NAGE/IBPO Federal/Municipal Division staff assist our members with resolving workplace grievances. National Representatives and Assistant General Counsels provide representation to oue members at arbitration hearings, Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Public Employee Relations Boards/Commissions (PERB).
Our legislative/communications team serve as a voice of the members by advocating for the pay, benefits and rights of federal employees on Capitol Hill. The legislative staff also encourages our members to become engaged in lobbying and grassroots efforts while assisting our membership with scheduling meetings with elected officials.The Federal/Municipal Division also assists members with negotiating strong collective bargaining agreements to ensure that every contract negotiated is fair and equitable.
Sarah Suszczyk was recently appointed to Deputy General Counsel. Sarah held the position of Director of the NAGE/IBPO Federal/DC Division since December 2013. She believes that our members do the best work on earth in service to our nation’s veterans and the American public. Under Sarah’s leadership, the Division services locals across the country in the federal, municipal and private sectors. Sarah has focused the Division on strengthening the locals through a robust training and communications program knowing the power of educated leaders and members.Sarah Suszczyk joined NAGE in 2008 as Assistant Regional Counsel. As an attorney for the Federal Division, Sarah successfully litigated many arbitration, FLRA, EEO and MSPB matters. In 2011 Sarah was promoted to Federal Deputy Director. As Deputy Director, Sarah managed litigation around the county, served a point of contact for members, locals, and Federal Division staff. Sarah initiated a training for members and staff. Sarah continued to litigate matters focusing primarily on representational/FLRA and MSPB issues. Throughout her career with NAGE, Sarah has served on multiple national level policy committees.
Prior to working for NAGE, Sarah worked in private practice focusing on labor and employment law and commercial real estate. Sarah obtained her Juris Doctorate from American University in 2005 and her Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and Russian Studies from the University of Colorado in 2001. In law school, Sarah worked at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and for the Government Accountability Project focusing on federal employee issues. Sarah and her husband Karl Gallo, a park ranger with the National Park Service, live in Northern Virginia with their daughter Eliza. Sarah can be reached at ssuszczyk@nage.org
Lee A. Blackmon has been named Director of the Federal/Municipal Divisions. Lee joined NAGE in 2013, prior to her appointment to Director, she served as the Deputy Federal Director and the Municipal Division Director. Lee also served as a member of the NAGE National Executive Board and as President of NAGE Local R3-07 at the Office of Unified Communications in Washington. Lee can be reached at lblackmon@nage.org.
Mark D. Bailey has been named Deputy Director of the Federal Division. Prior to his appointment, Mark served as National Representative with primary responsibility for servicing NAGE members with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. He also was named Chief Negotiator for the Federal Division and successfully negotiated the VA Master Agreement last fall. Mark previously served as a member of the NAGE National Executive Board and as President of NAGE Local R3-35 at the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Mark can be reached at mbailey@nage.org.
Janice M. Blackwell is the NAGE Field Organizer/Representative for the Federal Division's Southeast Region. She has served in this capacity since April 2011 after retiring from 30 years of federal service. Janice formerly served on the NAGE National Executive Board for five years and served two terms as President of NAGE Local R4-17 at the Hampton VA Medical Center.
Janice has an extensive background in federal employee advocacy, formal paralegal training, and experience as a trainer in various topics with the emphasis currently on the basics of effective labor representation. Janice has process development and strategic planning expertise. She is also a certified mediator. Janice can be reached at jblackwell@nage.org
Shari can be reach at scuaresma@nage.org
Glovena Holder joined the NAGE team in May 1995. During her 22 year tenure she has held several administrative positions in the Washington, DC Regional Office - including receptionist, office manager and office administration and case manager. In 2011, Glovena was promoted to Federal Coordinator where she serves as the liaison for local officials, members and federal representatives. In her position as the Federal Regional Coordinator, Glovena consults and communicates regularly with DC and Federal Executive Board members nationwide.She also serves as the liaison for federal locals ensuring that members’ representation needs are met. Glovena holds a legal assistant's degree and resides in Northern Virginia. Glovena can be reached at gholder@nage.org
Brittany Holder joined NAGE as an Administrative Assistant for the Office of General Counsel in June 2015. Brittany received her Bachelor of Science degree from Old Dominion University (ODU), in Norfolk, VA. She majored in Communications with a focus in Public Relations and minored in Marketing. During her time at ODU, she work for the ODU Police Department and the Dean of the College of Arts and Letters. Brittany also spent many of her summer and winter breaks serving as an intern for the NAGE/IBPO Federal Division. After graduating in May 2014, Brittany continued work temporarily for NAGE, shortly thereafter, she was offered a permanent position. In June 2016, Brittany became the Communications Specialist for the Federal Division. Brittany can be reached at bholder@nage.org.
Kristyn M. Houchen joined NAGE in 2013 as an Assistant Regional Counsel. Kristyn graduated Cum Laude from the University of Southern California with a major in Political Science and a minor in Environmental Studies in 2006. After a year reprieve working in an entertainment firm, she then attended Southwestern Law School and acquired her Juris Doctorate in May 2010. During her tenor at Southwestern, Kristyn became part of the Moot Court Board and successfully competed against top schools across the country receiving numerous awards and a scholarship for her efforts.
