NALPSE Leadership
NALPSE Leadership is elected at annual business meetings held during NALPSE’s annual conference. Board officers include: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Leadership also includes representatives for: six geographic regions, single staff states, native people and people of color, NEA field staff, and NEA headquarters.
Melissa Peterson
President
NALPSE President, Melissa Peterson has been a member of the NALPSE Board since 2014, first elected as Midwest Regional Representative, then Vice-President and now serving as President elected in late 2025. In her day job she works as Legislative and Policy Director for the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA). When she isn’t fighting the latest attacks on public educators and the fundamentals of the American republic, she enjoys gardening, live music, cooking, and chilling with her pups Gracie and Bailey.
Vacant
Vice President
Meghan Raynes
Secretary
Meghan Raynes was elected and has served as Secretary on the NALPSE Board since 2024. As Director of Government Affairs for the Colorado Education Association, she leads CEA’s legislative agenda under the golden dome. Meghan spends the majority of her spare time chauffeuring her four children to their various activities, but she also enjoys long walks with her dog and the occasional TikTok doom-scroll.
Jared Mason Gere
Past President
Bio
Katrina Mayo
NEA NALPSE Liaison
Katrina Mayo has served with the National Education Association for the past 10 years and currently works in the Center for Advocacy and Political Action, where she focuses on education legislation and policy in Congress. Katrina has been actively involved with NALPSE since 2017 and values the opportunity to engage with colleagues and advance issues that support educators and public education. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys spending time with my family and building connections with people from diverse backgrounds.
Chris Parri
Pacific Regional Representative
Chris Parri was elected to the NALPSE Board as Pacific Regional Representative in 2025. He serves as the Political Director for the Idaho Education Association. In his free time, he enjoys photography, skiing, hiking, cooking, climbing, reading, writing, and travel. He knows embarrassingly little about flyfishing.
Vacant
Native People & People of Color Representative
Matt Moser
Single Staff State Representative
As the Government Relations and Community Outreach Director at NEA-Alaska, Matt Moser leads both legislative advocacy and electoral campaigns for Alaska’s largest union. He started his career as field staff on a U.S. Senate race before managing state legislative campaigns. He subsequently spent several years working in the Alaska State Legislature, including leadership offices within the Senate Bipartisan Coalition. Matt lives in Anchorage with his family and dog, though he commutes to Juneau during the legislative session. In his free time, he enjoys biking, hiking, and camping.
NALPSE Regions
MIDATLANTIC
Delaware
Kentucky
Maryland
North Carolina
Ohio
Virginia
West Virginia
PACIFIC
Alaska
California
Hawaii
Idaho
Montana
Nevada
Oregon
Washington
MIDWEST
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
South Dakota
North Dakota
Wisconsin
SOUTHEAST
Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Louisiana
Mississippi
South Carolina
Tennessee
NORTHEAST
Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Vermont
WEST
Arizona
Colorado
Kansas
Nebraska
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Texas
Utah
Wyoming