Education Minnesota elects new officers
In addition to union business at the Representative Convention, delegates elected a new officer team. Education Minnesota Vice President Monica Byron was elected after running unopposed for president. Marty Fridgen of United Teachers of South Washington County was elected vice president and Ryan Fiereck of Education Minnesota-St. Francis was elected secretary-treasurer.
The new officer slate will take office on July 1 and will serve three-year terms.
Monica Byron
Byron has served as Education Minnesota Vice President since 2022. She has also taught for 24 years in Richfield Public Schools, most recently serving as an elementary math coach.
“I’m honored and humbled to be elected President of Education Minnesota,” Byron said. “ This union has shaped my career, lifted my voice, and given me the opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with educators across the state.”
Before she was elected vice president, Byron served for five years as an Education Minnesota governing board member and held many local union positions as a member of Education Richfield, including membership chair, treasurer and government relations chair. Byron is also a founding member of Education Minnesota’s Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee and the first Black person to serve as Education Minnesota’s president.
Byron continued, “As president, I will strive to provide leadership that organizes with purpose, listens with intention and fights relentlessly for the priorities that matter most: fair pay, pension reform, quality healthcare, and strong public schools for every student in Minnesota.
“I’m ready to do that work with all of you. We are stronger when we lead together. In union, we rise.”
Pull quote: “As president, I will strive to provide leadership that organizes with purpose, listens with intention and fights relentlessly for priorities that matter most.”
Marty Fridgen
Marty Fridgen is a music teacher currently serving as the president of United Teachers of South Washington County. She has taught for 27 years in both rural districts and in the metro area.
She has extensive leadership experience within Education Minnesota. She is a member of Education Minnesota’s governing board, currently representing Election District N in the Metro. In past years, Fridgen has served as NEA Director, a member of the Education Minnesota Executive Committee, the Education Minnesota Budget and Finance Committee and as a member of the Pension Advisory Group.
“We must continue to protect and invest in public education,” Fridgen said, “to ensure schools and campuses are places where educators are respected and empowered to educate students in safe and welcoming environments equipped with the necessary resources to thrive in classrooms and beyond.”
Ryan Fiereck
Ryan Fiereck is a business education teacher currently serving as the president of Education Minnesota-St. Francis. He is in his nineteenth year of teaching and has three children who also attend public school in St. Francis.
In addition to serving as local president, Fiereck has served on the Education Minnesota governing board representing At-Large Zone 3 and as interim vice president when Bernie Burnam became the president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO. He has been a member of the Education Minnesota Executive Committee, the Budget and Finance Committee and a co-chair of the Pension Advisory Group.
“I’m honored for the opportunity to support our members and leaders in this new leadership role. As a union family, we will face challenges ahead—but I firmly believe we are ready to meet them together, with unity, integrity, and transparency,” Fiereck said.
A full introduction to the new officer team will be featured in the August/September issue of the Minesota Educator.
