Teri Baldwin is going on her 13th year as the President of the Palo Alto Educators Association and starting her 30th year as a teacher. She taught kindergarten for five years in Connecticut and for the majority of her career here in Palo Alto at Addison Elementary School. Teri has been actively involved in union work, advocating for teachers and students for 26 years of her education career. She has worked in collaboration with the California Teachers Association (CTA) throughout the years and was a CTA State Council Representative for nine years. She has also served as a National Education Association (NEA) CA State Representative at the NEA Representative Assembly. Teri is excited to continue her work with PAEA and has said, "I have learned and grown so much, not only professionally but personally as well, in this role. I am so grateful for the members' support throughout my years as president and am excited to continue the great work we have done collectively building a strong union

Tom Culbertson

Tom Culbertson is in his 15th year of teaching 4th grade at Juana Briones Elementary School. For PAEA, he's served as a site rep, Executive Board Member-at-Large and Negotiations Team member.  He proudly represents PAEA at CTA State Council and is active at the state level in CTA caucuses and political activities.  Tom is passionate about inspiring PAEA members to speak out and take action.  A strong union gets great results for educators AND students.

Dave Tomatis

David Tomatis is in his 25th year of teaching Social Studies at JLS Middle School, PAUSD. David has enjoyed teaching both 7th and 8th grade students over the years and has also led the Social Studies Department, hosts 2 clubs, coached flag football, served 3 terms on the JLS Staff Senate, led student trips to Washington DC, served on 3 principal hiring panels, starred in a few staff/student musicals, led students in the JLS Mock Elections and served on a few committees in his time at JLS.

His union service matches his years in teaching; JLS Site rep continuously, multiple terms in various positions on the Exec Board including this last year in his 2 terms served as Treasurer, as well as service on the Negotiations Team, the JBC, and the Catastrophic Leave Committee. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Palo Alto. The students have been great and it has been a pleasure to serve my fellow teachers", Tomatis said proudly. "But times have really changed in the district and it is time for teachers to stand and be heard...to continue to call for what is best for our students...and that time is now!"

Korynne Headley

This is Korynne’s 25th year as a California public school educator and 9th year teaching at Palo Alto High School as a Resource Specialist. She is currently serving the 2nd year of her term as Secretary of the PAEA Executive Board while concurrently serving her 6th year as site representative. She has also served on the School Site Council, various committees and as student club advisor. She believes that by working collaboratively, the unique talents and skills of each individual can come together to generate creative solutions. This collective approach allows for more diverse perspectives and a broader range of expertise to be leveraged, leading to more innovative and effective problem-solving.

special election to be held fall 2024

Kelly Zalatimo

Kelly Zalatimo is in her 26th year of teaching English at Greene Middle School in Palo Alto Unified. In addition to teaching, she has served as Student Activities Director, AVID Coordinator, and Instructional Lead in her time at Greene. Her work with PAEA started in 2016 as a site representative. She will finish her third term on Executive Board as Member-at-Large, Middle, at the end of this year, and has been on the negotiations team since the summer of 2020. If you are reading this, Kelly wants to thank you—not because her bio is so exciting, but because your reading this means you are on the site and taking action to be informed and involved. Our union strength is dependent on lots of people taking small actions. Thank you for doing your part!

Jen Ellington

This is Jen Ellington’s 28th year as a California public school educator and14th year teaching in Palo Alto Unified, currently at Fletcher Middle School and Gunn High School. She has been a part of the PAEA Executive Board for the last two years. Jen has also held the position of PAEA site representative, department lead, and served on numerous committees at the site and district level. She is dedicated to assisting fellow teachers and our union to improve working conditions district-wide.