Leadership

Scroll past the biographies of the President and Executive Vice President.

For more than 25 years, Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins has been an active member in the Detroit Federation of Teachers. She started her career as a first grade teacher at Spain Elementary & Middle School in 1997. Upon completion of a Master’s Degree in counseling and the timely retirement of Spain’s counselors, Lakia was able to obtain a counseling position at Spain and continue advocating and building relationships with students, families, and staff while leveraging support from stakeholders in the community in which she loved. Lakia recalls the anxiety of walking the picket line in the strike of 1999 and the excitement of delivering Spain Schools’ ballots in the election of officers to the DFT office, which formerly stood next to Dittrich Furs on Third Avenue. Lakia has always provided support to the DFT at the building level as the Building Representative, Alternate, and Union Committee.

In 2014, Lakia was elected to her first term on the DFT Executive Board. Since then, Lakia has served as both Vice President and Executive Vice President of the DFT. With the onset of the 2023-2025 biennium, Lakia is humbled, privileged and blessed to be elected as the 9th President of the DFT. Professionally, Lakia is honored to represent over 3000 of the world’s best educators and support staff.

In Lakia's family, education and unionism have a long history. Her mother was the first black teacher at St. Anne Catholic School in Southwest Detroit for 7 years (now closed). She ultimately retired as a proud MEA member from Mount Clemens Public Schools after 24 years of teaching both kindergarten and first grade. Lakia’s father, after 40 years of work, retired as a proud Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly Plant employee. Her uncles were Sleeping Car Porters, and she has three UAW proud brothers who worked for each of the Big Three—Ford, Chrysler, and GM—with one becoming a union steward for the Bakery and Confectionery Union at Hostess Cake. Her aunts were educators as well. Currently, Lakia’s sister teaches 1st grade in Maryland, her goddaughter is a second year teacher in Tennessee, while her nephew is a professor in Texas. “The love of learning and teaching runs in the family”, claims Lakia.

A lifelong Detroiter—born, raised, living and working in Detroit, Lakia is an outspoken advocate for social, educational and economic justice. Lakia has been featured on many media outlets. Most notable are her appearances on C-SPAN during the AFL-CIO Raising Wages Summit, AFT “Life Inside Detroit Public Schools”, NBC News Learn, and HBO Real Sports.

Lakia is a Mount Clemens High School alumna. She graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Science Education, and Oakland University with a Master of Arts in Counseling. She holds Principal Certification from Lamar University, and is currently working toward her doctoral degree in Leadership at the American College of Education.

Lakia, who still qualifies herself as a newlywed, shares her home with her amazing husband Michael and their energetic eight-year-old son Noah.

Jason Posey has been an active member of the Detroit Federation of Teachers for nearly 20 years. In 2003, he began his career at Coleman A. Young Elementary School where he taught second and third grades and was elected Alternate Building Representative. Jason also served as Alternate and Building Representative at Noble Elementary-Middle School for many years.

In 2014, Jason was elected to his first of five terms as an AFT Convention Delegate. Later that same year, he was elected to serve the first of five terms on the DFT Executive Board. Beginning in 2019, he was selected to serve as one of DFT’s inaugural Organizing Fellows. The organizing fellows program has increased the DFT membership as well as built capacity within the union by training and assisting building representatives and our rank and file members.

Unionism is deeply rooted in Jason’s family. His mother was a DFT member for 21 years prior to becoming a district administrator. His grandfather was a proud UAW-Chrysler member for over 30 years. His grandmother was a member of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union. His aunts were members of the Communication Workers of America; one of them serving as shop steward.

Jason is honored to be voted as one of DFT Vice-Presidents and humbled to be selected by the DFT Executive Board to serve as Executive Vice-President.

Professionally, Jason is prouder of nothing more than his advocacy and representation of the members of the Detroit Federation of Teachers.

Jason is a graduate of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Masters of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of Michigan. 

Jason shares his home with his wife, Jessica, who is also an educator and his daughter Lauren.

