Louis Malfaro Credit: Photo by John Anderson

“Louie, Louie, oh baby, I gotta go.” After a decade as president of Education Austin, Louis Malfaro is leaving the local teachers’ union. As of Sept. 1, he will become statewide secretary-treasurer of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, finishing the unexpired term of Antonia Cortese, who is retiring. Currently a Texas AFT vice president, Malfaro has served as Education Austin president since the union’s formation in 1999, having previously spent seven years as president of the Austin Federation of Teachers. Rae Nwosu, vice president for classified employees, and Burnet Middle School teacher Ken Zarifis will take over as co-presidents for the rest of Malfaro’s term, which expires in 2012. Malfaro said, “I’ll still be in Austin; I’ll still be working for the teacher’s union; I’ll just be at the state level.” But before he leaves, he’ll be working with the district on the next Austin Independent School District budget, which should be approved by the board of trustees later this month.

This article appears in August 13 • 2010.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.