Affiliated with the National Education Association
2026 CEA Elections
As a part of the April 17-18, 2026 CEA Delegate Assembly, delegates will elect the following:
• One (1) NEA Director to the CEA Board of Directors
• Ten (10) CEA UniServ Unit Board Directors/Alternates
• One (1) Equity Council for Race and Culture Director
• One (1) Aspiring Educator Director
• One (1) CEA-Retired Director/Alternate
• Six (6) Regional Representatives to the Colorado Fund
• Regional Colorado State Delegates funded to NEA RA
The CEA Documents of Authority provide that Alternate Directors for Unit, Service Fee, Retired, and Student Directors may be elected in the same manner and at the same time as the Director. The At-Large Alternates with the second-highest number of votes will be elected.
Information on specific vacancies is provided on the pages that follow.
Declaration Deadline
Candidates for CEA offices must declare their intent to seek office by completing and submitting the online self-nomination form https://nom.yeselections.com/cea/ by 5 PM MT on Friday, January 30, 2026.
The intent of this deadline is to limit nominations from the floor. To suspend this limitation will require a two-thirds (2/3rds) vote by the Delegate Assembly/Unit Meeting. This deadline does not apply to At-Large or Retired Directors. (SeeCEARulesforCampaigningforCEAOffices:B.4.)
Candidates for CEA offices may submit a personal statement and photo along with their nomination forms. Personal statements must not exceed the word limits noted below. Statements that exceed the word limits will be cut-off. Photos must be high-resolution color photographs in JPEG format. Black-and-white photos will not be accepted.
Office Statement must not exceed
CEA Officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer) 500 words
NEA Director
CEA Board of Directors and Alternates
State Delegate to NEA Representative Assembly
500 words
250 words
50 words
2026 CEA Board of Directors Vacancies
Elections held at 2026 Delegate Assembly
Executive Committee Vacancies
(elected by ALL Delegates at 2026 Delegate Assembly)
NEA Director (3-year term)
One (1) vacancy for a term of three (3) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2029
Incumbent: Tim Brown
Eligible for re-election Term-limited
CEA Board of Directors At-Large Representative Vacancies
(elected by ALL Delegates at 2026 Delegate Assembly)
At-Large Education Support Professional Director (2-year term)
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Kathy Gustad
Alternate:
Eligible for re-election ☐ Term-limited
Eligible for re-election
At-Large Aspiring Educator Director (2-year term)
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Andrea Donlucas
Alternate:
Eligible for re-election
Eligible for re-election
Term-limited
Term-limited
Term-limited
CEA Board of Directors: Retired Representative Vacancy
(elected by CEA-Retired Delegates at 2026 Delegate Assembly)
CEA Retired Director (2-year term)
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Phyllis Robinette
Alternate: Ann Franco
Eligible for re-election
Eligible for re-election
Term-limited
Term-limited
2026 CEA Board Unit Directors/Alternates Vacancies
Elections held at the 2026 pre-DA Delegate (Bootcamp) Meetings
Big Thompson UniServ Unit
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Sue Teumer
Alternate: Jill Date
Boulder-Westminster UniServ Unit
Eligible for re-election
Eligible for re-election
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Derek Hawkins
Alternate:
Central Adams UniServ Unit
Term-limited
Term-limited
Eligible for re-election Term-limited
Eligible for re-election
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Steve Lash
Alternate: Deb Blake
Colorado Springs UniServ Unit
Eligible for re-election
Eligible for re-election
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Angel Givler-Viers
Alternate: Emily Owen
Denver UniServ Unit
Eligible for re-election
Eligible for re-election
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Alicia Lee Rhodes
Alternate:
Front Range UniServ Unit
Term-limited
Term-limited
Term-limited
Term-limited
Term-limited
Eligible for re-election Term-limited
Eligible for re-election
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Jennie Campbell
Alternate: Carlye Holladay
Eligible for re-election
Eligible for re-election
