Marla Ucelli-Kashyap is Senior Director for Educational Issues at the 1.7 million-member American Federation of Teachers, where she serves as strategic advisor to AFT President Randi Weingarten and leads a team working on key areas of policy, practice, technical assistance, and professional development aimed at helping teachers and their unions improve education quality and their profession. The Educational Issues portfolio includes the teacher career continuum and workforce shortages, community schools expansion, the AFT’s signature professional conferences and training programs, and its Share My Lesson resource sharing website with more than 2 million registered users. She also led the AFT’s response to and supports for K-12 educator members in dealing with the teaching and learning challenges stemming from COVID-19, overseeing affiliate support, policy guidance, professional learning, and on-line resources.
Prior to AFT, Marla was Director of District Redesign and Leadership at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Before that, she was a senior program officer at the Rockefeller Foundation. Early in her career, Marla served as senior education aide to New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean and as special assistant to then President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Ernest L. Boyer.
Marla has also been an education policy consultant, a press secretary, and a reporter. She holds degrees from New York University and Rutgers. Marla recently completed two terms as chair of the Learning First Alliance Board of Directors. She serves on numerous boards and advisory groups and was a member of the Education Agency Review Team for the Biden Administration transition.