Biography
Home > Biography
About
Jerell Blakeley
Assistant Executive Director-Program for the Ohio Education Association, Ohio's largest Union
Jerell Blakeley is an education policy and labor leader committed to strengthening public institutions as engines of justice, equity, and opportunity. His career spans union leadership, public service, teaching, and community engagement across three states. He currently serves as the Assistant Executive Director of Member Advocacy–Program for the Ohio Education Association, supporting more than 120,000 educators in the Buckeye State. As a member of OEA’s Executive Management Team, Jerell oversees the Government Relations, EMPRA (Education Policy, Research & Member Advocacy), and Communications departments for one of the nation’s largest NEA affiliates. His work centers on integrating advocacy, policy, research, and communication strategies to advance public education statewide in Ohio.
Previously, Jerell was the inaugural Director of Government, Community, and Racial & Social Justice for the Indiana State Teachers Association, where he led legislative strategy, built statewide coalitions, and advanced racial and social justice initiatives for Indiana’s largest union. Before that, he served at the New Jersey Education Association as a building representative, local and county Legislative Action Team member, Organizational Development consultant, and a professional staff member, developing deep experience in organizing, member advocacy, and education policy.
Jerell’s public service includes roles as President of the Lawrence, Indiana Redevelopment Commission, Vice Chairman of the Mercer County (NJ) Board of Social Services, Political Director of the Trenton Democratic Committee, and At-Large Member of the Trenton, NJ City Council, representing more than 90,000 residents.
Teaching is central to Jerell’s professional identity. He has taught middle school, high school, and undergraduate courses—including Civics and History at his alma mater, Trenton Central High School, and Labor Studies and Political Science at Rutgers University, Indiana University Indianapolis, and Ivy Tech Community College.
A proud product of the public schools of Trenton, NJ, Jerell earned his BA in History from Howard University, one of the nation’s most storied HBCUs, with the help of institutional merit scholarship, federal financial aid, and scholarships from the United Negro College Fund and Trenton Rotary Club Woodward Fund. He holds an Ed.M. in the Social & Philosophical Foundations of Education from Rutgers University–New Brunswick as an Eagleton-Martin Fellow, and he is currently pursuing an EdD in Education Policy at the University of Pittsburgh.
His leadership and service have been recognized nationally and locally. Honors include the Avis Spirit Community Award, Indianapolis Business Journal “40 Under 40″ list,” Alpha Phi Alpha 40 Under 40 list, Black Enterprise “Modern Man,” and placement on Insider NJ’s lists of the 100 Most Influential African Americans, 100 Most Influential Millennials and Top 12 Rising Operatives. He has also been honored by the Trenton chapters of the NAACP and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Jerell has served on numerous boards, including the Children’s Home Society of New Jersey, Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana, Governmental Affairs Society of Indiana, Children’s Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana, IU–Indianapolis School of Education Dean’s Advisory Council, Martin University School of Education Advisory Board, and the National Association of Political & Legislative Specialists for Education.
A 2016 New Leaders Council–NJ Fellow and 2021 Lead NJ Fellow, Jerell is a member of the Howard University Alumni Association, NAACP, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Prince Hall Masons, and formerly the NJEA and United Steelworkers unions. He is also a former member of the American Association of University Professors and Mercer County AFL-CIO Central Labor Council.
Jerell has been invited to present, lecture, or advise organizations including the Eagleton Institute of Politics, NJ Working Families Party, Indiana Black Expo, Isles, Lead NJ, New Leaders Council, NJ Black Issues Convention, Princeton University’s Pace Center, Rider University, Housing and Community Development Network of NJ, Indiana Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, the National Council of Urban Education Associations, and several chapters of Jack & Jill, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, and Omega Psi Phi. His op-eds and commentary have appeared in the HBCU Digest, NJEA Review, NJ Spotlight, and The Star-Ledger.
Jerell is the proud husband to fellow Howard University graduate Dr. Arielle Blakeley, a complex care pediatrician at the acclaimed Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and the proud father of Malcolm Alexander Randolph Blakeley.
A committed public servant and educator at heart, Jerell’s work continues to center on the belief that strong public institutions—especially public schools—are critical to a just and vibrant democracy.
