Who We Are?

The CTA Orange Service Center Council is here to support the leaders of the local bargaining units, and to serve and empower the over 20,500 local members from 34 school districts and 650 schools throughout Orange County in CTA Districts M & N.

The National Education Association (NEA), representing nearly 3,000,000 educators throughout the United States, is the largest labor organization in the US. The NEA is organized under the direction of an elected 3-member Executive Board, a 9-members Executive Committee, and a 180-member Board of Directors.

In addition, a 180-member NEA resolutions committee develops resolutions for the NEA. Resolution are formal expressions of opinion, intent belief, or position of the Association. They shall set forth general concepts in clear, concise language, shall be broad in nature, shall state the positions of the Association positively and without ambiguity, shall be consistent with the goals of the Association as stated in the preamble of the constitution. In other words, Resolutions are the philosophical statements of beliefs that will carry over time without specificity. Click here for a copy of the NEA Resolutions handbook.

The California Teachers Association (CTA), with nearly 300,000 members, is the largest organization representing educators within California. Under the leadership of 3 executive officers, President, Vice-President, and Secretary; a 21-member Board of Directors, and the 700-member+ State Council of Education, CTA seeks to achieve it's mission "...to protect and promote the well-being of its members; to improve the conditions of teaching and learning; to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality public education; to ensure that the human dignity and civil rights of all children and youth are protected; and to secure a more just, equitable, and democratic society."

Local chapters, or associations, are affiliates of the both CTA and NEA and correspond to local school districts. Educators who join their local chapter are members of all three organizations – local, CTA and NEA. Coordination of policies and programs between the affiliates and the CTA/NEA is carried out with the assistance of primary contact, UniServ, and regional staff members.

Steering Committee

• Jes Bracken - Chair
• Debbie Resnick - Vice Chair
• Geoff Morganstern - Treasurer
• Lisa Hickman - Secretary
• Bridget Holderman - Awards Chair
• Shellie Bittner - Communications Chair
• Junka Ezaki - Community Outreach Chair
• Christie Bettendorf - Curriculum Chair
• Karin Barone - Elections Chair
• Magdalena Villalba - Equity Team Chair
• Vacant - Human Rights Chair
• Karen Ridley - PIC Chair
• Carol Comparsi - Retirement Chair
• Joe Bartell - CTA Director, District M
• Denise Bradford - CTA Director, District N
• Loretta Arena - CTA/ABC Director, District M
• Amanda Fanning - CTA/ABC Director, District N
• Robert Becker - NEA Director, District 7
• Ed Guzman - NEA Resolutions, District 7
• Grant Schuster - NEA Director, District 9
• Nicole Ciccarelli - NEA Resolutions, District 9