Lily Eskelsen
Encyclopedia
Lily Eskelsen is an American
teacher and trade union
leader. She is currently the vice-president of the National Education Association
.
. Her father was in the United States Army
. Her mother is from Panama
. After high school, she married Ruel Eskelsen. They have two children. Eskelsen began her career as a cafeteria worker, and then a kindergarten aide, before going back to school to pursue a teaching degree. She worked her way through the University of Utah on scholarships, student loans, and as a starving folk singer, graduating magna cum laude in elementary education and later earning her master's degree in instructional technology.
in Utah
. In 1989, she was named Utah Teacher of the Year.
Later, while in union leadership positions, she taught homeless children in a single classroom at Salt Lake City's homeless Shelter, and the Christmas Box House
Children's Shelter, a kindergarten through 6th grade one-room public school serving hard-to-place foster children in Salt Lake City.
, an affiliate of the National Education Association
(NEA). One of her initiatives as UEA president was to organize the Children at Risk Foundation; she served as its first president Eskelsen also served as president of the Utah State Retirement System.
in the general election.
In 2000, she served as a member of President Bill Clinton
's White House Strategy Session on Improving Hispanic Education, and in 2011, President Obama
named her a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics
Eskelsen is a national leader among Hispanic educators; she addressed the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Institute (CHCI) Public Policy Conference in September 2008.
Eskelsen authored a humor column on parenting that ran in 22 local newspapers. Her education advice for parents has been published in Time
, Working Mother, and Woman's World
, and she's been featured on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes
and CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight
. She has been the invited keynote speaker for hundreds of education events in virtually every state and was highlighted by Education World in their "Best Conference Speakers" edition.
Her union leadership has included writing protest songs, including one about the No Child Left Behind Act
. As vice president, she has been part of NEA’s recent emphasis on working with the American labor movement; she appeared in Washington, D.C.
on December 10, 2009, with labor leaders from the Teamsters
and the AFL-CIO
to speak out against taxing health-care benefits, where she said, "We should tax the millionaires, not teachers and bus drivers."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
teacher and trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
leader. She is currently the vice-president of the National Education Association
National Education Association
The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
.
Early life and education
Lily Eskelsen was born Lilia Laura Pace on May 1, 1955, in Fort Hood, TexasFort Hood, Texas
Fort Hood is a United States military post located outside of Killeen, Texas. The post is named after Confederate General John Bell Hood. It islocated halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas....
. Her father was in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. Her mother is from Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. After high school, she married Ruel Eskelsen. They have two children. Eskelsen began her career as a cafeteria worker, and then a kindergarten aide, before going back to school to pursue a teaching degree. She worked her way through the University of Utah on scholarships, student loans, and as a starving folk singer, graduating magna cum laude in elementary education and later earning her master's degree in instructional technology.
Teaching
In 1980, Eskelsen went to work teaching fourth, fifth, and sixth grades at Orchard Elementary in the Granite School DistrictGranite School District
The Granite School District spreads across central Salt Lake County, Utah, serving West Valley City, Taylorsville, South Salt Lake, and Holladay; Kearns, Magna and Millcreek Township; and parts of West Jordan, Murray and Cottonwood Heights. About 70,000 students are enrolled in its programs ranging...
in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. In 1989, she was named Utah Teacher of the Year.
Later, while in union leadership positions, she taught homeless children in a single classroom at Salt Lake City's homeless Shelter, and the Christmas Box House
Richard Paul Evans
Richard Paul Evans is an American author.-Biography:Evans graduated from Cottonwood High School in Salt Lake City. He graduated with a B.A. degree from the University of Utah in 1984. While working as an advertising executive he wrote a Christmas story for his children...
Children's Shelter, a kindergarten through 6th grade one-room public school serving hard-to-place foster children in Salt Lake City.
Labor leader - Utah
The press coverage she received as a result of the Teacher of the Year award encouraged her to run for office, and in 1990 she won a write-in election as president of the Utah Education AssociationUtah Education Association
The Utah Education Association is the largest public education employees' union in the U.S. state of Utah, representing more than 18,000 teachers. It has local affiliates in 41 school districts, Applied Technology Colleges, and the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind...
, an affiliate of the National Education Association
National Education Association
The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
(NEA). One of her initiatives as UEA president was to organize the Children at Risk Foundation; she served as its first president Eskelsen also served as president of the Utah State Retirement System.
Politics
In 1998 she was the first Hispanic to be chosen as her party's nominee for U.S. Congress in Utah, raising almost $1 million, and receiving 45% of the vote, ultimately losing to incumbent Merrill CookMerrill Cook
Merrill Cook was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Utah.Cook, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from East High School in 1964 and the University...
in the general election.
In 2000, she served as a member of President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's White House Strategy Session on Improving Hispanic Education, and in 2011, President Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
named her a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics
Labor leader - national
In 1996, she was elected to the 9-member NEA Executive Committee. In 2002, she was elected NEA Secretary-Treasurer, and served two three-year terms. On July 4, 2008, she was elected NEA vice-president, and she was re-elected at the 2011 NEA Representative Assembly with over 90% of the vote.Eskelsen is a national leader among Hispanic educators; she addressed the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus comprises 21 Democratic members of the United States Congress most of whom are of Hispanic origin. The Caucus is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics and Latinos in the United States and Puerto Rico...
Institute (CHCI) Public Policy Conference in September 2008.
Eskelsen authored a humor column on parenting that ran in 22 local newspapers. Her education advice for parents has been published in Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Working Mother, and Woman's World
Woman's World
Woman's World is an American supermarket weekly magazine with a circulation of 1.6 million readers. Generally marketed with other tabloid papers, it concentrates on short stories about popular woman-focused subjects such as weight loss , relationship advice and cooking, though also...
, and she's been featured on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes
Hannity & Colmes
Hannity & Colmes was a live television show on Fox News Channel in the United States, hosted by Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes, who respectively presented a conservative and liberal perspective. The series premiered on October 6, 1996, and the final episode aired on January 9, 2009. It was the...
and CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Lou Dobbs Tonight is an American editorial commentary and discussion program hosted by Lou Dobbs, previously broadcast on CNN and currently on Fox Business Network. The hour-long show aired live on evenings every weekday, and was replayed in the overnight/early morning hours. It covered the major...
. She has been the invited keynote speaker for hundreds of education events in virtually every state and was highlighted by Education World in their "Best Conference Speakers" edition.
Her union leadership has included writing protest songs, including one about the No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
. As vice president, she has been part of NEA’s recent emphasis on working with the American labor movement; she appeared in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
on December 10, 2009, with labor leaders from the Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
and the AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
to speak out against taxing health-care benefits, where she said, "We should tax the millionaires, not teachers and bus drivers."