2026 MSEA ESP Professional Development Conference
Where
College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center3501 University Blvd East
Hyattsville, MD 20783
When
At this event, you will discuss current topics with colleagues and learn from MSEA members. Topics will include the ESP Bill of Rights Campaign, ESP employment rights, career advancement, and racial, social, and economic justice. Registration for the event can be found on this page, below the workshop agenda and descriptions.
Contact: Sean McKillop
As part of MSEA’s “One Big Union: Learning, Advocating, and Empowering” event taking place that day, ESP Professional Development Conference participants will get to hear a special keynote address from Dr. Cierra Kaler-Jones, a social justice educator, writer, scholar, and artist. Her research focuses on how to create and sustain educational spaces rooted in joy and love, while refuting control and management tactics in school that deny young people opportunities for creativity and critical consciousness-building. Dr. Kaler-Jones serves as the Director of Storytelling for Communities for Just Schools Fund, a donor collaborative that resources education justice organizers across the country.
Workshop Agenda and Descriptions
Session I
How to Advance in Your Career
John Carnahan, MSEA UniServ Director; Jana Rossetto-Kennedy, Executive Assistant/MSEA Center for Legal Affairs
This workshop will offer tips on writing great resumes and cover letters, how to reflect unique skills that will make future employers want to hire or promote you, and practical advice to help you feel more confident during your interview.
Organizing for the Table: Using the ESP Bill of Rights in Your Contract Campaign
Cresta Kowalski, MSEA UniServ Director; Alicia Walz, MSEA UniServ Director Intern
This training focuses on how the ESP Bill of Rights can be used to organize and strengthen a local contract campaign. Participants will learn how to engage ESPs around shared rights, identify common bargaining priorities, and build majority support across worksites before negotiations begin. The session highlights the strategic use of silent negotiators, visibility actions, and one-to-one organizing conversations to demonstrate unity and increase leverage at the bargaining table. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to align member power with contract demands throughout the bargaining process.
From Conversation to Commitment: Growing ESP Membership Through Transformational Organizing
Cristal Cruz, NEA Organizing Specialist
This session trains ESP leaders and activists on how to use transformational organizing conversations to grow membership and build lasting union power. Drawing from the NEA Guide to Transformational Organizing Conversations, participants will practice the Ask–Hope–Urgency–Call to Action framework and learn listening strategies that move coworkers from frustration to commitment. The training focuses on recruiting new members, strengthening relationships, and identifying future ESP leaders through intentional one-on-one conversations. Attendees will leave with practical tools to increase membership density and build a stronger, more unified ESP voice.
ESP Lobbying 101 and the 2026 General Assembly Session
Jessica Cook
Join the MSEA Center for Public Affairs for an overview of the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session and what it means for Education Support Professionals. This session will provide an update on MSEA’s legislative agenda, highlight priorities impacting ESPs, and outline plans for ESP Lobby Day. Participants will learn effective strategies for engaging elected officials and advocating for ESP legislation at the state and local levels. Attendees will leave better prepared to use their voice and influence policymaking on behalf of ESPs.
Session II
10 Ways to Supercharge Your Member Communications
Adam Mendelson, MSEA Assistant Executive Director/Center for Public Affairs
Unsure how to best use your local’s social media? Wish that your newsletters packed more punch? Need to make sure your local communications are making an impact? Then come to this training to learn how to strengthen your local communications. We’ll cover topics like improving member-focused communications, effectively using social media, utilizing a Race Class Narrative, and more.
What is the MSEA ESP Bill of Rights? A Beginner’s Guide
Will Johnson, Stacy Tayman, Samuel Walters
The ESP Bill of Rights movement began in Maryland and Massachusetts and has grown into a powerful national movement. But what is it really about and why does it matter? This session explores how the MSEA ESP Bill of Rights was developed, the key issues and demands it addresses, and how the campaign is being used to build power for education support professionals at the local, state, and national levels. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of the platform and the strategy behind turning it into real wins.
