MEET MARLA SIMPSON
Rebooting our union through transparency, collectivism, and engagement
Marla is a Senior Associate psychology instructor at Everett Community College who has also taught at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, South Seattle College, and Spokane Falls Community College. At her local union, she has served as VP of Member Support and VP Communications and has represented the union in bargaining. At the state level, she is a member of AFT Washington's Contingent Faculty Issues Committee and the Legislative Affairs Committee.
While Marla seeks to represent all of our members, she has been particularly active working to improve conditions and pay for contingent faculty. In addition, she has been a stalwart advocate on behalf academic freedom. Recently, she has championed efforts to ensure that faculty decide what the appropriate role of generative AI is in our classrooms. Instructors, not tech companies, should be entrusted with decisions about teaching and learning. Likewise, there is no question that our expert instructors and staff should decide how and when to discuss issues of diversity, equity and inclusion without interference.