Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1539593
Hispanic Caucus. She is a two-time Education International (World Congress) delegate. Fun fact: Ávila founded CTA's Zumba Caucus, integrating her passion for dance fitness with the education sector. Jesse Aguilar DISTRICT H Aguilar is a high school visual arts teacher in Kern County. He represents thousands of educators in Kern, Tulare, Kings, Inyo and Mono counties, as well as educators in the High Desert in L .A. County. Aguilar 's service with the Kern High School Teachers Assn. includes vice president, bargaining and grievance chair, and member of the exec- utive board. As a State Council delegate, he served on key workgroups dealing with teacher evaluations, the CTA Long-Term Strategic Plan, political involvement, and high school restructuring. He was also a CTA liaison to the Cal- ifornia State Board of Education. Aguilar is an advocate of racial and social justice and has written articles and orga- nized around those issues for years. Fun fact: Aguilar is a huge political nerd and a three-time delegate to the National Democratic Convention. Christopher Bushée DISTRICT I Bushée is a high school chemistry educator whose union experience comprises decades of service as grievance chair, bargaining chair, political action chair, vice president and president of the Beverly Hills Education Assn. At regional and state levels, Bushée has held multiple leadership roles, including State Council rep, CTA/ABC (Assn. For Better Citizenship) committee member, Legislative Sub-Committee Co-Chair of Curriculum and Instruction and delegate to the NEA RA. Honors include CTA's Theodore Bass Memorial Teacher-in-Politics Award in 2009 and WHO (We Honor Ours) Awards in 2011, 2015 and 2016. Fun fact: Bushée's wife Claudia is a longtime CTA-ESP member who assists teachers with special needs students. Mel House DISTRICT J House is a credentialed P.E. teacher currently with LAUSD's Physical Education Teacher Itinerant Program. They served on CTA's Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues Advisory and LGBTQ+ Conference planning committees and chaired the Equity and Human Rights Conference. A CTA State Council delegate for 13 years and NEA RA dele- gate for 15 years, House was also an active UTLA member. They served on the NEA Board of Directors for six years, the last four as CTA/NEA Coordinating Director. In 2015, they received both the NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence and Global Learning Fellowship. Fun fact: House dislocated their shoulder while under- ground at Mammoth Cave National Park . Wendy Eccles DISTRICT K Social studies teacher Eccles is a 22-year educator and member of NEA-Jurupa, where she served as president and held multiple leadership roles. She chaired the CTA/ABC Committee and San Gorgonio Service Center Council, was president of Citrus Belt UniServ, was a State Council dele- gate for 12 years and NEA RA delegate for 15 years. Eccles also serves on the San Bernardino County Democratic Cen- tral Committee and California Democratic Party Executive Board. She was recently elected Secretary of the CADEM Labor Caucus. Her greatest honor is being mom to JJ, who just graduated from SDSU. Fun fact: Eccles is an avid football fan and LA Rams season ticket holder. Ken Tang DISTRICT L Tang was six when he and his family fled Vietnam, eventually settling in Alhambra. He transformed the trauma, hunger, constant moves, language barriers and racial bullying into a call to service — pouring his life into education and social justice, advocating for students, families and teachers as a public school teacher, community volunteer and labor leader. Tang has served Garvey Education Assn. as president. He has been a State Council delegate, chaired the CTA Pacific Asian American Caucus and co-chaired the Racial Equity Affairs Committee. He served on NEA's Board of Directors and the Alhambra Unified school board. Fun fact: Each year Tang and his students select a charity to support by raising awareness through activities and fundraisers. Joe Bartell DISTRICT M Bartell, a veteran instrumental music teacher, represents educators in parts of Orange and Riverside counties. He served for seven years as president of the Brea-Olinda Teachers Assn. and was also vice president and a member of the bargaining team. His many roles at State Council include serving as a delegate for five years, chairing the Legislation Committee and heading the CTA/ABC Committee for District M. Bartell received a WHO Award from his CTA chapter in 2009, and a statewide WHO Award in 2017. He was also honored in 2018 with the University of Redlands Alumni Edu- cator of the Year Award. Fun fact: A talented musician, Bartell plays the saxophone, flute and clarinet. 49 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 5