Meet Our Staff
Erika Hughes, President
Erika Hughes is the President of CA-AFT. She is from Gardendale, Alabama and is married to Brian Hughes of Gardendale. They have three boys, Lawson and twins Bradie and Brodie. She 17-year veteran teacher from Jefferson County Schools.
She is humbled to have been elected to serve our outstanding members of Central Alabama AFT. She is a strong leader who will stand up for what is right and lend a hand to help others who are struggling to find their voice. Growing up, she had to work hard to accomplish anything she wanted to achieve. Hard work and challenges do not scare her, but drive her to find a way to achieve a goal.
She wants to help our members and be their voices when they can’t speak up. Throughout her 17 years in the classroom, certified and classified staff would confide in her to help them with situations they didn’t know how to handle. It was an honor to advocate for them and help them get what they needed to be done. She was an active AFT member for the entire 17 years she was in the classroom and has attended many conferences where she received training to bring classes and trainings to benefit our members. She is the Teacher Leader facilitator. This fantastic program helps many of our members find their voice and help stand firm in our local and help others.
She looks forward to working with our fantastic staff and continuing to make Central Alabama AFT the best teachers' union for its members. She a phone call away at any time of the day; please let her know if she can help you at any time.
Cynthia King, Office Administrator
Cynthia King is the mother of 3 children and currently resides in Fultondale, Alabama. She is so happy to be working as the Office Administrator at Central Alabama AFT! She enjoys helping others and loves building relationships with our members.
She spent 22 years as a banker in the commercial/corporate field. She looks forward to using those skills with CA-AFT, handling all finances for the union. She loves a challenge and looks forward to serving our members every day!
She loves life and her kids. She prides herself on being as a team player, and is excited about the opportunity to serve others!
Debra Arnold, Staff Representative
Deborah Arnold is happy to be working with CA-AFT. She has been a member of AFT for many years and has served served as a building representative. She has 28 years of experience as a school nurse in Jefferson County School District. She has served students in the elementary, middle and high schools as well as students as the Burkett Multi-Needs Center throughout her career. She was blessed to work with several great administrators before retiring.
She is currently a member of the Central Alabama AFT retiree chapter. She encourages all our members to consider joining the retiree chapter after their retirement. The retirees meet often and work hard to support the school districts that we serve.
She has two children and 6 grandchildren that attend schools in two districts we represent. She knows the importance of good, strong public schools because she has a vested interest in their success. She also know how important they are because she represents all classifications of employees in the 12 districts that we serve. We want the very best schools for our children, so we need excellent and dedicated teachers.
Debra is excited to be a voice for you in Central Alabama AFT
Charles Belvin, Staff Representative
Charles Belvin grew up in Gardendale, AL. He worked for 13 years for the Jefferson County School System where he worked at Clay-Chalkville as a bus driver and coach. He also worked as the Burkett Center as a special needs bus driver. He also has a wide range of experience in businesses outside of education that he believes will be beneficial as he serves the members of Central Alabama AFT.
Cristina Bullock, Staff Representative
Cristina Bullock currently serves as a Staff Representative for Central Alabama AFT. She is originally from Dora, AL. She has worked in the medical field for many years. Cristina and her husband have owned many types of businesses in Central Alabama. She serves members in 5 school districts from Central Alabama and feels that her broad experience from the medical field, the business community, and other endeavors will help her serve classified and certified members from the districts Central Alabama AFT represents.
Donnie Faile, Staff Representative
Donnie Faile is a staff representative with Central Alabama AFT. He worked in the carpenters union for fifteen years out of high school. He was a member of the united mine workers union for ten years and knows the importance of having strong union support. He is a retired business owner of thirty plus years. During his time with Central Alabama AFT, it has been his pleasure to serve teachers and support staff from Blount, Jefferson and St. Clair counties.
He is graduate of Hayden high school and has lived in Blount and Jefferson counties his entire life. He has four children, three sons and one daughter, along with seven grandchildren. He is excited to be a voice for our members and looks forward to meeting every single member in our local and hearing their stories.
Conswella Sager, Staff Representative
Conswella J Sager considers it a great pleasure to serve as a Staff Representative for Central Alabama AFT. During her career in education, she has been a driven, dedicated, and skillful professional. She is committed to serving three local school districts and is passionate about improving outcomes for all of our members- both certified and classified staff alike
She and her husband live with their sons and have been blessed with two handsome grandchildren. She is an active member of Revelation Knowledge Bible Church. Her favorite scripture is Proverbs 31:30; she finds strength and inspiration in its message.