Sandy Feldman Leadership Grant
About the Leadership Grant
To celebrate and commemorate the life of union pioneer Sandy Feldman, the Sandy Feldman Leadership Grant in the amount of $2,000 has been established as a result of the generosity and vision of Sandy's husband, Arthur Barnes.
The Sandy Feldman Leadership Grant was created to help further the development of emerging women leaders who are dedicated to the principles that Feldman exemplified: unionism, leadership and a commitment to human and civil rights. The recipient will be awarded the $2,000 grant to further her development as a union leader, helping with expenses such as union activities, training and conferences; or to defray costs associated with union involvement, i.e., travel or childcare.
About Sandy Feldman
A teacher and unionist, Sandy Feldman (1939-2005) had a groundbreaking career as a union leader in NYSUT, the AFT and her home local, the UFT in New York City. Her career in education and labor spanned more than four decades. From her beginnings as a second-grade teacher on New York’s Lower East Side in the early 1960s, Sandy rose quickly through the union ranks, organizing staff on her first job. Shortly thereafter, she took a job as a full-time field representative for the UFT, handling grievances, contract negotiations and a range of issues. She eventually took over the reins of the union, becoming its president in 1986. She was elected to head the AFT in 1997. In the process, she became a staunch advocate for civil rights and social justice, participating in the Freedom Rides of the 1960s and the historic 1963 March on Washington, evolving into a proponent of civic education and democracy in the international arena and a leading voice in the national and international labor movement.
2009: Andrea Figueroa
Andrea S. Figueroa attended the NYSUT Leadership Institute in 2008 and the NEA Northeast Regional Minority Leadership Seminar in 2007 and 2008. She also participated in the NEA "Tellin' Stories Project," a parent involvement initiative. In her relatively brief career, Andrea has served as a building rep, a political action chair, LAP committee member and most recently vice president of her local.
2008: Michelle Pancoe
Michelle Pancoe, an elementary school teacher and member of the Williamsville TA, is a graduate of the NYSUT and AFL-CIO leadership institutes. She intends to use the $2,000 grant to continue working toward her certificate in labor studies at Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
2007: Marianne Hegge
Marianne Hegge made a tremendous impact for the Western Sullivan United Teachers and School-Related Professionals in her first eight years of teaching. That's why she was named NYSUT's inaugural recipient of the 2007 Sandy Feldman Leadership Grant.
'Not for Ourselves Alone:' The Sandy Feldman Outstanding Leadership Award
NYSUT celebrates the contributions of the union's largest constituency group - women.