Lori Zugelter

My name is Lori Zugelter, and I respectfully ask for your vote for LEA president.

I have proudly served as an educator for over 33 years, including substitute teaching, seven years at Hughes High School in Cincinnati Public Schools, and 25 years at Lakota West. Throughout my career, I have remained committed not only to my students, but also to supporting and advocating for my fellow educators.

Like you, I experience the daily realities of teaching—planning lessons, supporting students, managing workloads, and balancing the many demands of our profession. I have also served in a variety of leadership roles: department chair, NHS advisor, club leader, building representative, and member of the Secondary Workday Negotiations Team. These experiences have allowed me to listen to colleagues, represent teacher concerns, and work collaboratively to improve our schools.

I am running for president because our union has an opportunity to renew engagement and bring fresh energy to leadership. A strong union depends on members feeling heard, respected, and represented.

My priorities focus on three key areas: respect for teachers’ time, transparent communication, and stronger member representation. Together, we can protect and prioritize the teacher workday, strengthen the salary schedule, improve communication, and maintain a visible leadership presence through quarterly school visits and town halls. I also support restoring the Unity Committee, establishing term limits for officers, and pursuing an MOU to separate primary and secondary voting when issues affect only one group.

Some may say this is not the time for new leadership. I believe strong leadership matters most during important moments—and that character and leadership ability matter just as much as years of experience.

Together, we can build a union that listens, represents its members, and moves forward with purpose. I would be honored to serve as your president.

Kevin Carlin

I’d like to invite everyone to our Spring General Meeting on Tuesday, March 10th.
At the meeting, I’ll be sharing my journey to becoming your Lakota Education Association President, the work we are doing today, and our vision for building a stronger, more effective union for the future.

My path began as a building representative at the Freshman School. When I moved to the East Freshman campus, I continued serving as a building rep and also took on the role of FAC chair. Over the last 20 years, my involvement expanded to representing our members at both the SWOEA-RA and the OEA-RA. I later joined the executive team, served as a SWOEA zone representative, and became part of the negotiations team under John Severens. Eventually, I spent eight years as LEA’s First Vice President before becoming President of the Lakota Education Association.

During the meeting, I will also talk about the connections I’ve built outside our district over the past 15 years—relationships that help us advocate for a strong, pro–public education agenda. I’ll discuss our efforts to recruit new members, support educators in leadership roles, and strengthen the foundation for future union leadership. And I’ll share how we’re working to move our union forward with unity.

In every role I’ve held, I have remained committed to advocating for teachers’ rights. I believe wholeheartedly that when we make a teacher’s life better, we make a student’s life better.