Jefferson County Education Association
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Steven Kelly
Alternate: Brooke Williams
Eligible for re-election
Eligible for re-election
Term-limited
Term-limited
Term-limited
Term-limited
Term-limited
San Juan UniServ Unit
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Hannah Squire
Alternate: Darcy DeGuise
San Luis UniServ Unit
Eligible for re-election Term-limited
Eligible for re-election Term-limited
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Lisa Danos
Alternate: Sharon Stanford
Two Rivers UniServ Unit
Eligible for re-election Term-limited
Eligible for re-election Term-limited
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Wendy Bergman
Alternate:
Eligible for re-election
Term-limited
Eligible for re-election Term-limited
Colorado Fund for Children & Public Education 2026 Elections
Elections held during Region meetings at Delegate Assembly
According to the Bylaws of the Colorado Fund for Children and Public Education (The Fund), Section IV. Governance and Administrative Support, The Fund shall be governed and managed by a Committee made up of the following:
A. The President of the Colorado Education Association
B. Two (2) representatives within each region, defined as follows:
Region 1
Aurora/Littleton Unit
Denver Unit
Region 4
Big Thompson Unit
Northern Colorado Unit
Northeastern Colorado Unit
Two Rivers Unit
Region 2
Boulder/Westminster Unit
Central Adams County Unit
Front Range Unit
Region 5
Colorado Springs Unit
Pikes Peak Unit
Southeastern Colorado
Spanish Peaks Unit
Region 3 JCEA JESPA
Region 6
San Juan Unit
San Luis Unit
Ski Country Unit
West Central Colorado Unit
C. One (1) representative elected from the CEA-R membership by the CEA-R delegates to the Delegate Assembly.
D. Two (2) additional representatives appointed by the CEA President, with the approval of the Fund. Said appointments shall be made in an effort to ensure appropriate representation, as described in the Standing Rules.
E. Administrative support shall be provided to the Fund by the CEA Executive Director, a lobbyist designated by CEA, and other CEA staff, as appropriate.
According to Bylaws Section VI. Fund Membership:
A. Qualifications: All members of the Fund shall be contributors to The Fund, members of CEA, and registered voters in the State of Colorado.
B. Election/Terms
1. Regional and retired members of the Fund shall be elected at the annual CEA Delegate Assembly for terms of two (2) years in accordance with the procedures established by the Assembly.
2. Terms for appointed members of the Fund shall be one (1) year.
3. No member of the Fund shall serve more than six (6) consecutive years. Periods of service of Fund members filling vacancies for partial terms shall not be applied to the six year (6) term limitation.
4. A former member may become a candidate for the Fund after a two (2) year hiatus.
5. Members elected to the Fund shall take office on the July 1 following their election.
Vacancies – Colorado Fund for Children & Public Education
Region One
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Bryan Lindstrom (Aurora UniServ Unit)
Region Two
Eligible for re-election ☒ Term-limited
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Kasey Ellis (FrontRange UniServ Unit)
Region Three
Eligible for re-election Term-limited
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: David Holt (JeffersonCountyEAUnit)
Region Four
Eligible for re-election ☒ Term-limited
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Jenn Balliew (Northern Colorado Unit)
Region Five
Eligible for re-election Term-limited
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Justina Carter (SpanishPeaksUnit)
Region Six
Eligible for re-election Term-limited
One (1) vacancy for a term of two (2) years: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2028
Incumbent: Kelley Maguire ( West Central Unit)
Eligible for re-election Term-limited
The elections to fill the vacancies noted above will be conducted during the Region Delegate Meetings scheduled at the 2026 Delegate Assembly.
Interested candidates may submit their intent to seek office online by 5pm on January 30, 2026 via the online self-nomination form at https://nom.yeselections.com/cea/. In addition, nominations will be accepted from the floor at the Region Meetings.
