ANTONIA CORTESE is the newly elected AFT secretary-treasurer. From 2004 until her election as secretary-treasurer, she served as AFT executive vice president. From 1974 to 2004, Cortese served as a vice president of the American Federation of Teachers. For more than three decades (1973 - 2004), she was a leader of the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), which now represents more than 600,000 people in New York's public schools, colleges, universities and health facilities. She previously was vice president of the New York State AFL-CIO and a vice president of NYSUT's predecessor, the New York State Teachers Association.

As AFT executive vice president, Cortese oversaw the union's education policy, which included chairing the AFT task force on the No Child Left Behind Act. She also co-chaired the task force that produced "Building a Profession: Strengthening Teacher Preparation and Induction," a report of the K-16 Teacher Education Task Force.

At NYSUT, Cortese was responsible for the union's nationally respected Division of Research and Educational Services and supervised the union's award-winning newspaper.

Among her many professional activities, Cortese-with New York University professor Diane Ravitch-co-chairs Common Core, a group promoting a rich liberal arts education for all students. She serves on the board of the Learning First Alliance, a national coalition of major education organizations; co-chairs the Child Labor Coalition; serves on the Freedom House board of trustees; and was recently elected to the United Way of America board of trustees.

Cortese has been appointed to the American Bar Association's Commission on Civic Education and Separation of Powers. She is a member of Strategic Management of Human Capital, an organization that seeks to advance best practices in human resources to bolster teacher effectiveness and improve student achievement. And she is a liaison to Special Olympics, the AFT's designated charitable foundation.

Previously, Cortese served on the executive committee of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which develops and administers assessments leading to the certification of accomplished teachers. She also was an appointee of the U.S. Department of Education to the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Cortese, a graduate of Syracuse University, began her education career in her native Rome, N.Y., as a fourth-grade teacher and school social worker. Her union involvement originated as a building representative for the Rome Teachers Association, and she later served as secretary, vice president, and two terms as president.