AFT New Jersey President Jennifer S. Higgins, HPAE President Debbie White and AAUP President Todd Wolfson were elected to be AFT vice presidents for 2026-28 during the 2026 AFT Convention, held July 16-19 in Washington, D.C.
Union delegates voted to reelect Randi Weingarten, Fedrick C. Ingram and Evelyn DeJesus to new two-year terms as president, secretary-treasurer and executive vice president, respectively.
“To be elected an AFT vice president along with Debbie and Todd, at the same time Randi, Fed and Evelyn were reelected, was an honor of a lifetime,” Higgins said July 20. “To have this experience with many first-time delegates from AFTNJ made it even more special.”
The excitement inside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center during the four-day event “was palpable,” said Higgins. AFTNJ and HPAE held their first joint lunch for New Jersey delegates on July 18 to build solidarity between the two state federations. “This will be a tradition that we will continue,” she added.
At the convention’s conclusion, Higgins said members were “ready to take the next steps with AFT to fight to defend our democracy.” She expressed high praise for Laurie LeFever, who joined the higher education divisions panel to talk about the Montclair State University adjunct union’s work on student voter registration and education, and she commended Rutgers URA-AFT’s Josephine Nagle, AFT Local 6025’s Alyssa Nittolo-Harris and AFT Local 2222’s Cindy Simon for participating in the training and for committing to being Democracy Defenders during the midterm elections.
Among the guests and speakers at the 2026 AFT Convention were U.S. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and labor leader Dolores Huerta, who was honored with a lifetime achievement award for her work with the United Farm Workers.
During her address on July 16, Weingarten revealed that membership has reached 1,875,209, the highest in AFT’s history.
ABOVE: AFT New Jersey President Jennifer S. Higgins (left) and HPAE President Debbie White during the 2026 AFT Convention in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Jennie Shanker)