NEA RA State Delegates
2026 Elections
Elections to be held via online ballot April 24- May 8, 2026
We anticipate that CEA’s allocation to the 2025 NEA Representative Assembly (scheduled to be held July 3-7 in Denver, CO) will be 31 State Delegates. CEA Standing Rules provide for 26 regional delegate seats, with the remaining delegate(s) elected At-Large.
Nine Regional Delegates are serving the second year of their terms in 2026, so in 2026, members will elect:
• Seventeen Regional Delegates, will be elected for a 2-year and 1-year terms. Delegate allocations by Region are noted below.
• Five At-Large Delegates, each for a 1-year term.
Region 1 (four delegates)
Aurora/Littleton Unit
Denver Unit
Region 4 (four delegates)
Big Thompson Unit
Northern Colorado Unit
Northeastern Colorado Unit
Two Rivers Unit
Region 2 (seven delegates)
Boulder/Westminster Unit
Central Adams County Unit
Front Range Unit
Region 5 (four delegates)
Colorado Springs Unit
Pikes Peak Unit
Southeastern Colorado Spanish Peaks Unit
Region 3 (four delegates) JCEA JESPA
Region 6 (three delegates)
San Juan Unit
San Luis Unit
Ski Country Unit West Central Colorado Unit
Any active member is eligible to serve as a delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly. Nominations are open. The term of office for Regional Delegates is two (2) years, with no delegate eligible to serve more than three (3) consecutive two-year terms. The term of office for At-Large Delegates is one year, with no consecutive term limitation. Members may choose to run for one of the available State Delegate seats in their Region or for an At-Large seat, but may not run for both offices in the same election year.
Interested candidates must submit their intent to seek office online by noon on January 30, 2026 via the online self-nomination form at https://nom.yeselections.com/cea/.
Elections for NEA RA State Delegates are handled via online ballot and will take place during the month of April 2026. Voting information will be sent to members electronically by April 24, 2026. Voting will be open from April 24-May 8, 2026. Results will be announced by May 11, 2026.
Listed on the next page are the regions, the UniServ Units contained within each, the regional delegates serving the second year of their two-year term, and the vacancies for each of the regions.
Vacancies – NEA RA State Delegates
Region One: Four Delegates (Aurora-Littleton,Denver)
1. Sabrina Janczak (DCTA),one year remaining on term
2. Veronica Martinez (DAEOP),one year remaining on term
3. Vacancy: two-year term
4. Vacancy: two-year term
Region Two: Seven Delegates (Boulder/Westminster,CentralAdamsCounty,FrontRange)
1. Alex Ryckman (District Twelve EA),one year remaining on term
2. Kristin Coffelt (MapletonEA),one year remaining on term
3. April O’Neal (BrightonEA),one year remaining on term
4. Vacancy: two-year term
5. Vacancy: two-year term
6. Vacancy: two-year term
7. Vacancy: two-year term
Region Three: Four Delegates (JCEA,JESPA)
1. Debbie Bacon (JCEA),one year remaining on term
2. Cheri Cahill (JCEA),one year remaining on term
3. Vacancy: two-year term
4. Vacancy: two-year term
Region Four: Four Delegates (BigThompson,NorthernCO,NortheasternCO,TwoRivers)
1. Jerad Sutton (GreelyEA), one year remaining on term
2. Alex Lindsay (ThompsonEA), one year remaining on term
3. Vacancy: two-year term
4. Vacancy: two-year term
Region Five: Four Delegates (ColoradoSprings,PikesPeak,SpanishPeaks,SoutheastCO)
1. Vacancy: two-year term
2. Vacancy: two-year term
3. Vacancy: two-year term
4. Vacancy: two-year term
Region Six: Three Delegates (SanJuan, SanLuis, SkiCountry,WestCentralCO)
1. Vacancy: two-year term
2. Vacancy: two-year term
3. Vacancy: one-year term
At-Large: Anticipating Five Openings (statewide)
1. Five vacancies: each for a one-year term
RULES FOR CAMPAIGNING FOR CEA OFFICES
(Adopted by CEA Board of Directors – December 1985; Amended December 1990, October 1991, November 1993, January 2006; January 2007; April 2007; November 2009; November 2016, February 2021)
The following rules will govern campaigning for CEA offices:
1) Public Announcement of Candidacy
Candidates are prohibited from campaigning prior to the public announcement of their candidacy, which shall take place no earlier than the final general session of the regular Delegate Assembly immediately preceding the election for said position. Upon said announcement, the candidate may distribute one item (in the form of a flyer or brochure) campaign material to delegates as they leave the General Session meeting room or after the Chair adjourns the virtual meeting. The campaign period will extend from the announcement of candidacy until the election is completed.
