NCTE is honored to announce that educator and former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will be a keynote speaker at the Annual Convention this fall in Philadelphia.
The first First Lady to hold an outside job while her husband was in office, Biden continued her work as a professor at nearby Northern Virginia Community College. She worked there for 15 years before retiring in December 2024. She was a fierce advocate for community colleges throughout her 40-year teaching career.
“Being your First Lady has been the honor of my life. But being your colleague has been the work of my life,” Biden said during a virtual event with teachers at the time of her retirement.
Biden’s second memoir, View from the East Wing, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Kirkus Reviews called it “a smart, revealing memoir by a presidential partner of skill and consequence.”
In the memoir, Biden shares her White House experiences for the first time, in her own words. She reflects on the Biden presidency and its impact on her family. She brings you behind the scenes, from Camp David to Air Force One, from grading papers in the Rose Garden to witnessing the abrupt end of her husband’s bid for reelection.
She also talks about causes—education, women’s health, military families, vaccine awareness, and cancer initiatives—as well as how important it was for her to stay in the classroom while living in the White House.
Biden’s memoir also gives us a glimpse of her as a person. In the very first chapter, she writes, “Growing up in a middle-class home in Willow Branch, Pennsylvania, the daughter of a World War II veteran, the oldest of five girls, I was happiest off on my own in the corner with a stack of books.”
Throughout the Biden presidency, she saw herself as an ordinary woman living an extraordinary life.
We can’t wait to host the former First Lady at the College Section Get-Together during the 2026 NCTE Annual Convention on Thursday, November 19, at 5:30 p.m. There is no additional charge for this event, but pre-registration will be required and space is limited. Instructions on how to register will be available soon.