Building Toward May Day 2028: Planning a National Day of Action
Anna Fritz, MSEA UniServ Director
This session focuses on how local associations can begin organizing now for the national May Day 2028 action. Participants will explore strategies for long-term planning, coalition building, and member engagement that turn May Day into a powerful, visible moment of collective action. The training will highlight how to align local campaigns with national goals, develop leadership, and build escalating actions leading up to 2028. Attendees will leave with a planning framework to connect workplace issues to a coordinated, nationwide movement.
Your Retirement: the Maryland System, Social Security, and Your Individual Savings
Paul Lemle, MSEA President
Learn how the Maryland retirement system works and how to avoid predatory fees on your individual savings (403b/457). Helpful but not required before attending: create an account with the Maryland retirement system and Social Security Administration.
Session III
ESP Employment Rights
Jamie Sapia, MSEA Center for Legal Affairs
Join the MSEA legal department for an informational session about your employment rights. Topics include your first amendment rights, resolving student issues, and grievance procedures. Bring your questions!
Funding the Fight: Using NEA and MSEA Grants to Grow Your Local
Seleste Harris, MSEA UniServ Director
This training provides an overview of how local associations can access and apply for NEA and MSEA grants to support organizing, contract campaigns, and member engagement efforts. Participants will learn about available grant opportunities, eligibility requirements, and best practices for developing strong, mission-aligned proposals. The session will walk through key application components, timelines, and common pitfalls to avoid. Attendees will leave with practical guidance and tools to turn campaign ideas into funded action.
Artificial Intelligence in Education: Promises and Pitfalls
Jean Milstein
Explore the growing role of artificial intelligence in educational settings through real-world examples. This presentation examines what AI does well, where it falls short, and how different prompts and AI models can be used to automate and simplify a variety of education-related tasks.
Unleashing the Power of Educational Support Professionals: Summer Organizing Explained
Stacey Albrecht, MSEA ESP Organizing Committee Co-Chair; Kathleen O’Reilly, MSEA ESP Year-Round Organizer
In this session we will explore effective strategies for engaging one-on-one conversations at the door, focusing on the ESP Bill of Rights, and learn best practices for impactful dialogues, including the Affirm Answer Redirect approach as well as how to assess the conversations.
Session IV
SOMOS La Union: Dismantling Barriers and Demanding Justice for Latine Students and Educators
Carlos Mellott, MSEA UniServ Director; Toni Mejias
In this workshop, you will learn about first-, second-, and third-generation Latines in the United States, including their challenges and the need for concerted efforts to dismantle systemic barriers and demand justice in education for their communities. We will highlight the impact of these barriers and discuss various strategies and real actions that union members can take to dismantle them. This workshop will be facilitated in both English and Spanish.
Building Power Together: Leadership Pathways in MSEA & NEA
Cindy Porter, Ivory Smith, Sonia D’Urbano
Are you new to union activism and wondering where your voice and talents can make the greatest impact? This interactive session introduces the leadership structure of MSEA and NEA and highlights the many ways members can get involved — from committees to trainings and advocacy opportunities. Participants will explore how our member-led union works, learn about pathways to leadership, and begin mapping a leadership journey that aligns with their passions, skills, and goals.
How to Activate the Members in Your Worksite Through Building Mapping
Joia Clevenger, MSEA UniServ Director
Does it feel like the members and potential members in your worksite are disconnected? It’s time for some Building Mapping. Mapping is the process of assessing your co-workers’ interest in organizing and strengthening their connections to our union. This session will give you the tools to activate your worksite. Solidarity is power, and building mapping is a concrete tool you’ll both learn and begin to do in this workshop to maximize your solidarity!
Influencing your Friends and Enemies – Political Accountability
Dan Chambers, MSEA Organizing Specialist
There’s two ways to hold decision makers accountable: proactively and reactively. Both have their place, and both are important. The best plans for accountability for people in power include setting expectations of them by who they are accountable to and holding their feet to the fire when they fall short. This training will go through strategies for both that you can employ over the course of a campaign, budget fight, or longer-term issue-based struggle.
Closing Session
Call to Action
Stacey Albrecht and Rachel Swartz, MSEA ESP Organizing Committee Co-Chairs
Stephanie Patterson, 2025 MSEA ESP of the Year
Chris Schwartz, Researcher