2) Filing Deadline
(a) A candidate shall submit his/her intent to seek election using the self-nomination form provided online, on the CEA Members website or other source.
(b) The filing deadline for candidates for CEA offices shall be February 1 or the next business day, if February 1 falls on a weekend. It is the intent of this action to limit nominations from the floor. To suspend this limitation will require a two-thirds (2/3rd) vote by the electing body.
(c) Candidates filing on or before February 1st prior to Delegate Assembly shall have access to all designated Association publications and delegate mailings which are available. All candidates will be given at least two weeks notification prior to the deadline to submit materials for publication and/or mailings.
(d). The above filing deadlines shall not apply to At-Large or CEA Retired Board of Directors seats, as established by the Delegate Assembly.
(e) The office of Executive Director will be responsible for informing candidates of election procedures.
3) Campaign Rules
(a) Under no circumstances shall local, unit, or state dues monies; state, local, or unit staff time, Association equipment, or materials (including the ordering of materials) except as noted below, be used to support the candidacy of any person for the purpose of seeking CEA/NEA office.
(b) All candidates for state office will be provided with a delegate list including email addresses, home addresses, telephone numbers, and unit/local at no cost. Upon request to the Executive Director, an electronic distribution list of delegate email addresses shall be provided. All information shall remain confidential is to be used only for the purpose of campaigning for CEA offices. The candidate shall agree in writing to destroy all lists no later than ten (10) calendar days following the election. (See attached Agreement Between CEA and the Candidate - Page 15)
(c) If the candidate furnishes a flyer/brochure, CEA will include it in the delegate mailing, provided the following criteria is met:
(i) Meets filing deadline;
(ii) If printed, the finished size shall be no greater than 8 ½ x 11; if digital, the .pdf shall be no greater than 8½ x 11
(iii) The flyer/brochure shall not exceed one sheet of paper the weight of 65 pound text; and
(iv) The flyer/brochure must be at CEA ten (10) days prior to the scheduled date of the delegate mailing.
(v) To be included in the link provided to green delegates the digital version of the flyer must be emailed to the Executive Director ten (10) days prior to the scheduled date of the delegate mailing.
(d) Publicity for CEA Executive Committee candidates, CEA Board of Directors, and delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly will appear in the CEA JOURNAL prior to voting.
(e) In connection with a meeting of an affiliate, candidates may sponsor social or fundraising events that promote their candidacies, provided that the candidate is responsible for all costs incurred because of the event. Meeting organizers must also ensure that all other candidates for the same position are given an opportunity to sponsor a comparable event at the meeting.
(f) Campaigning by CEA/NEA elected or appointed officials when on attending official CEA meetings or activities or traveling at CEA expense must be incidental to the meetings or activities and must not interfere with the performance of official duties. For example, a CEA/NEA official who is a candidate for office and is assigned to represent the Association at a meeting or activity is permitted to meet with supporters or campaign committee members outside of any official meetings or activities.
(g) Campaign activities at a local, regional, or CEA meetings or activity must be incidental to the function and must not intrude on the planned program or activity. Campaigning may take place before or after the function or activity, or between sessions of the function or activity, but must not be conducted in the same room as the meeting or activity.