Since graduating from Southwestern, and prior to joining NAGE, Kristyn worked for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office as an Honors Deputy City Attorney, and as a General Assistant Counsel in a private civil firm in Beverly Hills that primarily focused on California Health and Safety Code litigation. Kristyn looks forward to being able to utilize all the skills acquired thus far in her career path to service the members of NAGE to the best of her ability. Kristyn can be reached at khouchen@nage.org
Robert J. Shore attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee where he graduated in 2006 with a B.A. Degree in English and Economics and attended law school in the fall of 2007 at Albany Law School of Union University, in Albany, NY. While in law school, Rob spent a year working in the Litigation Clinic as a student, a year as a research assistant for the Clinic while also spending his third year interning at the National Labor Relations Board, Region 3 Resident Office in Albany. Rob also received the Albany Law School Summer Public Interest Stipend in the summer of 2009 which he used to fund an internship with AFSCME, District Council 37, New York City's largest municipal public employee union. Rob graduated from Law School in 2010 with a Concentration in Labor and Employment Law. Rob won the Outstanding Clinical Student Award from the Clinical Legal Education Association, which is given to one student from a law school each year, as well as the Patrick B. McNamara Prize of 2010, given to the graduating student with the highest GPA in the field of Labor Law.
Rob joined NAGE in 2012. While at NAGE, Rob has worked on numerous arbitrations, MSPB Appeals, EEO cases and has represented NAGE in Federal Court. Rob has also worked as an advisor and chief negotiator for collective bargaining agreement negotiations. Prior to joining NAGE, Rob worked at a union side labor law firm in D.C. representing public and private sector employees in the District of Columbia and around the United States. Rob is admitted to practice law in New York State, the District of Columbia, the District Court for the Southern District of New York and the District Court for the District of Columbia. Rob can be reached at rshore@nage.org.
Ethan West recently joined NAGE/IBPO this year where he will serve as the Organizer for the Federal/DC Division. Ethan recently graduated from Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland where he double-majored in Political Science and Law and Society. He joins NAGE with strong union ties being the son of a union representative. Following his high school graduation, Ethan took his first organizing job with his local labor council. Since then, he has worked as a shop steward and has also organized for the Democratic Party and organized labor. Ethan can be reached at ewest@nage.org.
Lateefah Williams joined NAGE as an Assistant General Counsel in March 2017. She has spent the majority of her career in the government, union, and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining NAGE, Lateefah served as the Community Engagement Specialist for the DC Office of the Attorney General, where she coordinated and staffed the DC Attorney General’s Labor Advisory Committee. Lateefah has also previously served as Political and Legislative Director for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, Counsel to the Prince George’s County, Maryland State Senate Delegation, and a Nonprofit Speech Rights Policy Analyst for OMB Watch. In addition, Lateefah spent a few years as an associate at Washington, DC-area small law firms.Lateefah has been a community advocate in the District of Columbia for years. She has held executive positions with the Metropolitan Women’s Democratic Club, the Ward 5 Democrats, the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, and the DC Young Democrats. Furthermore, Lateefah is currently a board member of the Wanda Alston Foundation, which provides housing for homeless LGBTQ youth, and she periodically writes for the Washington Blade.
Lateefah is a lifelong resident of the Washington, DC metropolitan area and her family’s perseverance against adversity and commitment to serving others motivated her to go into public service. Lateefah was raised in Fort Washington, Maryland and currently resides in Washington, DC. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, media-journalism concentration, from North Carolina Central University. She is a member of the District of Columbia and Maryland bars. Lateefah can be reached at lwilliams@nage.org.
In 2003, Mr. Timothy Traylor migrated from upstate New York to attend Howard University and pursue a graduate program in counseling and social work. His journey in the Union movement began in May 2003, when he took a job with the District of Columbia Government, Department on Disability Services. As a career service employee, he occupied a position within a bargaining unit represented by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Local 383. The deplorable working conditions at the Agency led Mr. Traylor to join and later assist the Union as a Shop Steward. He was later elected as the Vice President and finally Local President of AFGE, Local 383. Mr. Traylor gained over 10 years of experience as a trade unionist and built track record of advocacy and service to Unionized employees.In August 2016, Mr. Traylor was approached by the Director and Chief of Staff at the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services and invited to work for the Agency as an Employee & Labor Relations Specialist. He sought to use his Union experience and knowledge of the District Government to increase employee morale and bring some order to the Agency’s labor relations program. Serving in this role allowed him to learn firsthand the challenges of implementing a labor relations program and the inner workings of managing in unionized environments, as never experienced before. Despite this valuable experience, he realized that his true calling is in representing the interest of front line workers. A life’s purpose which led to his appointment with the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE). Mr. Traylor has two daughters and is a proud fan of the Buffalo Bills. As your National Representative, he looks forward to assisting Union officials with improving working conditions and advocating for hard working men and women who are unable to advocate for themselves.
The American Labor Movement has consistently demonstrated its devotion to the public interest. It is, and has been, good for all America.
- John F. Kennedy
Quincy, MA 02169
Main Phone: (617)376-0220
Main Fax: (617)984-5695
