Noel Candelaria

Noel Candelaria was elected President of the Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA), the state affiliate of the National Education Association, in April 2014. Prior to his election as TSTA President, Candelaria served three years as TSTA Vice President after a distinguished tenure as President of the Ysleta Teachers Association (YTA) in El Paso, Texas, where he worked as a Teacher’s Aide and Special Education Teacher in the Ysleta Independent School District (YISD), teaching subjects ranging from Algebra to World History.
Noel and his wife Patty, who is also an educator, are tireless advocates for their students and fellow education professionals. Throughout his career, Noel has emphasized the importance of relationships built on trust - in the classroom, the community and the political arena. He has used his knowledge of technology and social media to create tools to assist educators and enhance communications with campus representatives and local leaders whose efforts are essential to successful organizing. During his time as TSTA Vice President, Noel’s service as Budget Committee Chair led to greater accountability and his commitment to building TSTA Political Action Committee membership is critical to champion the essential role public education and educators play in our democracy. As TSTA President, Noel works with members daily on actualizing the TSTA Strategic Vision and Plan, always striving to ensure great public schools for our students.

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