(h) Any virtual campaigning must be coordinated by the candidate to not interfere with official activities or meetings.
4) Endorsement
(a) In its regular course of business, the membership or governing body of an affiliate may endorse a candidate for office. An affiliate may not, however, call a meeting for the sole purpose of issuing an endorsement and may not spend any funds in any other manner for that purpose.
(b) Although the affiliate may not use the funds of the organization to publicize or encourage support, the following actions may be taken:
(i) The endorsement may be used in the candidate’s own literature.
(ii) An officer of an affiliate or any other member or combination of members may use their own money or that of the candidate to encourage support from members or delegates. In a personal letter or any other type of personal communication, an officer may, of course, mention his/her title as a means of persuasion – such letters may not be written on the official stationery of the affiliate nor contain the logo of the local/unit/state/national organization.
5) Campaigning at the Electing Delegate Assembly
(a) Posters may be displayed on easels at the candidate tables. They may not be displayed anywhere else throughout the facility or premises at which the Assembly is being held.
(b) In the event of a virtual Delegate Assembly, no person may use a candidate endorsement virtual background
(c) If available at a given facility or premises, all approved space will be fairly and equally distributed, using a lottery, among candidates for the purpose of displaying posters on easels and locating campaign booths.
(i) Campaign activities during the course of the Assembly are subject to the Election Committee Guidelines.
(ii) A candidate shall be responsible for removing all of his/her campaign materials prior to the close of the Assembly.
(d) Campaign materials are to be distributed at the candidate’s table; with the exception that one piece of printed (in the form of a flyer or brochure) campaign material may be distributed one time during Delegate Assembly by being placed on the delegate tables or chairs, including the head table, in the General Session meeting room. In the event of a run-off election, the candidates involved will be allowed to distribute one additional piece of printed (in the form of a flyer or brochure) campaign material on delegate tables or chairs, including the head table. Materials placed at the head table may only be placed on the chairs. Other campaign materials, including but not limited to trinkets, pens, bubbles, candy, stickers, button, or balloons may only be distributed at the candidate's campaign table.
(e) Any candidate in violation of these procedures will have his/her materials immediately removed.
(f) Whether Delegate Assembly is virtual or in-person, candidates may create a digital campaigning space containing campaign material, platforms, etc.
i. Candidates shall submit their link to their campaigning space to the Office of the Executive Director no later than thirty (30) days prior to the virtual Delegate Assembly.
ii. Registered delegates will receive an email with links to the campaign spaces for all announced candidates who submit campaign links within the timeline.
iii. During the First General Session, the Chair will remind delegates to visit the digital spaces.
(g) When the Delegate Assembly is held in a virtual platform, candidates running for office shall submit a video in advance for nominator and candidate speeches. To submit a video in advance, it must be no longer than 8 minutes long including the nominator speech and consistent with formatting options provided by the Executive Director. All videos must be submitted by 11:59 PM Mountain Time, no later than thirty (30) days prior to Delegate Assembly to the office of the Executive Director. Videos submitted past the deadline will not be presented at the virtual assembly.
(g) The Election Committee and candidates shall make efforts to protect all convention area facilities and candidate campaign materials displayed in common areas from defacement and/or destruction.
(f) At least thirty (30) days prior to the Assembly, the office of Executive Director shall be responsible for informing the candidates/designees, who have submitted letters of intent, of the following procedures:
(i) The date/time of the elections;
(ii) Rules for posting of campaign materials;
(iii) Nominations procedures:
(1) Times of nominating speeches;
(2) For the purpose of determining the order of nominations, candidates or their designees draw in the reverse order in which the candidates filed for office.
(3) Length of nomination/acceptance speeches which shall be limited to eight (8) minutes (exclusive of nomination seconds). Candidates may determine how the eight (8 minutes are divided.
(4) For the purpose of determining the order of candidate responses, candidates or their designees draw in the order in which the candidates filed for office.
