NPC Headliners Luncheon with NEA President Lily Eskelsen García

As more than 50 million public school students head back to classrooms across the country, National Education Association (NEA) President Lily Eskelsen García will assess the Trump education agenda and its potential impact on students and public schools at a National Press Club Headliners Luncheon September 8.

Eskelsen García’s address to the club comes at a time when the U.S. Department of Education, under the leadership of Secretary Betsy DeVos, is seeking to expand efforts to privatize public education and roll back student protections. Eskelsen García will offer not only a critique of the current administration, but a clarion call to protect and defend all student’s right to a great public school. NEA is the nation’s largest union, representing 3 million teachers and school employees who work in K-12 schools and higher education at U.S. public colleges and universities.

Eskelsen García, the first-ever Latina elected to lead NEA, started her career in education as a “school lunch lady” and was encouraged by a teacher to go to college and become a teacher herself. After just nine years in the classroom, she was named the Utah Teacher of the Year in 1989. In addition to her background in education, Eskelsen García also has political experience. In 1998, she became the first Hispanic to run for Congress in Utah. Although she lost the election, Eskelsen García jokes that she won the “silver” by capturing an impressive 45 percent of the vote as a Democrat in the conservative red state.

Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m., with remarks beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session ending at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 for Club members, who may purchase up to two tickets at this rate, and $39 for all other non-member tickets.

For questions, please email [email protected] or call (202) 662–7501. Tickets must be paid for at the time of purchase.

Club members who wish to attend the pre-luncheon reception must RSVP separately to [email protected] at least 48 hours before the event. Space may be limited. You must have a paid reservation to the luncheon to attend the VIP reception.

To submit a question in advance, put GARCIA in the subject line and email to [email protected] before 10 a.m. on the day of the luncheon.