J. Philippe Abraham, NYSUT's first vice president, was elected to the office of secretary-treasurer on Feb. 9 in a special election held by the NYSUT Board of Directors to fill the vacancy left by Martin Messner. Messner resigned from the position in November.
As secretary-treasurer, Abraham will oversee the union's financial management. He will continue to lead NYSUT's social justice initiatives as well as serve on the board of the NYSUT Member Benefits Trust.
Installed as first vice president in April 2017, Abraham is NYSUT's first higher education member to serve as a statewide officer. Abraham is an at-large representative for higher education on the National Education Association's Board of Directors and a vice president of the American Federation of Teachers. He came to NYSUT after serving for six years as the elected statewide vice president for professionals of United University Professions, which represents SUNY faculty and staff.