Candidates

Candidates for Area Board of Director

For Board of Director positions, the three NEA candidates and the one AFT candidate with the most votes are elected. There are no run-offs. Elections for Area Chairs, if needed, will be held during the Second Round.

Note Candidate-provided photos, flyers, statements, and links will be added in the order that they are received. Candidate statements/flyers are not UTLA’s statements/flyers. UTLA does not edit, censor, or endorse any of them.

Contested

2025-2026 South Area

NEA UTLA Board of Director

  • Candidate PhotoGina Gray
  • Candidate PhotoOlga Calacuayo
  • Candidate PhotoOfelia Sofia Ryan
  • Candidate PhotoClaudia Silva
  • Candidate PhotoApril Thomas

2025-2026 Valley East Area

NEA UTLA Board of Director

  • Daniel H. Acuna
  • Roger Whiting
  • Oralia Reyes
  • Candidate PhotoChelsea Hinton
  • Candidate PhotoScott Mandel *Area Chair Candidate
  • Candidate PhotoDr. Marianne Quintero

AFT UTLA Board of Director

  • Victoria Casas *Area Chair Candidate
  • Candidate PhotoLeonard Newsome

2025-2026 Central Area

NEA UTLA Board of Director

  • Lupe Torres
  • Candidate PhotoDavid Feldman *Area Chair Candidate
  • Candidate PhotoClaudia Rodriguez *Area Chair Candidate
  • Estela Rios
  • Alex Gomez
  • Candidate PhotoEva Dunn *Area Chair Candidate
  • Melissa Naponelli

AFT UTLA Board of Director

  • Zulma Tobar
  • Candidate PhotoIris Mendoza

2025-2026 East Area

NEA UTLA Board of Director

  • Vicky Montes *Area Chair Candidate
  • Rafael Rodriguez
  • Candidate PhotoThalia Cataño
  • Candidate PhotoJacquelin Dang
  • William Chavez
  • Candidate PhotoNoemi (Mimi) Guzman
  • Candidate PhotoJennifer Marquez

2025-2026 Harbor Area

NEA UTLA Board of Director

  • Candidate PhotoMaya Suzuki Daniels
  • Angela Chavez
  • Candidate PhotoPhylis Hoffman
  • Candidate PhotoMonica Caballero *Area Chair Candidate

2025-2026 North Area

NEA UTLA Board of Director

  • Candidate PhotoJohn U. Aquino
  • Candidate PhotoMarie Germaine
  • Candidate PhotoChantile Emerick
  • Candidate PhotoGuenevere Alapag-Spiller
  • Candidate PhotoDavid De La Cruz Rosales

2025-2026 West Area

NEA UTLA Board of Director

  • Candidate PhotoBeth Devakul Clark
  • Candidate PhotoAndrea Shaloo
  • Candidate PhotoNoriko Nakada
  • Justin Cohen
  • Candidate PhotoWade Kyle
  • Candidate PhotoMaria Lopez
  • Candidate PhotoJennifer Anderson *Area Chair Candidate
  • Larry Shoham
  • Candidate PhotoRenee Senigram

AFT UTLA Board of Director

  • Candidate PhotoNoah Lippe-Klein *Area Chair Candidate
  • Candidate PhotoRyan Andrews
* indicates that the candidate is also running for Area Chairperson

Uncontested

These candidates were unopposed and therefore elected by acclamation.

2025-2026 Valley West Area

NEA UTLA Board of Director

  • Candidate PhotoBrian SimilyElected
  • Candidate PhotoCarmen EstermanElected
  • Ivannia NolascoElected

AFT UTLA Board of Director

  • Candidate PhotoWendy Lucia Lozano *Area ChairElected

2025-2026 South Area

AFT UTLA Board of Director

  • Candidate PhotoL. Cynthia Matthews *Area ChairElected

2025-2026 East Area

AFT UTLA Board of Director

  • Candidate PhotoMarcela Chagoya *Area Chair CandidateElected

2025-2026 Harbor Area

AFT UTLA Board of Director

  • Candidate PhotoCrystal MurrayElected

2025-2026 North Area

AFT UTLA Board of Director

  • Mark Ramos *Area ChairElected
* indicates that the candidate is also running for Area Chairperson