Lifelong Pennsylvanian Becky Pringle’s career reflects a deep commitment to public education in the commonwealth and across the United States.

A product of Pennsylvania’s public schools, Becky spent nearly 30 years as a middle school science teacher in the Susquehanna Township School District in PSEA’s Southern Region. Her union leadership journey began as president of her local association where she developed a strong foundation in advocacy and member leadership. She went on to serve as Southern Region’s chair of the Leadership Development Committee.

Becky established herself as a respected voice within PSEA. Her career in public education helped to support the daily realities of all classroom educators and support professionals. She then was elected to represent Pennsylvania as an NEA director and went on to serve two terms on the NEA Executive Committee.

Throughout her career, Becky has elevated the voices of educators across the nation and highlighted the critical work they do every day. Her leadership helped make a significant and measurable impact in Pennsylvania, shaping statewide advocacy on school funding, educator recruitment and retention, and safe, well-resourced learning environments.

Becky’s union leadership eventually took her to the national stage, where she served as NEA secretary-treasurer, NEA vice president, and now as NEA president. She has led NEA through some of the most challenging periods in public education history. Her presidency has focused on defending educators’ rights, advancing equitable school funding, reducing overtesting, promoting the ethical use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), and confronting systemic inequities that hinder student success.

Kind Koala is a student-founded, youth-led global nonprofit at Central Bucks West High School in the Central Bucks School District. Led by students Daniel Said, Priyansh Patel, Adam Kadan, and Aadi Anantuni, the organization started in 2023 after they noticed a friend being bullied. Now, they’re dedicated to spreading kindness through meaningful action.

Built on the belief that small efforts can drive larger change, Kind Koala’s mission focuses on accessibility, compassion, and youth-centered solutions, and empowers young people to take the lead in addressing real-world challenges within their communities.

Through Kind Koala events, members unite the community, raise funds, and support their mission through fun and engaging experiences. This supports Kind Koala’s efforts to create and distribute resources that go directly toward providing essential products and care for those in need. Kind Koala events include workshops, hygiene product fundraisers, clothing and essentials drives, and much more.

Kind Koala’s Healthcare Access Initiative connects families with free or low-cost medical care, helping to remove barriers to essential health services. To date, Kind Koala has donated more than $30,000 in health care support and distributed over 91,000 essential resources.

The Koala Chapter Global Network has established 52 chapters, helping to reach more communities in need of health care access and resources, demonstrating Kind Koala’s commitment to creating meaningful, measurable impact in the Central Bucks community and around the world.

Learn more about Kind Koala at www.kindkoala.org

For more than four decades working in the Cornell School District in Allegheny County, and an additional 12 years of volunteerism following her retirement, Donna Belas exemplifies the true spirit of a community leader and student advocate.

Donna served in the classroom as a special education teacher and English teacher and worked in the administration as the Director of Special Education, high school principal, and superintendent. No matter what position she held, Donna consistently placed the needs of children and families at the center of her work. As a volunteer, Donna uses her leadership and advocacy experience to create a lasting and measurable impact on students, fellow educators, and communities.

Donna’s continued commitment serves as a powerful model of how sustained engagement, both during and after a public education career, can strengthen schools, build leadership capacity, and enrich communities for generations to come.

Chartiers Valley Education Support Professionals (CVESP) represents approximately 100 education support professionals serving students in the Chartiers Valley School District in Allegheny County.

Since July 1, 2024, CVESP members have been working without a contract and are now facing serious subcontracting threats that would replace in-house transportation and maintenance services with for-profit, out-of-state companies. During this time, CVESP members have demonstrated how to stand united to protect their jobs, pensions, and the quality of transportation and maintenance services they provide to students.

Amid these challenges, CVESP has strengthened member engagement, built solidarity, and developed their local leadership. Members have organized sustained advocacy efforts that include school board outreach, rallies, community engagement, direct communication with families, social media, and the formation of an organizing committee. Member participation has also grown at the local, regional, and state levels, reinforcing that PSEA’s strength is in its numbers.

Throughout this time, CVESP members continue to keep schools safe, clean, and operational, while providing reliable student transportation and serving students and families with dignity and respect.

Todd Mealy, Ph.D., is a social studies teacher at J.P. McCaskey High School in the School District of Lancaster. Throughout his 26 years as an educator, Todd has embodied what it takes to be an extraordinary leader for students.

Dr. Mealy does not just teach civil rights in his classroom. He fosters a learning environment that prepares students for college, supports early career building, and helps them become engaged and informed citizens.

His pedagogical practice and commitment to the students in Lancaster City have expanded educational opportunities for students of color at J.P. McCaskey High School. His work as a historian focuses on the antislavery and civil rights movements, while his extracurricular initiatives feature programming that sustains community-based public history and builds long-term civic leadership pathways for marginalized students.

Through his teaching and leadership, Dr. Mealy has transformed the classroom into a space where civil rights are not just studied but lived.

Club Hope is more than just a club. It is a support system for the mental and emotional well-being of students and their families in the Moon Area School District. What began with just six middle school students searching for ways to navigate their grief has grown into a compassionate network serving and supporting both middle and high school students.

Sponsored by Moon Area educators Lisa Tolliver-Lehman and Jennifer Mattucci, Club Hope meets biweekly to provide a safe and supportive space for students. Meetings include check-ins, sharing memories, creative activities, and opportunities for community service.

