New Interim Director for AAUP

AAUP executive director Julie Schmid will begin a new position in July with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) as the special assistant for higher education to AFT president Randi Weingarten. In this role, she will work to ensure that the AAUP’s affiliation with the AFT best serves both organizations’ members and that together our two organizations can best defend academic freedom, students’ freedom to learn, and the right of academic workers to organize.

The AAUP has been extremely fortunate to benefit from Julie’s service as executive director since 2013 and as a senior program officer in the Department of Organizing and Services from 2002 to 2008. Her expertise in academic organizing and her management skills have been vital assets to the AAUP’s elected leadership in carrying out the AAUP’s mission. AAUP leaders and members can take comfort from the deep understanding of and commitment to AAUP principles and values that Julie brings to her new position with the AFT, where she will be a valuable resource and advocate for all who teach and conduct research in colleges and universities.

The AAUP governing Council has appointed Nancy Long as interim executive director and will begin planning a search for the Association’s next executive director later this month. Nancy first joined the AAUP as associate counsel to the Legal Department in 2011 and has served as deputy executive director since November 2022. Previously, she was the executive director of the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia and had an independent legal practice. With wide-ranging experience that has included work for the AAUP on organizational restructuring, AAUP Foundation compliance, amicus briefs, state laws on faculty handbooks, and vendor contracts, Nancy is well-positioned to provide a seamless transition.

Despite the bittersweet nature of this announcement, it represents a big win for the academic labor movement. Julie’s deep knowledge of the AAUP and Nancy’s skilled leadership will help the AAUP and the AFT to realize more fully the vision for their affiliation, as both organizations continue their important work at the national, state, and local levels.