Randi Weingarten is president of the 1.5 million-member American Federation of Teachers, which represents teachers; paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; higher-education faculty and staff; nurses and other health care professionals; local, state, and federal employees; and early-childhood educators. She was elected in 2008, following eleven years of service as vice president. As president, Weingarten launched the development of the AFT Innovation Fund, a groundbreaking initiative to support sustainable, innovative, and collaborative reform projects developed by members and their local unions to strengthen public schools.