In an effort to increase the impact of NAEA’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) work more broadly, and to identify the specific needs of our membership, NAEA initiated the ED&I State Liaison Program.

NAEA works with state and local art education associations and leaders to establish and support an NAEA ED&I Liaison role for each state—building a direct conduit between membership, state associations, and the ED&I work carried out by NAEA nationally. This work may align with ongoing commitments and efforts by individual state associations that have already begun, or it could be the start of related work for a state. The Liaison provides insight into the specific ED&I needs and priorities that their respective state has, and works toward codeveloping professional learning and support that will best serve that community’s goals. 

Who can be an NAEA ED&I State Liaison? How are they chosen?

• Any member of NAEA who is also a member of their state’s art education association is eligible to be an NAEA ED&I State Liaison. Ideally, candidates should be thought leaders who are committed to initiating or continuing ED&I work within their state association and be prepared to commit 3–4 hours of work per month to this initiative. (Please see the list of duties and sample timeline below.)
• State association presidents will appoint individual(s) for the role for this pilot year, considering the experience and interest of the candidate. (Each state will have the same number of NAEA ED&I Liaisons as NAEA Delegates—1 if membership is under 300, 2 if over 300.)
• Are you interested in becoming an NAEA ED&I State Liaison? Contact your state association president for more information.
• Questions? Please contact Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Special Initiatives, Ray Yang, at ryang@arteducators.org.

NAEA ED&I State Liaison Duties

NAEA ED&I State Liaisons should be prepared to commit 3–4 hours of work per month to this initiative, and:

• Serve as a communication conduit between NAEA leadership and their respective states regarding ED&I-related strategic goals, priorities, and organizational needs (this can include contributing to newsletter updates, online forums, and/or social media).
• Actively participate in NAEA ED&I trainings (3–4 times per year).
• Pilot the development of a state ED&I Team or Commission committed to supporting ED&I work at the state/local level.
• Gather and share demographic data and information regarding the state’s particular needs and composition.
• Coordinate and facilitate professional learning for state membership (online and/or in person) grounded in the curriculum created by the NAEA Cultural Competency Curriculum Development Team.
  • Two statewide ED&I training sessions/workshops:
    One in-person training at the state conference (fall)
    One virtual training during the school year (late winter/early spring)
• Create an ED&I Plan for the state with measurable goals (this can be brief or detailed).
• Participate in a Regional NAEA ED&I Cohort (online community via NAEA Collaborate)