"Randy is a proven organizer and we are excited to have him join our team as AEA continues the great work we are doing in our school communities," says AEA President Joe Thomas. "Now, more than ever, we need educators and parents to stand together to ensure a quality public education for every child in Arizona."
From church-based organizing in East Dallas, to national coalition building on behalf of 20,000 strawberry workers in the fields of California, to working as a national field representative of the AFL-CIO—Randy has experience with many methods of social change. Randy's introduction to social justice began when he observed his father, Deputy Sheriff John Parraz, organize the Latino Peace Officers Association in the 1970s to combat discrimination in the recruitment, hiring, and retention of Latino officers. Randy’s understanding of organizing and framework for building power has been heavily influenced by Ernie Cortes of the Industrial Areas Foundation and Marshall Ganz, a former UFW organizer who worked closely with Cesar Chavez for 16 years.
"The importance of providing a public education system that meets the needs of every child, while maintaining a workplace that allows educators to excel at every level is essential to Arizona's success. I look forward to working with AEA members, leaders, and staff in growing the organization so we can positively impact the lives of Arizona's educators and the future of our state," says Randy Parraz.
Previously, Randy served as senior advisor and organizing director for League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), governance and organizational leadership development coordinator for the National AFL-CIO, and led the Making Change at Walmart campaign for United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).
This past summer, Randy completed writing Dignity by Fire: Dismantling Arizona's Anti-Immigrant Machine, which tells the story of the historic recall of Senate President Russell Pearce in 2011. Randy co-founded Citizens for a Better Arizona and spearheaded a grassroots campaign to recall the most powerful politician in the state of Arizona, Senate President Russell Pearce—author of SB 1070, the "show me your papers" anti-immigrant legislation.
A graduate of UC Berkeley, Randy earned a Juris Doctorate from Berkeley Law and Master's in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. As an Echoing Green recipient, Randy and his co-founder, Scott Sherman, established the Transformative Action Institute to inspire, train, and develop a new generation of visionaries on college campuses. He is a member of the State Bar of California and has taught courses on social change at UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine, Arizona State University, and California State University Fullerton.
