! Please contact Justin if you know of community events or services available in Greater Cleveland that may be beneficial to CTU Members, our students, and the families we serve!  Additionally, Justin can be contacted with questions regarding the following union topics: 

    -Serving students with disabilities (SWD)

    -Special Education

    -Transition services




    Para Chairperson
    Cherylane Jones-Williams

    Email:

    Phone:
    x. 241

    Cherylane Jones Williams is an Instructional Assistant at Joseph Gallagher.  She is the elected paraprofessional representative on the Executive Board and serves on the grievance and negotiation teams in this role.  Cherylanes favorite part of working for the CTU is working on behalf of all of our paraprofessional members and collaborating with the other chapters within our union!

    She is the best contact for representation of paraprofessionals, or questions in the following areas:

    -Educational Aide permits

    -Grievances

    -Licensure

    -Paraprofessionals (all classifications)

    -Para Career Ladder

    -PCIA, Co-chair

    -Permit renewal, paraprofessionals

    -Working conditions

    Workday




    Nurse Chapter Chair
    Bev Scott

    Email:

    Phone:
    ext. 237

    Nurse Bev is an Registered School Nurse. She is the elected nurse chapter chair and serves on the Executive Board in this role.  Previous union experience includes serving on the Nurses UCC.  Nurse Bev's favorite part of working for the CTU is supporting students and staff in CMSD.

    She is best suited to answer questions in the following categories: 

    -COVID

    -Health & Wellness





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