Mary Jane Morris is the Director of Teaching & Learning for the Illinois Education Association (IEA), the statewide teacher’s union that represents 135,000 education employees.
Mary Jane started her career as a chemistry teacher in southern Illinois where she taught for 18 years. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT). In 2004, she began her career with IEA as a UniServ Director providing advocacy supports and professional development to members, which included the establishment and oversight of an induction and mentoring program for 30 school districts. In 2008, Mary Jane moved into the IEA Statewide position of Instructional Resource and Professional Development Director for Teaching & Learning. In 2010, Mary Jane transitioned into a management position as the Director of IEA Teaching & Learning, which she currently holds. Mary Jane also served as the Executive Director of the Consortium for Educational Change, a not-for-profit organization founded by IEA whose focus was to work collaboratively with district teachers and administration to improve student learning, from 2010 to 2019.
In 2018 as the Director of Teaching & Learning for the Illinois Education Association, Mary Jane and numerous community partners established Resilient Southern Illinois, an initiative of the statewide not-for-profit Partnership for Resilience. Mary Jane has a strong background in developing, leading and managing large projects and professional learning communities. She also has successful experience in writing and managing federal and state funded grants.
Mary Jane received a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, a Master of Curriculum & Instruction, and Administrative Licenses from Southern Illinois University.