AFT Vice President
Richard Iannuzzi has served as president of New York State United Teachers since 2005, leading the union through a period of tremendous growth, with membership now at more than 600,000.

An active and leading voice in the labor movement at both the state and federal levels, Iannuzzi is a vice president of the AFT and vice president of the New York State AFL-CIO. He also is a delegate to the national AFL-CIO and co-chair of the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition.

With nearly 500 full-time employees, NYSUT represents a diverse membership that includes in-service and retired members in New York's public schools, colleges, universities and healthcare facilities, as well as several private schools and colleges, non-profits and government agencies. Its programs are provided from 16 offices around the state.

Raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., in a union household, Iannuzzi taught elementary school in the Central Islip public schools for 34 years, including 20 years as a fourth-grade teacher. He was active in his local union from the beginning of his career, joining his local union on strike in November 1970, his first year on the job.

Iannuzzi began as an elected building representative in 1971 and served on the grievance committee for five years. He was vice president of the Central Islip Teachers Association from 1976 to 1996 and president from 1996 to 2004. In addition to his local union roles, Iannuzzi has served as a NYSUT, AFT and NEA convention delegate and a Long Island Federation of Labor delegate.

A graduate of CUNY's Brooklyn College, Iannuzzi earned a master's degree from Hofstra University and a labor studies certificate from Cornell University.

(August 22, 2008)