This executive leadership program focuses on movement building and increasing capacity for leading change. Over three intensive retreats, participants will examine the state of our movement, gain new tools for individual leadership, and identify strategies for collaboration to build our movement.
The program is designed for principal officers and other labor leaders with a significant sphere of influence. The next cohort of this program will begin in July 2027.
For more information, please contact Mary Bellman, mary.bellman@psu.edu
Name | Position |
|---|---|
Travis Beck | President, UWUA Local 102 |
Gary Breidegam | Marketing Director, IUOE 66 |
Nina Coffey | Secretary Treasurer, SEIU 668 |
LaVawn Green | Vice President, AFGE Local 940 |
Robert Harris | Vice President, AFSCME District Council 47 |
Jana Korn | Chief of Staff, Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO |
Gabe Kramer | Project Coordinator, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO |
Robert Mitchell | Vice President, Pittsburgh Federation of Teacher Local 400 |
Pat O’Connor | Organizer, IUPAT District Council 21 |
Lynette Oosterkamp | Field Director, AFSCME Council 13 |
Leonard Purnell | SE Division Director, UFCW 1776 Keystone State |
Wendell Royster | Vice President, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania |
Pete Schmidt | Western PA District Leader, SEIU 32BJ |
Kristin Volchanksy | Advocacy Director, Action Together NEPA |
Name | Position |
|---|---|
Daniel Bauder | President, Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO |
Ryan Bowe | former Director of IT, Data, and Communications, AFSCME Council 13 |
Angela Ferritto | President, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO |
Ernest Garrett | former President, AFSCME District Council 33 |
Phil Glover | District 3 National Vice President, AFGE |
Bernie Hall | Director, United Steelworkers District 10 |
Bill Hileman | President, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers Local 400 |
Sam Jones | Pennsylvania Director, ROC-United |
Nicole Kligerman | Pennsylvania Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance |
Sue McCormick | Director, AFSCME District Council 83 |
Karmella Sams | Staff Director, SEIU 668 |
Matt Yarnell | President, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania
|
We seek principal officers and other leaders with the following qualities to join this program:
The program focuses on building a stronger labor movement based on our collective values and adapting to change in our workplaces, economy, and society.
Using a cohort model with three intensive retreats and support for participants between meetings, our objective is to increase capacity for leading change in our movement. During the program, leaders will have opportunities to identify their individual and collective values, enhance their skills as they foster collaborative relationships, and expand their knowledge as they strengthen a movement that is crucial for present and future workers.
Retreat 1: July 20-23, 2025: What is the labor movement we want to build?
Retreat 2: September 28-October 1, 2025: Who are we as leaders?
Retreat 3: November 16-19, 2025: How do we lead together with others?
Each retreat will begin with a group dinner on Sunday event and will end mid-afternoon on Wednesday to allow for travel home. We will meet for all three sessions at Lake Raystown Resort, centrally located in Huntington County, PA.
For more information and to apply, please contact the LABOR School: laborschool@psu.edu