Officers

• President Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins
• Executive Vice President Jason Posey
• Vice President Marcus Walton
• VIce President Robin Jennings
• Recording Secretary Elena Phillips-Brantley
• Treasurer Rodney Fresh

Executive Board (region assignments are below)

• Lisa Card
• Tracie Diggins
• Frank Donner
• Samantha Hoskin
• Yolanda King
• Dwan McGrady
• Kimberly L. Mitchell
• Marva Needham-Fletcher
• Sarah Niemi
• Jeff Wasilewski
• Everett Whitfield

Trustees

• Cassandra Davis
• Mark Duffy
• Kimberly D. Mitchell

Election Committee

• Julia Hunko
• Tamika Merchant 
• Jacqueline Robinson
• Onza Stokes
• Tenesha Vernon
• Laura Watt
• Crystal White

 AFT Michigan Vice Presidents, from DFT

• Jason Posey
• Marcus Walton
• Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins

AFT National Executive Council Vice President

• Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins

EXECUTIVE BOARD REGION ASSIGNMENTS

Region 1: 

1. Bow PK-8
2. Emerson PK-8
3. Henry Ford HS
4. Charles Wright PK-8
5. Vernor PK-8
6. John R. King PK-8

Region 2: Marcus Walton

1. Jerry L. White 9-12
2. Randolph CTC 10-12
3. Bethune PK-8
4. Renaissance HS
5. Coleman Young PK-5
6. FLICS K-8

Region 3: Everett Whitfield

1. Carver PK-8
2. Dixon PK-8
3. Gardner K-5
4. Gompers PK-8
5. Mann PK-5
6. Cody HS
7. Ann Arbor Trail 
8. Thirkell K-8

Region 4: 

1. Barton K-5
2. Breithaupt CTC 10-12
3. Northwestern HS
4. Drew Transition post-secondary
5. Henderson Academy PK-8
6. Mackenzie PK-8

Region 5: Rodney Fresh

1. Burns K-8
2. CMA HS
3. Dossin K-8
4. Edison PK-5
5. Noble PK-8

Region 6: Robin Jennings

1. Bagley PK-6
2. Bates PK-8
3. Cooke PK-6
4. Mumford HS 
5. Palmer Park PK-8
6. Pasteur PK-6
7. Paul Robeson/Malcolm X PK-8
8. Marygrove K-3, 912
9. Schulze PK-8

Region 7: Sarah Niemi

1. A. L. Holmes PK-8
2. Davison PK-8
3. Greenfield Union 
4. Law PK-8
5. Mason PK-8
6. Nolan PK-8
7. Speech & Language Pathologists
8. Pershing HS

Region 8: Lisa Card

1. Brenda Scott PK-8
2. Thurgood Marshall K-8
3. Duke Ellington @ Beckham PK-8
4. Turning Point K-12
5. Osborn HS
6. Pulaski PK-8

Region 9: Dwan McGrady

1. Brewer PK-8
2. Carleton PK-5
3. Denby HS
4. Fisher Magnet Lower PK-5
5. Fisher Magnet Upper 6-8
6. Wayne PK-5
7. TSC

Region 10: 

1. Carstens PK-8
2. Clark 
3. East English Village HS
4. Marquette PK-8
5. Ronald Brown PK-8
6. Moses Field K-8
7. ESTP @ 
8. Banks-Williamson post-secondary

Region 11: Kimberly L. Mitchell

1. Blackwell PK-8
2. Detroit Lions Academy 6-12
3. Marcus Garvey PK-8
4. Hutchinson PK-8
5. Nichols K-8
6. Southeastern HS

Region 12: Samantha Hoskin

1. Burton K-8
2. Cass Tech HS
3. Detroit School f/t Arts 9-12
4. Golightly PK-8
5. Spain PK-8
6. Detroit International Academy PK-12
7. EIDC birth-age 3
8. Crockett Midtown HS 
9. Edmondson PK-12

Region 13 and Region 14: Jeff Wasilewski

1. Clippert 6-8
2. Earhart PK-8
3. Harms PK-5
4. Maybury PK-5
5. Munger PK-8
6. Priest PK-8
7. Western HS
8. Academy of the Americas PK-K, 4-12
9. Academy of the Americas @ Logan K-3
10. Bennett PK-5
11. Clemente PK-5
12. Mark Twain PK-8
13. Neinas PK-8

Region 15: Elena Brantley-Phillips

1. Frederick Douglass
2. SSW 
3. Central HS
4. Durfee @ Central K-8
5. Keidan PK-8
6. Sampson-Webber PK-8

Region 16: Marva Needham-Fletcher

1. Bunche PK-8
2. Chrysler K-5
3. Davis Aerospace HS
4. Martin Luther King HS
5. Academic Interventionists
6. Hamilton K-8
7. Golightly CTC 10-12