The PPC reports to the AFT president, secretary-treasurer, executive vice president and the executive council, which is composed of vice presidents from the union’s constituency groups: K-12 education, paraprofessionals and school-related staff, higher education, healthcare and public employees.

AFT vice presidents representing public employee constituencies are: Kenneth Brynien, president of the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF), and Eric Feaver, president of Montana’s MEA-MFT, a merged state federation of the AFT and National Education Association. PEF represents 54,000 state employees and is the largest public employee local within the AFT; and MEA-MFT represents a significant number of state and local government professionals.

Bruce Ludwig, business manager of the Alaska Public Employees Association, is chair of the PPC. Previously, Ludwig was APEA’s general counsel, and prior to that he served as the state’s director of labor relations.

Lee Jackson, president of the Kentucky Association of State Employees/AFT Kentucky, is vice chair of the PPC. He is the workforce development manager in the Lexington office of the state Office of Employment and Training.

Rob Bower, president of the Professional Staff Association at Rhode Island College, is director of publishing services.

Brenda Clayburn, president of the City Union of Baltimore, is a chartered member of CUB. From 1988 to 1992 she was executive vice president of the local, and from 2000 to 2004 she was a CUB labor relations specialist.

Jill Cohenour, president of MEA-MFT’s Federation of Public Health and Human Services, is a chemist at the Montana State Environmental Lab. Cohenour also is a state legislator.

Gary Feist, president of the North Dakota Public Employees Association, is a corporate tax auditor.

Stephen Fisher, president of Pennsylvania’s Federation of State Cultural and Educational Professionals, works on education policy and regulations as a basic education associate for the state Department of Education.

Art Foeste, chair of AFT-Wisconsin’s State Employees Council, is a corporate tax auditor.

Joe Fox, vice president of the New York State Public Employees Federation, was a healthcare fiscal analyst. Fox also is president of the Capital District Area Labor Federation.

George Myers, president of the Maryland Professional Employees Council, worked as a commercial assessor for the state Department of Assessments and Taxation.

Jo Romero, president of the Colorado Federation of Public Employees, was a program assistant to the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Metropolitan State College in Denver.

Paula Stadeker, president of the Illinois Federation of State Office Educators, is a principal consultant for special education services at the state Board of Education.

Brian Thompson, president of the Kansas Association of Public Employees, retired in 2004 after 34 years with the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Mike Winkler, president of Connecticut’s Administrative and Residual Employees Union, worked for the state Department of Social Services as a management analyst.