Many students who find support in Club Hope during middle school continue their involvement in high school, helping to raise awareness and extend that same care to others.
Club Hope is making a meaningful impact on Moon Area students by fostering kindness, compassion, and stronger connections across the district. Its commitment to service, advocacy, and uplifting others reflects the very best of what school communities can offer.

Through Club Hope, students are provided with a dedicated space to find strength in connection, feel acknowledged in their grief, and honor the lives of their loved ones. It stands as a powerful example of the lasting and meaningful contributions educators and students make each day.

In 1968, Melva Vogler made a bold move that would forever define her fearless leadership — she informed administrators that schools in the Wallenpaupack Area School District would need to close on March 4 because she was taking the teachers to Harrisburg to march at the state Capitol in support of collective bargaining rights.

This act of courage is just one example of the unwavering commitment to public education that has shaped her extraordinary education and union career.

Melva made a lasting impact on students as a high school math teacher and department chair, advocating for best practices, smaller class sizes, and better resources. In addition to her work in the classroom, she served as president of the Wallenpaupack Area Education Association and president of PSEA’s Northeastern Region, where she tirelessly advocated for teachers’ rights and organized rallies in support of collective bargaining.

Melva’s leadership shaped policies that improved both the educational experience for students and the working conditions for teachers. Her role on the Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS) Board of Trustees, as both a member and chairperson, further secured the financial stability of educators upon retirement, and her ongoing mentorship and involvement in state and national educational organizations continue to strengthen her legacy.

Melva is an extraordinary friend of education and a vital piece of our Association’s history. It is a privilege to recognize her with the Lewis F. Adler Friend of Education Award.

State Rep. Dan Miller has represented parts of Allegheny County, consisting of Baldwin, Mount Lebanon, Upper Saint Clair, and the boroughs of Castle Shannon and Dormont, since 2013.

In his 12 years in office, Rep. Miller has shown how he is a stalwart leader and advocate for Pennsylvania’s students, educators, and education support professionals.

Year after year, Rep. Miller champions bills to provide statewide paid family and medical leave and works to address the mental health crisis in Pennsylvania. He is a sponsor to address the ratio of school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and school nurses to ensure that every student in Pennsylvania has access to help, and that employees are not burdened with caseload management.

Earlier this year, Rep. Miller helped introduce House Bill 777, which will ensure that every education support professional in Pennsylvania earns a living wage of at least $20 an hour, and joined hundreds of support professionals and advocates for a Rally for a Living Wage at the state Capitol in Harrisburg.

When he isn’t playing defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cameron Heyward can be found giving back to the greater Pittsburgh community.

To keep his father’s legacy alive, Cameron commits his time to promoting human and civil rights in schools and neighborhoods through his Cameron Heyward Foundation, leaving a profound impact on the lives of students and inspiring community members to help make a positive difference.

The Craig’s Closet Initiative, named after Cameron’s father, provides high school boys with free clothes for interviews, internships, and award ceremonies so they can dress for success and achieve their goals. The Sacking Childhood Hunger Program partners with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and Edgar Snyder & Associates to provide backpacks filled with nutritious foods for students to take home over the weekend throughout the school year. The Rufus and Judy Jordan Literacy Project, named after Cameron’s grandfather, installs Little Free Libraries in underserved communities in the Pittsburgh region and spreads the love of reading with an emphasis on social justice, racial quality, financial literacy, and life skills.

Cameron’s dedication to youth extends to his hometown of Suwanee, Georgia, where he established the Heyward Performance Center at Peachtree Ridge High School for student athletes following in his footsteps.

To make a donation to the Cameron Heyward Foundation, visit www.thecameronheywardfoundation.org.

Lenell Robinson, better known as “Mr. Lenny,” is a custodian of 23 years with the Wissahickon Education Alliance in the Wissahickon School District. In and out of school, you will find Mr. Lenny with a smile, eager to help others by lending a helping hand or serving as a mentor.

Mr. Lenny is a beloved and engrained member of the Ambler and Wissahickon communities. Through a donation-funded scholarship, he provides financial assistance for one year of paid tuition to two Montgomery County Community College students.

He receives donations by hosting fundraisers and working with the Wissahickon School District’s life skills teacher and students to refurbish old or broken bicycles for children in Ambler. Mr. Lenny and his colleague founded the W.A.C. Cares Homework Club, an after-school initiative to help students with homework and provide them with endless snacks and hugs.

It has been said that everyone who meets Mr. Lenny loves him.

In 2007, Krysta Hankee passed away after collapsing at the gym at the age of 22. As an organ donor, Krysta saved five lives, gave sight to two strangers, and kept 51 people in good health through tissue donation. To continue her legacy, Krysta’s parents Bill and Chris Hankee created the Krysta Hankee Memorial Fund that same year.

The Krysta Hankee Memorial Fund lives by three missions:
1. Maintain and implement worthy community building and family support initiatives.
2. Provide leadership and community service scholarships to worthy students.
3. Increase awareness of and registration for organ, tissue, and corneal donation.

As part of the fund’s Hero in Krysta Program, retired teachers Bill and Chris visit local classrooms and organizations to talk about the importance of organ donation. Partnering with the Northwestern Lehigh School District and Lehigh Carbon Community College Education Foundation, they have awarded over $187,000 in leadership and community service scholarships to more than 80 students in the Lehigh Valley.

The fund’s successful Gas Card Program provides gift cards to families seeking financial help related to increasing costs of ongoing medical travel and other critical needs. To date, $350,000 in gift cards has been provided to families in need, equating to over 3.5 million miles of travel.

To make a donation to the Krysta Hankee Memorial Fund, visit www.krystahankeememorialfund.org.