EPI Board of Directors

Rebecca M. Blank, University of Michigan
Barry Bluestone, Northeastern University
R. Thomas Buffenbarger, International Association of Machinists & Allied Workers (IAMAW)
Larry Cohen, Communications Workers of America (CWA)
Ernesto J. Cortes, Jr., Industrial Areas Foundation
Jeff Faux, Economic Policy Institute
Leo W. Gerard, United Steelworkers of America (USWA)
Ron Gettelfinger, United Auto Workers (UAW)
Teresa Ghilarducci, The New School for Social Research
Ernest Green, Lehman Brothers
Alexis Herman, New Ventures
Robert Johnson
Robert Kuttner, The American Prospect
Donna R. Lenhoff, National Employment Lawyers Assoc.
Julianne Malveaux, Bennett College
Ray Marshall, University of Texas, Austin
Ed McElroy, American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
Gerald W. McEntee, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Lawrence Mishel, Economic Policy Institute
Debra Ness, National Partnership for Women and Families
Pedro Noguera, New York University
Jules O. Pagano, American Income Life
Manuel Pastor, University of Southern California
Bernard Rapoport, Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation
Bruce S. Raynor, UNITE HERE
Robert B. Reich, University of California, Berkeley
Rep. Linda T. Sánchez, U.S. House of Representatives
William Spriggs, Howard University
Andrew L. Stern, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Richard L. Trumka, AFL-CIO
Raul Yzaguirre, Arizona State University

Rebecca M. Blank
University of Michigan
Rebecca M. Blank is the Henry Carter Adams Collegiate Professor of Public Policy, and Professor of Economics at the University of Michigan. She is also the co-director of the National Poverty Center at the University’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

Barry Bluestone
Northeastern University
Dr. Bluestone is currently the Director for the Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University in Boston. He has served as a member of the senior policy staff of Congressman Richard Gephardt. Among his many accomplishments he was the Founding Director of U.Mass.-Boston’s Ph.D. Program in Public Policy.

 

R. Thomas Buffenbarger
International Association of Machinists & Allied Workers (IAMAW)
Mr. Buffenbarger currently serves as the President for the International Association of Machinists. When he was 20 years old he was elected for his first leadership position within IAM as a steward of his apprenticeship group. Ever since then he has worked his way up to the Presidency of the organization, learning from the leaders he closely worked with for many years.

Larry Cohen
Communications Workers of America (CWA)
Serving as the fourth President in the history of the Communications Workers of America’s union, Mr. Cohen has implemented and spearheaded movements that have lead to help workers gain union representation in various sectors. He has also expanded the union’s membership mobilization program to create a network of union stewards.

 

Ernesto J. Cortes, Jr.
Industrial Areas Foundation
As a member for the National Executive Team of The Industrial Areas Foundations Mr. Cortéz has been the recipient of the 4th Annual Heinz Award for his work in Public Policy to make government more responsive by increasing citizen participation in the political process at the community level. His early commitment to community organizing led him to work with Cesar Chavez and the farm worker’s movement among others.

Jeff Faux
Senior Fellow, Economic Policy Institute
Mr. Faux is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Economic Policy Institute. As the founder of EPI in 1986, Mr. Faux has been credited with making EPI the country’s leading think-tank on the political and economic issues facing American workers. He has also worked as an economist for the Departments of State and Labor and Commerce.

Leo W. Gerard
United Steelworkers of America (USWA)
Mr. Gerard is the President for the United Steelworkers of America. In his first full term he increased membership by sixty percent. The union has strengthened workers’ bargaining leverage by forging strategic alliances with unions worldwide.

 

Ron Gettelfinger
United Auto Workers (UAW)
Serving as President for the United Autoworker’s Union since 2002, Mr. Gettelfinger has advocated for accessible and affordable healthcare for all Americans. He has also led the fight to renew America’s industrial base through incentives to manufacture energy-saving advanced technology vehicles and their key components in the US.

Teresa Ghilarducci
The New School for Social Research
Teresa Ghilarducci is the new Bernard L. and Irene Schwartz Chair in Economic Policy Analysis at the New School for Social Research. For the previous 25 years, she was with the University of Notre Dame asa professor of economics and 10 years as director of the Higgins Labor Research Center at the University.


Ernest Green
Lehman Brothers
Ernest Green was one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who, in 1957, were the first black students ever to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School (Little Rock, AR). His career has included nonprofit work at the A. Phillip Randolph Education Fund (1968-1977), experience in government as the Assistant Secretary at the Department of Labor under President Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) and currently as Senior Managing Director at Lehman Brothers investment banking firm in Washington, D.C.

Alexis Herman
New Ventures
Alexis Herman was the first African American to become the secretary of labor, serving during President Bill Clinton’s second term. In 1989, Herman joined the Democratic National Committee as chief of staff and by 1992 was the CEO of the Democratic National Convention. After Clinton's election in 1992, Herman was appointed assistant to the president and director of the White House Public Liaison Office in 1993.

Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson serves on the Boards of the Democracy Alliance, The Institute for Americas Future, and the Brennan Center for Justice. He was formerly a partner in Impact Artist Management and President of Bottled MaJic Music, a recording label and music publishing enterprise. Dr. Johnson served as a managing director of Soros Fund Management; he’s also worked as Chief Economist for the Senate Banking and Budget Committees.


