Melody Weintraub served as President of the Tennessee Art Education Association (TAEA) from 2020-2022. As TAEA President, she helped to usher in several new programs, including a statewide elementary art exhibition (STARS), an outreach recovery for middle Tennessee art teachers most affected by a devastating tornado, and a board position for ED&I in advance of the NAEA Directive. Her awards include 2014 TAEA Middle Level Art Educator of the Year, 2023 Briarcrest Fine Arts Hall of Fame Award and 2023 Tennessee Arts Academy’s Joe W. Giles Lifetime Achievement Award. Melody served four years as an NAEA Delegate and has presented numerous NAEA Convention studio workshops and lectures. She offers free workshops for teachers on her YouTube Channel, “Melody Weintraub’s Online Art Class.” She has also conducted workshops and teacher training throughout many states in the Southeastern Region and in Nebraska. She served as an NAEA Awards and Presentation Juror and currently serves as RAEA’s (Emeritus) Silent Auction Chair. As an artist, she has participated in several group and solo art exhibitions and wrote and illustrated, “The Little Bluebird,” (2001). She has written over 30 articles for SchoolArts Magazine, a national magazine with an international reach and was featured in the “SchoolArts Collection: STEAM” (Davis Publishing). She is a contributing author in the NAEA book, STEAM Education: Transdisciplinary of Art in the Curriculum. Melody collaborated with Debi West to produce, a set of 60 motivational cards for teachers, “Teacher Encourage-Mints,” (2022) which are offered through More Than Words Gift Shop in Germantown. Melody retired in 2020 after 30 years teaching community classes, as well as in public, private and higher educational school settings. She currently supervises art education candidates virtually for The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Melody joined MGAL in the 1980’s and is renewing her membership. Melody also enjoys acting and can be seen in several television commercials. She also appeared as the history teacher in the 2009 film, The Blind Side