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Antonia (Toni) CorteseFirst Vice President Antonia Cortese has served as an officer of the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) since being elected second vice president in 1973, a position she held until 1985 when she was elected first vice president. She previously was a vice president of NYSUT's predecessor, the New York State Teachers' Association. NYSUT represents more than 500,000 people in New York's public schools, colleges, universities, and health facilities. Ms. Cortese oversees the union's newspaper, a bi-weekly publication, and is responsible for NYSUT's wide-ranging, nationally-respected Division of Research and Educational Services. She also is an elected vice president of the American Federation of Teachers, NYSUT's national parent organization, and sits on the AFT Executive Council. Ms. Cortese is also a vice president of the New York State AFL-CIO. Ms. Cortese, a graduate of Utica College of Syracuse University with a bachelor's degree in psychology, began her education career in her native Rome, New York, as a fourth-grade teacher and school social worker. Her teacher union involvement originated as a building representative for the Rome Teachers' Association, which she later served as secretary, vice president, and two terms as president. Among her many professional activities, Ms. Cortese served on the executive committee and as a member of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which develops and administers assessments leading to the certification of accomplished teachers. She has served as an appointee of the U.S. Secretary of Education to the National Assessment Governing Board which is responsible for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Ms. Cortese is an AFT representative to the Learning First Alliance, a national coalition of major education organizations. She currently serves on the New York State Education Department's Task Force on Closing the Performance Gap, is treasurer of Public Schools for the 21st Century (PS21) and was a member of both the State Advisory Committee on School to Work and New York's Goals 2000 panel. Ms. Cortese was chair of the AFT's K-12 Program and Policy Council. She also served on the Governor's Task Force on School Violence whose recommendations served as the basis for the S.A.V.E. legislation. She has served as a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the New York State Special Olympics. In 1990, she was honored by Utica College as an alumna of achievement in her field. She is a member of the Greater Loudonville Association and is in the Children's Liturgy Program at St. Pius X. April 2002 |
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