At their meeting in Brussels last week, the officers of Education International voted to appoint Charlie Lennon to the post of Deputy General Secretary. He has been serving as EI’s Chief Coordinator for Administration and for Europe for the past four years, and will take up his new post effective 1 May 2008.
Lennon began his career working as a primary teacher in Ireland for nine years, before leaving the classroom to go to work as an official for the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO). He later served as Deputy General Secretary and subsequently General Secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI).
He was elected as a member of EI’s Executive Board at the World Congress in Zimbabe in 1995 and as Vice-President at the Washington Congress in 1998, in which capacity he served until 2004. He was also a Vice-President of the European Region for many years.
Lennon’s appointment comes about due to the retirement of Deputy General Secretary Elie Jouen, who is scheduled to retire from the organisation on 30th April 2008. The Officers recommended to the General Secretary that the new Deputy be responsible for areas including finance, governance and general services.