RUN EAA 2026 Campaign
Meet the team and learn more about our mission
About the Campaign
David Paladin-Fernandez, Tyron Barnes and Howard Van der Sluis have all felt the weight of EAA’s current leadership's inaction. They agree with the majority of members and non members, that something must be done to allow the union to empower and support all educators of ACPS again. That is why they hope to successfully replace the current leadership in the upcoming EAA election and make members proud to be a part of the union again. We hope we can prove that they deserve your vote and that they can make the cost of membership dues well worth it.
Meet the Candidates
David Paladin-Fernandez is a decades-long educator who teaches middle school science at Jefferson-Houston Pre K - 8 School. He joined EAA in 2021 to help fight for collective bargaining, becoming one of its most vocal supporters. Additionally, David has fought to help make EAA more responsive to member needs by advocating for electronic voting, the creation of an EAA website, and more. David also aims to make the EAA more transparent by consistently engaging with rank-and-file members and ensuring they all have meaningful opportunities to get involved. If elected, David promises to take the EAA to new heights of engagement, organization, and impact.
Dr. Tyron Barnes
Vice President
Dr. Tyron Barnes is a dedicated educator with 15 years of teaching experience and currently serves at Patrick Henry K-8 School. Dr. Barnes joined the Education Association of Alexandria (EAA) in 2023 with a clear purpose: to strengthen the organization and make it more responsive to members' needs.
Since joining, Dr. Barnes has actively advocated for electronic voting and collective bargaining and has filed formal motions to improve and modernize communication on the EAA website, believing transparency and accessibility matter. In addition, Dr. Barnes proudly serves as Vice Chair of the Virginia Education Association’s Professional Rights and Responsibilities Commission, where he works to protect and advance educators' rights across the Commonwealth.
Howard Van der Sluis
Treasurer
Howard Van der Sluis is the orchestra teacher and has been working at ACPS at numerous locations for over twenty years. He has gotten involved in RUN because he thinks educators need a voice and union that reflects their needs in the collective bargaining process. This is why Howard wants to stand up for all educators, members in EAA and non members working for ACPS alike.
Learn more
A strong union needs strong leadership to empower every member, as well as every educator. That is why we have made a Declaration of Member’s Rights to ensure every ACPS educator can feel represented with dignity and consideration. Our platform, linked below, is clear. It is time for EAA to serve educators again.
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