Jessica Tang

President, Boston Teachers Union; Member, Shanker Institute Board of Directors

Jessica Tang is the President of the Boston Teachers Union, representing over 10,000 active and retired educators.  She is the first person of color, first openly queer and first woman in over thirty years to serve in this role. Jessica is a co-founder of the Teacher Activist Group-Boston, Boston Education Justice Alliance and MA Education Justice Alliance, and serves as a board member for several civic and labor groups including Citizens for Public Schools, Private Industry Council, Boston Partners in Education, Parent Teacher Home Visit Project and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance. She also the first and only APIA member to serve on the American Federation of Teachers Executive Council. Jessica serves as a Vice President of both the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and American Federation of Teachers-Massachusetts, and is a former co-chair of the Massachusetts Asian-American Educators Association. She is also currently serving on the United States Commission on Civil Rights Massachusetts State Advisory Council and served a three-year term on the New England Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve. Jessica is also a member of the Shanker Institute Board of Directors. As a teacher-activist, Jessica has been involved in many different community organizations that are working to advance racial, social and economic justice. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at Harvard University and holds an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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