On July 14, 2008, Randi Weingarten—then the head of the UFT—was elected to succeed McElroy as AFT president. Shortly after her election, Weingarten launched efforts to place education reform and innovation on the nation’s agenda. In September 2008, she led the development of the AFT Innovation Fund, an initiative to support innovative, collaborative and sustainable reform projects developed by members and their local unions to strengthen public schools.[10] She fought for resources to sustain schools and other public institutions during the 2008 recession and protracted fiscal crises, including pressing for passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,[11] which helped keep 370,000 educators at work in schools and classrooms.