Meet the 2025-28 Education Minnesota officer team.
New statewide officer team looks forward to growing the union and uplifting member voices
On July 1, Education Minnesota welcomed a new team into the roles of president, vice president and secretary- treasurer. In addition to Byron, Marty Fridgen was elected vice president and Ryan Fiereck was elected secretary-treasurer. With a brand-new slate of officers for the first time in 12 years, the Minnesota Educator sat down with the new officer team to talk about the transition and their plans for the union over the next three years.
Editor’s note: Responses have been edited for clarity and concision.
Minnesota Educator: Can you share your vision for the next three years?
Monica Byron: The biggest vision is that members see themselves in the union. That they know that if they need something, want to explore something or find more information, they can go to Education Minnesota to find that. I want members to understand that we are the union—it’s not some external force out there. We control our own destinies and can make things happen when we do things together. Another priority is growing our membership, making sure that members understand membership and why it matters. We also want to make sure that we are at the forefront of what’s coming. We can’t control it, but we can make sure that as things change, we are as proactive as we can be.
Marty Fridgen: I would add to the point about understanding what the union is that it’s also important we develop an understanding of how we fit in with the broader labor community. We aren’t alone, we work with partners, and each of us has different needs and experiences, so of course we’re going to fight for pay and for insurance and pensions, but we are also going to fight to ensure that everyone is included—including students and our members.
Ryan Fiereck: The biggest goals I have for the next three years are to review the policies and make sure they’re up to date with our operating procedures because it’s always good to get a fresh set of eyes on them. I would like to provide clarity around expense reports so that members can submit them correctly the first time [and get reimbursements to members more quickly]. I want to make sure we have member feedback built into the systems so that whatever we plan in the future responds to whatever members need.
Minnesota Educator: Given all the uncertainty at the federal level, what do you think is the union’s role in this moment?
Monica Byron: Our role is to make sure that we decipher the information as best we can and keep members informed. To be as transparent as possible and develop ourselves as a source of information that members come to. Especially in these times of misinformation and disinformation, it’s important for the union to be a reliable source and utilize our wonderful staff to tackle what’s coming. When they know that we are getting information from our partners, from the national organizations and their legal teams, that we [have the network to vet information], we can be that trusted resource for members as things change.
Marty Fridgen: We need to encourage engagement and action because that’s how we are going to be able to fight back as democracy gets weakened. We were reminded this past week at the NEA Representative Assembly that it’s the unions that fight back against those things and take action to say we’re not going to stand for this. And so we need to [encourage people to get involved and understand that] we can’t just sit on the sidelines.
Ryan Fiereck: A part that hasn’t been mentioned is making sure that we use member perspective to build something that’s going to be better, regardless of which direction we go. We should be the one-stop-shop for vetting the information but also providing the path forward. There are going to be opportunities to do something better, and sadly, it’s not going to be fun to go through it but it’s important that we do more than just try to defend what we have. We also need to remain hyper-focused on providing what members need to meet the moment. Whatever challenges are going to come ahead, we are trying our best to uplift the [member voices] that make our democracy a better place.
Minnesota Educator: Looking at your past union work, what’s something you are proud to have worked on and hope to continue?
Monica Byron: I’m proud of my work around member voices and advocacy, especially being able to start affinity spaces at the local level and at Education Minnesota with our Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee. I’m also proud of the government relations work I did for the local getting members to see themselves in those roles and taking action at the Capitol, lobbying and seeing that politics does play a role in everything we do and that we should have a voice in that.
Marty Fridgen: Thinking about my experience as local president [of United Teachers of South Washington County], I am proud of getting many more people involved and active in our union [and of what we’ve accomplished because of that]. After the murder of George Floyd, we worked with our school district and school board to get a racial justice statement. In the last round of bargaining, we negotiated the best contract we’ve had in 25 years. We couldn’t have done it without everyone working together, and I’m proud of the work that we did.
