How DSEA Works
DSEA Leadership Team
DSEA members are served by their leadership team, which acts as the executive cabinet of the organization. The leadership team is comprised of its officers, the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and the NEA Director, who represents DSEA members on the NEA Board of Directors; and the Executive Director
The Association's three officers are elected at-large for three-year terms by means of secret ballots mailed directly to members' homes. The NEA Director is also elected at large for a three year-term. The Executive Director is the chief administrative officer of DSEA and is hired by the Executive Board.
The names, titles, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the officers, and the Executive Director are provided in the Who's Who of DSEA
The Representative Assembly (RA) sets goals, policy, legislative priorities, budget
DSEA holds a Representative Assembly once a year in the spring, the delegates to which establish DSEA policy. They also approve the organization's goals and objectives, budget, resolutions, and by-law and policy changes - from recommendations from DSEA committees, local affiliates, individual members and/or the DSEA Executive Board.
RA delegates are elected by the members of their local affiliates at a ratio of one for every fifty members. Each local affiliate is guaranteed at least one delegate to the RA, no matter how small. DSEA-Retired is represented on the basis of one delegate for every 200 members. Any member may run to become an RA delegate.
According to DSEA by-laws, ethnic minorities are guaranteed a certain percentage of representation. Each local is to reserve a number of delegate positions to the DSEA RA for ethnic minorities in proportion to the percentage of ethnic minority membership in the local affiliate.
Each year, members elect half the NEA RA delegation for two year terms. That way, half of the delegation is returning with new people. The current delegates returning to the NEA RA this summer in Washington, D.C. for their second year are:
David Bradley, Brandywine E.A.
Tamecah Taylor, Brandywine E.A.
Diana Farrell, Capital E.A.
Denise Waples, Milford E.A.
Carol Wright, Red Clay E.A.
To see who is running for NEA RA delegate positions, click here.
The DSEA Executive Board interprets policy
The Executive Board meets at least seven times a year and is the interim policy-making body of the organization, interpreting the policy set by the Representative Assembly. The Executive Board is elected at-large by members in their county (one member per 375 members) for two-year terms.
The three officers (president, vice president and treasurer), an elected representative from DSEA-Retired and DSEA's NEA Director (the elected representative on the NEA Board of Directors) are also voting members of DSEA's Executive Board.
The names, titles, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the Executive Board members are provided in the Who's Who of DSEA.
Local affiliates
Each local affiliate runs its own association, operates independently, yet has the strength of the total DSEA and NEA membership behind it. A list of local affiliates is provided in the Who's Who of DSEA
Professional staff help carry out programs
The Executive Board hires an executive director who, along with the other staff members, carries out the programs of the Association.
They work from two offices: a headquarters office in Dover and a branch office in New Castle County
The backbone of the DSEA staff are the UniServ Directors, specially trained professionals who advise, consult and offer assistance to your local association leaders.
They are skilled in organizing, training, membership, negotiations, employee rights, government relations, instructional issues and communications.
The DSEA staff also includes an assistant executive director in charge of program; a director of government relations and research; director of political action and instructional advocacy; director of communications and public relations; business manager; and associate staff.
The names, titles, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the staff are provided in the Who's Who of DSEA.