Get to Know Blair

Hi! I'm Blair Catlin Brown, and I’m excited to be your next IREA President. My union work is important to me, and I couldn’t do it without my husband, Mark, and my son, Gus. They always support me, no matter how many meetings or calls I have. They understand that my work for educators is my biggest priority outside of being a mom and wife.

I started working in unions in Somerset County, Maryland, in 2015. There, I was a building representative and learned how to handle pressures from the district. After that, I moved to Wicomico County schools, still as a building rep, and joined the President’s Council for the Maryland State Education Association. In 2021, I began working in the Indian River School District, which is where we live and where Gus goes to school.

Here in Indian River, I’m a School Social Worker who currently works with CAMP at SDSA. Within weeks of arriving, I hit the ground running as a building rep and haven’t slowed down since. Here is a list of what I’ve been up to:

• Began as Association Rep in SY 21-22

• Joined DSEA Executive Board in January 2023

• Took on the role as Communications Chair in March 2023

• Vice President for Teachers since SY 23-24

• Author of IREA Newsletter (the first of its kind in our local)

• Have produced all IREA flyers/publications/graphic design items over the past two years

• Coordinated the Stickers in Action campaign

  • As part of this campaign, handwrote notes to all Teacher contract members

• Along with pushing for increased member/Rep participation in the meetings, have attended nearly all District Committee meetings for the past two school years

• Attend and provide IREA Remarks at nearly all Board of Education meetings for the past two school years

• Helped to secure the second Member Organizer grant through DSEA

• Serve as a Member Organizer for the SY 24-25

• Provided on-camera interview for local news seeking input on proposed state-level salary increases

• Along with encouraging other Reps to do so: have consistently held 10-minute meetings in my own building to keep membership informed

• Consistently sought ideas for improving IREA communications including discussions around a possible website, social media platforms, and meetings with DSEA’s Public Relations staff to plan next steps

• Member of Governor-formed Teacher Career Ladder work group

• Attended BOE candidate interviews last school year

• Attended Level 3 Grievance hearings in front BOE members last school year

• Spoke at County Council meeting with Cape EA President in support of impact fees/VSA fees

• Accompanied District to numerous community events to assist with speaking about the 2025 Referendum

• Attend the Council of Presidents meetings held by DSEA

  • IREA never had a presence at these meetings, prior

• Worked with DSEA to secure grant funding

  • These giveaway items, IREA table cloth, and IREA banner are being used in our increased presence in school buildings and in the community

• Attended DSEA Leadership Conference to learn and to prepare for upcoming negotiations

• Served on Negotiation Team for our current IREA Teacher Contract

• Have attended all DSEA Representative Assemblies (RA) since coming to Delaware

• Attended this year’s DSEA Winter Organizing Retreat (WOR) to improve leadership skills and work with our team on growing our local

• Have assisted in cleaning up membership lists and have kept an up-to-date member email list

• Always there to support members through meeting representation, texts, calls, emails…whatever members need, I’m there 💜