The Making Of The President

When Geiger was elected in 1989 to follow Mary Hatwood Futrell, generally considered the most popular president in the union's history, there was considerable uncertainty within the NEA about what kind of leader the six-year vice president would be. But that incertitude has largely vanished. Today, Geiger is widely regarded as a savvy spokesman who has continued to position the union as a proponent of school reform.

"Without question, Mary Futrell was a tough act to follow,'' says Dennis Giordano, executive director of the West Virginia Education Association. "If Keith was guilty of anything in the vice presidency, it was of being an outstanding vice president, which means you stay one or two steps behind the president. Now, he has assumed the mantle.''

Since President Bush's "education summit'' in September 1989, Geiger has negotiated the roiled waters of education policy with a reputation for cooperativeness and openness to new ideas that has earned him credibility beyond his own organization. At the same time, he has often called attention to his collective-bargaining background in Michigan, where he taught school and later served seven years as president of the state's NEA affiliate. He often boasts about his toughness, noting proudly that he has probably been involved in more strikes than...