Mary Cathryn Ricker (born December 15, 1968) is a labor leader, politician and educator in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, who is the current Executive Director of the

Albert Shanker Institute The Albert Shanker Institute (ASI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to three themes: excellence in public education, unions as advocates for quality, and freedom of association in the public life of democracies. Its mission is to ...

, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to three themes: excellence in public education, unions as advocates for quality, and freedom of association in the public life of democracies. Its mission is to generate ideas, foster candid exchanges, and promote constructive policy proposals related to these issues. Toward these ends, ASI conducts original research, sponsors research, and organizes conferences and conversations in its three theme areas. Ricker previously served as a classroom teacher, Commissioner of Education for the State of Minnesota, as Executive Vice President of the

American Federation of Teachers The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the second largest teacher's labor union in America (the largest being the National Education Association). The union was founded in Chicago. John Dewey and Margaret Haley were founders. About 60 perc ...

, and as President of the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers.

Early life and education

Ricker was born and raised in

Hibbing, Minnesota Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and still relies on that industrial activity today. At th ...

. Ricker is a National Board Certified Teacher who was a classroom English teacher in middle school English/Language arts for 13 years in

St. Cloud, Minnesota St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 68,881 at the 2020 census, making it Minnesota's 12th-largest city. St. Cloud is the county seat of Stear ...

;

Camas, Washington Camas is a city in Clark County, Washington, with a population of 26,065 at the 2020 census. The east side of town borders the city of Washougal, Washington, and the west side of town borders Vancouver, Washington. Camas lies along the Washing ...

; and

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. She also taught for 5 years in

Saint Paul Public Schools Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is a school district (ISD #625) that operates in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Saint Paul Public Schools is the state's largest school district and serves approximately 38,380 students. The district runs 67 different sc ...

Labor leadership

Ricker has experience as past President of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers from 2005 to 2014, a 4000+ member union serving the teachers and Educational Assistants in St. Paul Public Schools. In 2014, Ricker was elected Executive Vice President of the American Federation of Teachers. She also was a local delegate to the St. Paul Area Trades and Labor Assembly and served on the board of the Minnesota

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...

Board experience

Ricker was elected to the Education Minnesota Governing Board and previously served on Education Minnesota's statewide Professional Advocacy member committee. Ricker also served on the

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization in the United States. Founded in 1987, NBPTS develops and maintains advanced standards for educators and offers a national, voluntary assessm ...

and as past president of the Education Minnesota Foundation for Teaching and Learning. She was Middle School Chairperson on the board of the Minnesota Council of Teachers of English. Ricker also serves on the Board of Directors for the

National Democratic Institute The National Democratic Institute (NDI), or National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, is a non-profit American NGO that works with partners in developing countries to increase the effectiveness of democratic institutions. The NDI's ...

Department for Professional Employees, AFL–CIO The Department for Professional Employees, AFL–CIO (DPE) is a semi-autonomous "trade" department of the AFL–CIO, and serves as an advocate for professional workers within the federation, and before legislative bodies, the press and the public. ...

United Way of America United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

, and the Albert Shanker Institute.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricker, Mary Catherine 1955 births Living people American Federation of Teachers people American trade union leaders Women trade union leaders State cabinet secretaries of Minnesota Women in Minnesota politics 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians