Melinda Person is the President of New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), the union representing more than 700,000 people who work in, or are retired from, New York’s schools, colleges, and healthcare facilities. A passionate advocate for fairness and opportunity, Person leads with a vision of creating schools and campuses where every student and educator can thrive.
Under her leadership, NYSUT has delivered some of the most significant victories for public education in decades — from significant Fix Tier 6 pension reforms to restoring APPR to local control. She championed the statewide push for phone-free schools to protect instructional time and student mental health, helped secure universal school meals for New York students, and fought successfully for workplace violence protections for educators. Person has also been a driving force behind investments in public higher education, including the new SUNY/CUNY Reconnect initiative, updated funding formulas for BOCES and career and technical education programs, and ensuring full funding of Foundation Aid for the first time in state history.
A lifelong believer in the power of organized labor, Person has dedicated more than two decades to advancing education policy and strengthening the voice of working people. Before being elected president in 2023, she served as NYSUT’s Executive and Political Director, where she revolutionized member engagement through initiatives like the Member Action Center, which mobilizes over 100,000 members to take collective action, and the Member Organizing Institute, which builds leadership and activism across the state. She also founded the NYSUT Pipeline Project, which has trained and supported more than 200 members to run for office at every level of government.
Person began her career as a student teacher in a sixth-grade Boston Public Schools classroom before working in the New York State Assembly and the Division of the Budget, where she negotiated and advised on education and fiscal policy. She is a graduate of Cornell University, including the Cornell Union Leadership Institute, with dual degrees in Policy Analysis and Management. As a graduate student at Cornell, Person participated in an effort to organize her fellow Cornell graduate students with the UAW, an experience that deepened her commitment to worker voice and collective action. She holds New York State certification in Elementary and Childhood Education.
Outside of her union work, Person is an Ironman triathlete and yoga instructor. She and her wife Kelly are the proud parents of Tommy, Andrew, Jude and Lindy, who continue to remind her daily what this work is all about: building a fairer, more joyful future for every child and every educator in New York.