WTU Officers

Laura Fuchs, President 

After serving as a Social Studies Teacher at HD Woodson HS since 2007, Laura Fuchs was elected to lead the Washington Teachers Union for the 2025-2028 term. Her previous experiences in leadership include serving on SCAC + LSAT from 2010-2024, including several years as WTU Building Representative. In the WTU she served as the WTU COPE Chair from 2014-2022, and on the WTU Executive Board since 2016, starting as a Member at Large and then six years as the WTU Secretary. She is an active member of SHAPPE, Ward 7 (serving as secretary from 2015-2020) and 5 Education Councils, Coalition for DC Public Schools, DC for Democracy and more. Believing deeply in the importance of member to member communication as well as having many avenues to tell truth to power, she co-created and administered the "DCPS Educators Only" Facebook group and grew it from 200 to over 3,500 members. Demonstrating her commitment to democracy, she led a successful campaign to update the WTU Bylaws to allow for electronic voting, gathering over 1,200 member signatures and organizing over 250 members to attend the Membership meeting to vote. Her passion for Wold History, led her to pushing the DC State Board of Education to completely redo the Modern World History standards to address systemic racism in the initial document and she is a founding Member and Chair of the DC Caucus of Rank and File Educators. Laura has spent the last 10 years working tirelessly to support educators, our schools, our students and our community District-wide. From the #SaveWashMet campaign to #OnlyWhenItsSafe she has been there to support members taking action in any way she can. Facilitating meetings, taking notes, sending emails, gathering member information, circulating petitions, she will always be there to support members and allies. She wants to build a union where this work is more doable for all so we can win.

Lisa S. Haynes, General Vice President 

“For 40 years I have been privileged to serve in the classroom sharing the joys and challenges of teaching. I’ve walked in the same hallways as you. Faced the same pressures and celebrated the same victories. I know first-hand what it means to dedicate your life to shaping young minds while balancing the demands of this noble profession. But I also know this, we deserve better. We deserve fair wages that reflect the incredible work we do. We deserve smaller classes to give the students the attention they need. We deserve Professional Development opportunities that empower us to grow as educators. And most importantly we deserve a union that amplifies our voices and fights for the resources we need to thrive.”

Born and raised in Bloomington Indiana. Attended Fisk University in Nashville Tennessee and graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington. Upon completing her studies she moved to Washington DC and began teaching and remained here ever since working in both public and private schools. By 1994 she has been teaching in DCPS. Lisa has dedicated her career to serving Special Education students. One of Lisa’s proudest accomplishments is leading Bunker Hill as the Head of Delegation for Special Olympics. In 2020 they made history as the first DC Public School to achieve National Banner Status as a Unified Champion School and only the third urban school nationwide to earn this prestigious recognition.

Lisa quickly became the Building Representative at Bunker Hill to ensure that her fellow educators had a voice and were knowledgeable about their rights and had an avenue to express their concerns.One of the bigger issues she has tackled are Bunker Hill’s renovations to deal with the air quality, heating and cooling systems, plumbing and more. The school budget and procurement of teaching and building supplies has been a consistent challenge that she has worked with her fellow members to address.

Serving on the WTU Executive Board, Lisa has been a champion for members who feel the union has not fully served them. Her empathy and kindness provides insight into the issues facing members and she does what she can to connect members to the resources they need and fights for the union to do better.

Tiffany L. Brown, Secretary

Special Education Teacher, Payne ES

Tiffany's mission is to ensure teachers' voices are heard and reflected in the decisions impacting our classrooms and communities. With her experience in education and leadership, she is committed to fostering an honest and transparent Union that communicates and advocates for the resources teachers need to thrive.

Leadership Experience:
Executive Board – Member at Large – Specialized Services (2016 – 2019)
AFT Delegate – 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024
WTU Election’s Committee 2022 – Present
Previous Building Representative
Current LSAT Member (Previous Chair from 2011 – 2021 – CHML)
Washington Metro Labor Council Delegate (2022-Present)

Served on the WTU Bargaining Team for the latest contract

Paige Veliz-Gilbert, Treasurer,

Social Studies Teacher, Kramer MS

"I ran for treasurer because every dollar of the WTU budget is a gift from members. We have a responsibility to make sure our budget reflects our values and goals. Members should have a much larger say in how we set our priorities and spend those dollars." - Paige Veliz-Gilbert

Leadership Experience:
WTU VP of Junior High (Elected 2022-2025)
Served on the WTU Bargaining Team for the latest contract
Current Building Rep at Kramer MS
Former Building Rep, Alt-Rep, SCAC, LSAT and Personnel Committee member at HD Woodson HS

WTU Area Vice Presidents

Kader Nsiri, VP of Elementary

Special Education Teacher, Barnard ES

I am on the executive board of the WTU to empower teachers, foster a culture free from fear and retaliation, and create a thriving school community. I believe in a future for DCPS where every classroom has the technology and resources it needs—working Smart Boards, computers for every student and teacher, and all the tools for success. Together, we can make our schools places where teachers, students, and families are proud to be

Leadership Experience: I served as an Alternate Building Delegate for three years, followed by three years as a Building Representative. Since 2022, I have held the position of Vice President of Specialized Services as an elected member of the WTU Executive Board. I am also a proud member of the WTU Contract Negotiating Bargaining Team.

Social Studies Teacher, Johnson MSI am passionate about leadership and committed to being a strong voice for middle school educators. I understand the unique challenges middle school teachers face, and I want to ensure their needs are represented in union policy. My goal is to help shape policies that directly impact and benefit middle school teachers.

Candi Peterson, VP of Specialized Services