Moreno Valley Teacher Named Head of National Council of Urban Education Associations

A Moreno Valley elementary teacher has been named one of three new board of directors members of the NEA Foundation. Katherine Underwood, an elementary teacher in the Moreno Valley Unified School District since 1988, has been selected to serve as the National Education Association's National Council of Urban Education Associations (NCUEA) president, and will serve a three-year term. Underwood previously served as the regional director and the vice president of the NEA, and earned her bachelor's degree at California State University, Fullerton, and received her teaching credential from the Cal State San Bernardino. Her son Eric is an automotive tech instructor in Georgia and her second son, Alan, is a high school music teacher in California. Underwood is joined by two additional board of directors members: Lily Eskelsen García, named president of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union; and Joni L. Henderson, named vice president of Corporate Partnerships at Discovery Education. García and Henderson will both also serve three year terms. The NEA Foundation is a public charity that supports student success by helping public school educators’ work with key partners to build strong systems of shared responsibility. “We are delighted to welcome each of these leaders to the NEA Foundation’s Board of Directors. They are all passionately committed to ensuring that all students have what they need to thrive and succeed in a rapidly changing global economy,” said Harriet Sanford, President and CEO of the NEA Foundation. “Each is a savvy and strategic leader and expert in her field. Each offers the NEA Foundation a unique and important perspective on public education drawn from her experience and relationships within the academic, public, non-profit, and private sectors.” “The NEA Foundation will greatly benefit from the impact of their work and commitment to education reform, as they move into new leadership roles on our board,” said Sanford. “We look forward to their service.”