How E4E Membership Helped Paula Cole Grow as A Leader

For 15 years, Educators for Excellence members have shaped policy, strengthened the profession, and grown as leaders in their schools and communities. Recently, we asked a few long-time members about their E4E journey and how it has contributed to their professional growth. Their answers highlight the power of teacher leadership when educators have the tools, training, and support to use their voice.

Below, meet Paula Cole, the current Executive Director of E4E-Minnesota, whose career path was shaped, elevated, and expanded through her involvement with E4E.

What will your journey look like? Join E4E today and find out.

Where were you in your teaching career before joining E4E?
When I joined E4E in 2014, I was in my second year of teaching at Emerson Spanish Immersion in Minneapolis.

What inspired you to join E4E?
Due to my non-traditional teacher’s license, my local union refunded the dues that I had paid that year, and I was seeking a welcoming space to collaborate with other educators on improving public schools.

I eventually rejoined my union, but the experience made something clear: non-traditional pathways to licensure remove barriers for BIPOC people to join the profession, and they need to be supported. E4E-MN shared that goal, and we’ve never stopped working toward it.

What new roles or leadership opportunities have you taken on since then?
Within a year of joining E4E-MN, I decided to pursue elected office and was elected to serve on the Richfield Board of Education. Additionally, I was elected to serve as a union building steward at the two different school sites where I taught and founded the League of Latinx Educators (now under Education Minnesota) with a group of E4E members.

Tell us about the E4E leadership trainings you’ve participated in.
As an E4E-MN member, I benefited from several professional opportunities, with the most memorable being a power mapping exercise. I also participated in panels and led sessions for the LEAP program cohort about running for office.

How did they help you grow as an educator and leader?
These sessions empowered me to speak up, organize, and ensure that other E4E-MN members had the same positive experience. They gave me the confidence and tools to lead — both inside and far beyond my classroom.

Your leadership journey starts here.

Every educator has a story, and every educator deserves a voice in the decisions that shape the future of our profession. Paula’s experiences show what’s possible when educators are empowered, supported, and connected.

What will your journey look like? Join E4E today and find out!