Students in Arizona will have a historic new team advocating for their interests and the empowerment of the educators dedicated to their success this coming school year. Almost 500 educators from across the state elected new officers for the 20,000-member Arizona Education Association (AEA) at the annual business meeting on May 7, 2022. The delegates elected Isaac District Education Association member Marisol Garcia as president, Gilbert Education Association member Angela Philpot as vice president, and Glendale Union Education Association member Amber Gould as Treasurer. The new slate of executive officers took office on July 6, 2022.
Marisol is the first woman of color to serve as AEA President and the first Chicana. She is not new to leadership, having served as the AEA Vice President and on the AEA Board of Directors, chairing statewide committees, and co-founding the AEA Latino Outreach Cadre. She also currently leads the Arizona Education Association’s Task Force for a New Vision for Arizona Schools, whose mission is to develop a vision for supporting successful public schools post COVID-19.
As a veteran middle-school social studies teacher in the Isaac School District, she is committed to her students and their community. She works tirelessly to make sure her students see their school as their second home – ensuring they are safe, engaged in their learning, and empowered to find their voice in their community. As the former local president of the Isaac District Education Association, she developed the association’s reputation as a strong voice and advocate for students and teachers throughout the community.
Marisol comes from a family of educators; both her parents are accomplished authors and educators who have worked in public education for over 40 years. She is the proud mother of her teenage son, Vicente.
Marisol earned her BA in Political Science from the University of California at San Diego and a teaching credential from San Francisco State University.
Angela Philpot is a 7th and 8th grade ELL teacher at Desert Ridge Junior High School in Gilbert Public Schools and currently serves as the AEA Treasurer. Amber Gould is an English teacher at Greenway High School and president of the Glendale Union Education Association.
