Chandra Madafferi became president of the Michigan Education Association on July 15, 2023. Chandra’s primary focus as MEA’s president is lifting up the education profession and building up our next generation of educators. Chandra has almost 20 years of experience in the classroom, having taught special education, online credit recovery and health, including health for English language learners. A
fter beginning her teaching career in Oakland County’s Huron Valley Schools, she moved to Novi Community Schools, where she spent most of her career until becoming MEA’s vice president in 2017. While teaching, Chandra maintained a full-time administration position for over 10 years in Bloomfield Hills Schools as a coordinator for SCAMP, a summer program for people with disabilities ages 3-26. Chandra received a bachelor’s degree in special education, health education and therapeutic recreation from Central Michigan University. She earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, with endorsements in learning disabilities and cognitive impairments. She also completed a two-year program at Oakland University’s Galileo Institute for Teacher Leadership. In addition, Chandra is an alumna of Michigan State University’s Education Policy Fellowship Program. Chandra’s first connection with MEA was joining our union’s student chapter at CMU, where she began a lifelong commitment to advancing the cause of public education. In the Novi Education Association, she served as co-chair of her local’s political action committee, later assuming other leadership roles including president, treasurer and negotiation spokesperson. Chandra has served as a delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly, the MEA RA and the MEA Region 7 Coordinating Council, and she has served on the MEA Communications Committee and as member liaison to the Student MEA Advisory Committee.
