ELEMENTARY TEACHERS' FEDERATION OF ONTARIO
Karen Brown re-elected ETFO president

On August 14, Karen Brown was re-elected for a second term as president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO). She has served as ETFO president since 2021, when she became the first Black president to be elected to a provincial teacher affiliate union in Ontario, and the first Black president to be elected to a provincial teacher affiliate union in Canada.

"Since taking office, the Ford government has continued to push an austerity agenda, with extensive cuts to public services. As president, it is my commitment to members that ETFO will not falter in challenging their ongoing attacks on public education," says ETFO President Karen Brown. "Education is the great equalizer: I will not tire of defending this democratic right, and together, we will not back down."

Brown, who served as ETFO first vice-president from 2012 to 2021, was first elected to the provincial Executive in 2009. She is a governor and fellow of the Ontario Teachers' Federation, an alumnus of the 2011 Governor General's Leadership Conference, and a member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.

Locally, Brown served as vice-president of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto from 2003 to 2012, and as chief negotiator, grievance officer, benefits coordinator, and strike team coordinator. She began her teaching career with the Toronto District School Board in 1993, and is a registered early childhood educator. She has an undergraduate degree in Child Studies from Brock University, and obtained a master of education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, in 2008.

In 2011, Brown, along with several other women, founded SMILE (Single Mothers Inspiring Leadership in Education), a registered Canadian charity that provides leadership, mentorship, and education bursaries for low-income single mothers in Canada and Jamaica. In 2017, Brown was named one of the 100 Most Accomplished Black Women in Canada. She is also the 2022 recipient of the OISE Alumni Leaders and Legends Award for Distinguished Service, and the Brock University Faculty of Social Sciences Distinguished Graduate Award.