Ryan Fiereck: I’m proud of some of the local leadership experience I have with teachers and ESPs [as president of Education Minnesota St. Francis], bringing their perspective forward to look at challenges a different way and then continuing to push for progress in our pensions and benefits. Each group’s needs are different and having those different perspectives when you’re trying to get something better for everyone will hopefully be a tool that I can bring to the table.
Minnesota Educator: Looking toward future work, what specific initiative are you most excited about working on?
Monica Byron: I am excited to see what this role will bring. We’ve made a lot of changes to some programs— for example, bringing in our Organizing for Settlement Committee—and when it comes to the unique programs we have that no other state affiliate does, I’m excited to see what’s possible and how our members can benefit from what we have to offer. I’m also looking forward to getting around the state to connect with members. As an officer team, we are also excited to work on our legislative agenda and hopefully pass a statewide health insurance pool and improve pensions. We know this is a year for bargaining and we are ready and excited to support our local negotiators as they bargain boldly.
Marty Fridgen: We talk about how strong locals mean you have a strong state union, and strong state unions mean you have a strong national union. It is about the locals and how do we help them understand that we are here to support them, but we still need them to be the boots on the ground and take action to protect whatever [the issues are] facing their community. It goes back to the premise that strong locals where members are engaged mean that our members have trust in each other and don’t just come to [the state affiliate] for things but go to each other and work together because they trust that their neighbors know what they’re doing and can work together. It’s important to remember that we need to be the strongest at the local level.
Ryan Fiereck: I think with the opportunities that we see in front of us for the next year, the part I’m most excited about is seeing how our members respond to a bit of the unknown. I think they’re up for the challenge of doing things differently in a moment that requires us to do things differently. That could be through grant programs or political activities, or even curriculum changes. I’m excited to see how our members will rise up and protect the classroom, the union, their teaching spaces and workplaces and all the things in between. It would be great to predict what could happen, but I strongly believe our members are capable of figuring out the best path forward, knowing the challenges or restrictions we have…almost every time we’ve [faced new situations], our members have provided the path forward. I also think we look at how to engage newer members at the local level and how we can develop opportunities to empower members at the local level so that we can be strong on a state level.
Minnesota Educator: As you move into these roles, what should members be on the lookout for, and will we see changes in the short term?
Monica Byron: Learning more about the new team as we grow into these roles. I can’t wait for members to learn about who I am as a leader and I’m excited to meet members and find out ways we can get engaged and show them as a state union that we are all in this together. We’re all a part of what’s to come and together we can do this.
Marty Fridgen: We are new faces in these roles and two of us are brand new to the statewide officer team, but our members can still count on us. We’re still a strong union and we’re going to continue providing local affiliates with what they need. We might do things a little differently and have some new ideas that we want them to try, but at the core we have a solid foundation. We are just the next group of caretakers for this organization. When I took this role, I left my position and now they have a new person to be that caretaker and carry on what we’ve been doing. They should look for some new faces and new ideas, but at the core we’re still going to keep growing our union and making it stronger.
Ryan Fiereck: Right now this team is set up to continue its work connecting with members, so I would tell folks to lean on their intermediate organizations and local leaders to get an opportunity to reach out and speak with us firsthand as we try to get around the state and meet folks. We will also be focused on closing those loops and doing the little things like updating phone numbers, making sure people have the information they need. Hopefully folks have that before September, but if members need something, they can always reach out to their field staff or look at the website to close that gap. Our hope is that whatever they have planned is not bogged up by anything we are doing, because we are here to help.
Minnesota Educator: Any parting thoughts that you’d like to share with members?
Monica Byron, Marty Fridgen and Ryan Fiereck: We have been working hard over the summer to build a team here at headquarters and across the state to make sure we are ready to go. We want to extend our sincere appreciation to [Education Minnesota] staff who have been working hard to support the transition. We know that takes up a lot of extra time, but their hard work has helped us be ready to go on day one. We also hope that members have a great start to the school year. We want to be out there on the front lines with you, so please lean on your union for anything you need