Robert Kuttner
The American Prospect
Mr. Kuttner is the co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect and regularly writes on political and economic issues. He is also a co-founder of the Economic Policy Institute. In 1996 he was the winner of the Paul Hoffman Award for Human Development of the United Nations, for his work on the relationship of economic efficiency to social equality.

Donna R. Lenhoff
National Employment Lawyers Assoc.
Donna R. Lenhoff, Esq. is the first full-time Legislative & Public Policy Director of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) in Washington, D.C. She represents NELA before Congress and administrative agencies to advance NELA’s Working for Change agenda. Prior to joining NELA in 2006, Ms. Lenhoff was the Executive Director of the National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform.



Julianne Malveaux
Bennett College
Dr. Malveaux is serving as the 15th President of Bennett College. She has worked as an economist, author, and commentator and is now the founder of Last Word Productions. She is an outspoken activist for issues surrounding race, culture, gender, and their economic impacts.

Ray Marshall
University of Texas, Austin
Dr. Marshall has served in two Presidential administrations. First for President Carter as U.S. Secretary of Labor and for President Clinton as a member of the National Skills Standard Board and the Advisory Commission on Labor Development. He has taught at the LBJ School of Public affairs and served as President for the International Labor Rights Fund.

Ed McElroy
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
Mr. McElroy is the President for the American Federation of Teachers. He has served on its executive council since 1974 and has led this fast-growing union to strengthen and uphold financial and accountability requirements at every level of the union.

Gerald W. McEntee
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Mr. McEntee is the President for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). He is one of the co-founders for the Economic Policy Institute and served on the Presidential Advisory Commission on Quality and Consumer Protection in the Health Care Industry during the Clinton presidency.



Lawrence Mishel
President, Economic Policy Institute
Dr. Mishel is the current President of the Economic Policy Institute. He has contributed to building EPI’s research capabilities and reputation. He is often called upon by members of Congress to provide briefings and testimony on economic issues.

Debra Ness
National Partnership for Women and Families
Debra L. Ness is the President of the National Partnership for Women & Families. Before assuming her current role, she served as Executive Vice President for 13 years. Ness has played a leading role in positioning the organization as a powerful and effective advocate for today’s women and families.

Pedro Noguera
New York University
Pedro Noguera, PhD, is a professor in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University. He is also the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education and the co-Director of the Institute for the study of Globalization and Education in Metropolitan Settings (IGEMS).

Jules O. Pagano
American Income Life
Dr. Pagano is the Vice President and Executive Director on the Labor Advisory Board of the American Income Life Insurance company. He has also served on the Commission of Professors of Adult Education.

Manuel Pastor
University of Southern California
Manuel Pastor is currently a Professor of Geography and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, where he directs the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE). He served as a member of the Commission on Regions appointed by California's Speaker of the State Assembly, and in January 2002 was awarded a Civic Entrepreneur of the Year award from the California Center for Regional Leadership.

Bernard Rapoport
Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation
Mr. Rapoport is the Founder and Former President, Chairman and CEO of American Income Life Insurance Company. He along with his wife also established The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation in which they make annual contributions for education, health care, and the community of Waco, TX.

Bruce S. Raynor
UNITE HERE
Mr. Raynor was elected General President of UNITE HERE in 2004 at the union’s founding convention. He is known for working on numerous southern organizing drives, including the successful J.P. Stevens organizing campaign in the late 1970s and for combining aggressive rank and file organizing and alliances with civil rights and community leaders to build worker power.

Robert B. Reich
University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Reich is co-founding editor of the magazine The American Prospect. He served as the 22nd U.S. Secretary of Labor where he implemented the Family and Medical Leave Act, led a national fight against sweatshops in the U.S. and illegal child labor worldwide. Under his leadership the Department of Labor won more than 30 awards for innovation.



Rep. Linda T. Sánchez
U.S. House of Representatives
Rep. Linda Sánchez, a Democrat, has represented California’s 39th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2003. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley and in 1995, her Juris Doctor degree at the University of California, Los Angeles. She was an attorney specializing in labor law prior to her public service career.


William Spriggs
Howard University
William Spriggs is Chair of the Department, and a professor, of Economics at Howard University in Washington, DC. He is a senior fellow with the Community Service Society of New York, and the Chair of the Healthcare Trust for UAW Retirees of the Ford Motor Company. Previously, he served as Executive Director of the National Urban League’s Institute for Opportunity and Equality.

Andrew L. Stern
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Mr. Stern was elected President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in 1996 after being a member and working his way up since 1973. He has been an aggressive advocate for practical solutions to achieve economic opportunity and justice for workers. He also fights to make globalization benefit not only big corporations but working people as well.

Richard L. Trumka
AFL-CIO
Mr. Trumka was elected Secretary- Treasurer of AFL-CIO in 1995 after serving as President of the United Mine Workers union since 1982. In his position he has focused on creating investment programs for the pension and benefit funds of the labor movement.

Raul Yzaguirre
Arizona State University
Raul Yzaguirre is presidential professor of practice in community development and civil rights at Arizona State University. Yzaguirre is one of the most widely recognized national leaders in the Hispanic community, having served as long-time president and chief executive officer of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR).