Kathy Durst, a kindergarten teacher at Harvey Mitchell Elementary in Bryan ISD, was elected chair of the Texas Classroom Teachers Association’s statewide Governance Committee, which recommends changes and reviews proposals that affect the structure and governance of the 50,000-member professional association.

The announcement of Durst’s election came Jan. 26, during the 2013 TCTA Convention in Austin, where more than 300 TCTA members — teachers, librarians, counselors and other classroom professionals — from across the state came together to conduct association business, meet with legislators and their staffs at the Capitol, and participate in professional development.

Durst’s two-year term as Governance Committee chair begins June 1, 2013, when she will become a member of TCTA’s 10-member Executive Board, the highest elected body of the statewide group.

Currently, Durst serves as one of TCTA’s District 6 directors, an elected position she has held for five non-consecutive two-year terms. She also currently serves as the Governance Committee vice-chair. Previously, she served as vice-chair of TCTA’s statewide Curriculum and Instruction Committee.

“My belief is that TCTA is the positive and solid organization that it is today because of good leadership and faithful members,” Durst said. “Although I have served in many roles below a chair position, I would now like to dedicate my time and energy to a more active role with the TCTA Executive Board.”

Durst, who has served on Bryan ISD campus and district educational improvement committees in the past, is also active in Bryan CTA, the TCTA local affiliate. She is currently the group’s treasurer, a position she has held since 2004 (and from 2000 to 2002). Durst also served as Bryan CTA’s president in 2002-04 and 1999-00. She previously served as the local president, president-elect and a faculty representative in Brenham, where she received Teacher of the Year honors in 1998.

The Texas Classroom Teachers Association is the leading teacher association in Texas. Founded in 1927, TCTA is a nonprofit, independent professional association based in Austin that serves 50,000 members statewide. It is the only statewide teachers’ association that limits active-level membership to those directly involved in classroom teaching or teaching support, including librarians, counselors and teacher aides.