About Me

Qualifications to Lead:
Teacher, Language Arts & Social Studies (10 yrs)
Speech & Debate Coach (12 yrs)
District Director (3 yrs)/State Officer (2 yrs)
Mediator (4 yrs)
Multnomah County Advisor (4 yrs)
Local, State, National Union Leader (5 yrs)
Reynolds Exec Council (4 yrs)/Building Rep (4 yrs)
REA Organizing Team (2026)
OEA Board of Directors (3 yrs)/Delegate (4 yrs)
NEA-RA Delegate (4 yrs)

I recently earned a Public Service Award from Multnomah County for my years of service on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee as well as practicing my real-life Speech & Debate skills as part of the Earthquake-Ready Burnside Bridge Community Design Advisory Group.

At the 2025 NEA-RA hosted in Portland, I spoke TWICE at the mic, advocating for education leaders to have access to resources to support with chronic absenteeism.

Besides grading essays and planning three preps at Reynolds High School, I spend my professional time coaching Speech & Debate. I started the team back in 2019, expanded the team during COVID, grew the program to a dedicated 30 members, and solo coach year-round for 60 multi-hour practices, 15 tournaments, and numerous school events. If you're curious about the team, check us out here: sites.google.com/view/rhsspeechdebateteam

Where do I practice my listening skills?
Mediation.
If you didn't know, OEA Mediation Network is by educators and for educators to solve conflicts at the lowest level.
I was trained as a mediator four years ago, have mediated a half dozen cases, and continue to serve today.
If you're going through a conflict and would like support, reach out to our network at mediation@oregoned.org.

In 2025, I was voted a national finalist for Coach of the Year.

SOLIDARITY FOREVER:
IN PRIVATE, IN PUBLIC, for ALL Educators

I stand in solidarity with other unions, our classified siblings.

Here is a Public Comment I made to the Reynolds School Board defending OSEA Chapter 37 in October 2025.

School Board Comment 10-2025.mp4

School Board Public Comment 10-22-25 (1).pdf

Her Actions Speak Louder than Her Positions:

Advocates within the OEA Board for substantial democratic changes, including initiating an Operating Procedure change for candidate debates which passed, to take effect in 2026 and 2027;
Speaks out publicly to stand with our classified staff in OSEA;
Discusses the value of standing with staff consistently: here, there, and everywhere;
Listens to member needs, especially new members, and with understanding, takes issues up the chain of command;
Writes documents for her local, such as a contract index and a member one-pager, as well as resolutions and business items for OEA and NEA, catered to the needs of members and of students;
Shows up for bargains, rallies, protests, vigils, meetings to take action, even when it is not part of her own agenda

School Board Comment 10-2024.mp4

DISTRICT-WIDE CHANGE:

Teachers, including myself, tipped the scale toward change across our district.

I gave a public comment in October 2024 (featured above) which spoke about my frustrations of the status quo as a Language Arts teacher with cell phones in the classroom and the need to stand up against fear and push-back to achieve distraction-free learning.

This comment tipped our superintendent toward creating a Cell Phone Workgroup co-facilitated by teachers including myself which brought in the voices of staff, families, and our community on the issue. We reached a consensus to move toward bell-to-bell off-and-away, which would be enforced at our building level by the administration and Student Management Team. The School Board approved the policy change and set to implement it even before Governor Kotek mandated through executive order that all school districts put a policy change in place. Our district beat the state! This was a group effort which would not have happened without speaking up.

LOCAL UNION CHANGE:

I am a vocal member of our Reynolds Education Assocation Executive Council, advising the President and helping set the vision and direction of our local association.

As part of the REA Executive Council, I advocated during a staff meeting Union 10 in early 2026 on behalf of a proposal for half-time release of our REA President. Recently, this proposal successfully passed via a majority vote of our 560-member local association.

Valerie Advocates for Half-Time Release.mp4

LOCAL TO STATE CONNECTIONS:

I am actively doing and supporting others to do the business of OEA via representing as an annual delegate at the representative assembly.

OUR REA BARGAINS:

We had our last session on April 7th about financials just after the district announced a $20 million deficit for next school year. Our Bargaining Teams asked a series of questions which flustered the district's side.

I have basically never missed a bargaining session, even on my own birthday. I brought cupcakes.

Going all the way back since early 2020, I have been present.

Solidarity Forever!

Now, you're probably thinking, Valerie, what do you do besides work? That's a great question!

Traveling:
When I can travel, I do. Every spring and summer (and occasionally winter), I head to new places and explore. I take hundreds of photos to capture each detail and experience.

I caught the travel bug when I studied abroad for a semester in college in London, stayed with a host family, and commuted to downtown each day on the Tube.

After graduating from University of Portland in 2013, I moved to Scotland for nearly two years for graduate school. I attended University of St. Andrews and studied International Relations amongst students from dozens of countries around the world. My favorite part of the day was breaking bread at a community called Deans Court, a residence dating back to the 12th century, where we ate three meals a day with other graduate students from beyond the U.S. and U.K., to the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Greece, Poland, Romania, Russia, China, Taiwan, Japan, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Mauritius, Brazil, Guatemala, and Mexico. We discussed cultural and political issues of the day such as debates over Scottish Independence and Brexit, to the start of the Russian-Ukranian war, to the increase in gun violence, to questions over the rise of global populism in Hungary, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, and ultimately, the United States. These conversations and experiences were truly the best time of my life.

I continue to travel on school breaks. When I travel, I'm a minimalist: I buy the most affordable travel tickets possible, stay at AirBnBs (see a list of recent stays below) (I used to stay at hostels when I was in Europe), minimize purchases, and walk and ride public transit. A friend was recently shocked that I've never ridden first class in my life.

First week of studying abroad in London

Attending one of our evening balls at Deans Court residence hall as a graduate student at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland

Traveling on a school break, I kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland! Forever I have the gift of Irish eloquence.

What I Do:
When I'm not working or traveling, I'm reading, writing, exercising [I love power-walking, running, hiking, and biking], in nature, listening to instrumental music [I'm a regular attendee at chamber music concerts], or hanging out with my two lovely kitties.