Tonya B. Perry Elected as Vice President of the National Council of Teachers of English
Perry will take office during NCTE’s Annual Convention in November 2022.
Champaign, Illinois, June 15, 2022 —Tonya B. Perry has been elected as the incoming Vice President of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Perry has over 20 years of teaching experience and is a tireless advocate for students and educators who are often denied a voice. Her work has consisted of developing programs and initiatives that uplift historically marginalized peoples. She has worked as a middle school teacher, teacher educator, full professor, executive director and principal investigator for a large GEAR UP grant, director of the Red Mountain Writing Project, and both interim department chair and executive director for outreach and engagement for a school of education. Perry’s active involvement in the betterment of education outcomes for both students and educators has uniquely prepared her for her new role at NCTE.
“I look forward to serving my NCTE family as one of its leaders and being an advocate for our community. I am honored to be selected as the Vice President and seek collaboration and dialogue to move us forward. We are stronger together, more so than any one person could be alone. Our collective voices make a difference, an impact.”
Perry has also advocated for others on numerous committees, including the NCTE Executive Committee, NCTE Research Trustee Board, NCTE Inclusion Task Force, NCTEAR (Assembly for Research) chairperson, and NCTE Editorial Board. She currently is the Director for NCTE’s Cultivating New Voices Scholars of Color program and serves on the National Writing Project’s Board of Directors. Dr. Perry has also served the nation as a 2000 National Teacher of the Year Finalist and a two-time National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT).
“NCTE has provided a professional home for me throughout my career. As a middle school teacher, I first sought NCTE for professional development as I transitioned from college to becoming a new English language arts teacher. I eventually began to see NCTE as my place for a plethora of resources and an actual, thriving, learning community. After 20+ years of active learning with NCTE, I continue to call NCTE my professional home, as it continues to provide space for dialogue, relationship-building, and both professional and personal growth for me as a lifelong learner at every stage of my career.”
As a prominent leader in the education field, Perry recently co-authored the book Teaching for Racial Equity; Creating Interrupters (Stenhouse), which was released in April 2022. It is a collaborative work with two teacher educators, Steve Zemelman and Katy Smith, and other brilliant teacher-writers.
She will join the Presidential team that will include current NCTE President Valerie Kinloch, current President-Elect María E. Fránquiz, and current Vice President Rochelle (Shelley) Rodrigo. Both Perry and Fránquiz will take office during the NCTE Annual Convention in November 2022.
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is devoted to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. Through collaboration and community, shared stories and shared experiences, NCTE supports teachers and their students in classrooms, on college campuses, and in online learning environments. For more than 100 years, NCTE has worked with its members to offer journals, publications, and resources; to further the voice and expertise of educators as advocates for their students at the local, state and federal levels; and to share lesson ideas, research, and teaching strategies through its Annual Convention and other professional learning events.