Registration is required by January 6 to ensure that you will have lunch provided for you. Register at this link.
The agenda for the day will include a presentation by Julia Taylor about Public School Strong, an update on the 2026 For AR Kids Ballot Measure by Bill Kopsky, information on pertinent bills in the upcoming Legislative session, an advocacy training by the Public Policy Panel to effectively participate in that session, and a presentation from NEA. Every member will leave with an advocacy guide.
This member’s only event will feature Ron “Duff” Martin, a member of the National Education Association’s Executive Committee. Ron “Duff” Martin is a middle school social studies teacher in Eau Claire, Wisconsin with more than two decades of classroom experience – most of it teaching seventh and eighth grades, but also in the alternative high school/off-campus program. He was elected to the NEA Executive Committee in 2021 for a three-year term.
Ron was the first Native American president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), the largest educators’ union in Wisconsin, and has spent his life’s work championing inclusion and acceptance over his 20-year career in the classroom. He has served as an advisor to “Where Everybody Belongs,” an orientation and transition program that welcomes sixth and seventh graders and makes them feel comfortable throughout the first year of their middle school experience.
Ron previously served as the WEAC vice president and secretary-treasurer, as president of the Eau Claire Association of Educators, and as a director on NEA’s board.
As a dedicated and experienced leader, Ron also represents Wisconsin educators on state and national coalitions for school safety, diversity, and restorative justice and has spent his life and career passionately advocating for the eradication of intuitional racism in our education system. Ron has a special interest in building education professions through outreach to new educators, educators of color, education support professionals, and strengthening local education unions. His classroom management workshops are highly sought after by educators at all stages of their careers, who credit his humor and real-world experience for making those trainings relevant and practical.
Ron has also directed faith-based youth programs and ministries and was a member of the board of directors for the Greater Eau Claire United Way. He is president of the Eau Claire Patriotic Council and active in many civic organizations.
Ron holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire.