(5) The names of the candidates are placed on the electronic ballot in random order
(6) Any known election site regulations.
(7) If no candidate receives a majority of votes cast, the two receiving the most votes will participate in a run-off election.
6) Announcement of Candidacies in the CEA JOURNAL
a) Upon receipt of a candidate’s declaration of intent, the office of the Executive Director will verify, via email within ten (10) days, the receipt of said intent and the Association’s intent to publish the candidate’s color photograph and statement in the designated issue of the CEA JOURNAL in keeping with publication deadlines.
b) Candidates’ statements shall be limited to 500 words for Executive Committee positions, 250 words for Board of Directors positions, and 50 words for NEA Representative Assembly State Delegates (Regional and At-Large).
c) Photographs shall be jpeg or tif and shall be in color. No black/white photographs will be accepted.
d) Candidate statements and photos shall be submitted via the online self-nomination form.
e) Advertising space in the CEA JOURNAL may not be purchased by candidates.
7) Alleged Violation of Campaign Rules
a) Alleged violations of these Campaign Rules may be informally submitted to the Executive Director by any member/local affiliate when the alleged violation was known or should have been known by the complaining party.
b) After being informed of an alleged violation, the Executive Director shall conduct a preliminary investigation and report initial findings and recommendations to the complaining party. The Executive Director may also recommend a remedy to address the alleged violation, including notification in the form of a directive to remedy the alleged violation, an informal or formal warning that further or continued violations may lead to disqualification of a candidate, and an announcement of the Executive Director’s findings and recommendation being made to the Assembly by the Executive Director.
c) If the complaining party is not satisfied with the initial findings and recommendation of the Executive Director, the complaining party may file a written complaint with the Executive Director within three (3) days. Upon receipt of a written complaint of an alleged violation of Campaign Rules, the Executive Director shall conduct a formal investigation and report to the Board of Directors at either the next regular or special meeting of the Board. The Executive Director’s report shall include the name of the person/persons filing the complaint and the Executive Director’s findings and recommendation for action. Such recommendation may include, but are not limited to, an announcement of the Executive Director’s findings and recommendation being made to the Assembly by the Executive Director, censure of the candidate, disqualification of the candidate that is the subject of the alleged violation, or declaring the election null and void. If either the candidate or the member filing the complaint is a sitting member of the Board of Directors, they must recuse themselves from the Board meeting room during the Board of Directors' discussion and vote on the matter.
d) Pursuant to Section XI. of the Bylaws, any actions taken by the Board of Directors may be appealed to the CEA Review Board. Appeals to action taken by the Board of Directors under these provisions must be filed with the Executive Director within ten (10) days of the Board of Directors’ action. Decisions of the CEA Review Board shall be final.
Affiliated with the National Education Association
Affiliated with the National Education Association
Agreement between CEA and , candidate for CEA office.
The Colorado Education Association (CEA) and . a candidate for the office of , during the (YEAR) Delegate Assembly, acknowledge the Rules for Campaigning for CEA Office and hereby agree as follows:
1. CEA shall provide the email distribution list(s) of all registered delegates (containing the name of delegate, local, address, telephone, and email address) to the CEA Delegate Assembly for the year in which the candidate is campaigning for office.
2. The candidate agrees to use the email distribution list(s) described in paragraph 1. For the limited purpose of communicating with delegates to the (YEAR) Delegate Assembly for the purpose of providing information about him/herself to the delegates for the election in question and for no other purpose whatsoever. To do so, the candidate may share the email distribution list(s) with his/her campaign manager; neither the candidate nor the campaign manager may share the email distribution list(s) with others.
3. The candidate further agrees to destroy said email distribution list(s) within ten (10) calendar days following the date of the election at the Delegate Assembly.
4. Failure of the candidate or his/her campaign manager to comply with paragraphs 2. and/or 3. above shall be deemed a violation of the Rules for Campaigning for CEA Office.
Dated this of Candidate
