Officers & Board Members

The Book Talk Committee was formed during the pandemic to help scholars promote their recent publication. We hold monthly book talks via Zoom during the academic year. Recently published authors discuss their work and then we open the floor for Q&A. Registration is required, but these talks are always free and open to the public.

Members

• Bryant Barnes, University of Georgia
• Faith Bennett, University of California – Davis
• Eileen Boris, University of California – Santa Barbara
• Alexandra Finley, University of Pittsburgh
• Dave “Mac” Marquis, University of South Carolina
• Veronica Martinez-Matsuda, University of San Diego
• Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, University of Wisconsin – Madison
• Adrienne Petty, William & Mary

This joint committee focuses on strengthening the collective voices of practitioners of labor history who are not represented in traditional 4-year universities and colleges. The committee’s work is especially focused on paths to more fully integrate the scholarly and teaching contributions of contingent and community college faculty and independent scholars into LAWCHA and the history profession. The committee also encourages organizational support for advocacy campaigns to improve the working conditions for contingent and community college faculty.

Members

• Aimee Loiselle (Chair), Central Connecticut State University
• Claire Goldstene
• Steve Beda, University of Oregon
• Lauren Braun-Strumfels, Cedar Crest College
• Eric Fure-Slocum, St. Olaf College
• Janine Giordano Drake, Indiana University
• Trevor Griffey, UC system
• Joseph Hower, Southwestern University
• Ruth Needleman, Indiana University, emerita
• Paul Ortiz, University of Florida
• Linda Upham-Bornstein, Plymouth State University and Center for Rural Partnerships
• Naomi Williams, Rutgers University
• Jennie Woodard, University of Maine
• James Young

The Communications Committee helps connect labor historians to the broader world of public debate. We field press and media inquiries, talk to reporters and journalists, help LAWCHA members reach out to the media, and draft press releases and public statements for the organization.

Members

• Kimberly Phillips-Fein, Columbia (chair)
• Eladio Bobadilla, University of Pittsburgh
• Steve Brier, CUNY (emeritus)
• Max Fraser, University of Miami
• Sarah McNamara, Texas A&M
• John McKerley, University of Iowa (Center for Human Rights)
• Ian Rocksborough-Smith, University of the Fraser Valley
• Jermaine Thibodeaux, University of Oklahoma-Norman
• Mary Anne Trasciatti, Hofstra
• Lara Vapnek, St John’s University
• Gabe Winant, University of Chicago
• Lane Windham, Georgetown (Kalmanowitz Center)
• David Zonderman, North Carolina State University

The Elections Committee convenes to organize LAWCHA elections for the Board and leadership positions. It arranges the election, making sure that all votes are counted and that Russia doesn’t hack the voting machines.

Members

• Lisa Phillips (Chair), Indiana State University
• Justin F. Jackson, Bard College-Simon’s Rock

LAWCHA’s Endowment Fund Committee seeks to raise an endowment of $750,000 so that LAWCHA will be able to continue and expand its work of promoting public and scholarly awareness of labor and working-class history through research, writing, and organizing. New members willing to help fundraise are always welcome.

Members

• Kimberley Boehm (co-chair), Dominican University
• Liesl Orenic (co-chair), Dominican University
• William Jones, University of Minnesota
• Joseph McCartin, Georgetown University
• Nancy MacLean, Duke University
• Julie Greene, University of Maryland at College Park

The global affairs committee seeks to maintain and build LAWCHA’s connection to labor historians, conferences, and labor organizations outside of the U.S. We inform LAWCHA’s membership of upcoming relevant international conferences and seek to organize and/or sponsor LAWCHA panels at conferences outside of the U.S.

Members

• Justin Jackson (Chair), Bard College at Simon’s Rock
• Lorenzo Costaguta, University of Bristol
• Ellis E Garey, New York University
• Joel Suarez, Harvard University
• Jennifer Luff, Johns Hopkins University
• William Riddell, University of Toronto

The Graduate Student Affairs Committee was created in the summer of 2021 to support and address the needs of LAWCHA’s graduate student members. Along with its academic initiatives, which include hosting a virtual dissertation proposal workshop and selecting the winner of the annual Alice Kessler-Harris Dissertation Prospectus Award, the Committee also encourages graduate student worker unionization efforts through sessions held at LAWCHA’s biennial conference.

Members

• Joel Suarez (Chair), Harvard University
• Sergio González, Marquette University
• Margot Canaday, Princeton University
• Shennette Garrett-Scott, University of Mississippi
• Erik Gellman, University of North Carolina
• Jon Shelton, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
• Jermaine Thibodeaux, University of Oklahoma
• David Zonderman, North Carolina State University
• Jesse Halverson

LAWCHA’s newsletter lands in members’ mailboxes every winter. Committee members help to gather stories, conduct the occasional interview, and copy edit. Layout is done by a person with actual skills.

Members

• Jane Berger, Moravian University
• Michael Hilliard, University of South Maine
• Colleen Woods, University of Maryland

The Nominations committee encourages nominations for open leadership and board positions and creates the diverse slate of candidates for whom members vote.

Members

• Cindy Hahamovitch (Chair), University of Georgia
• Liz Cohen, Harvard University
• Sarah Stanford-Mcintyre, University of Colorado-Boulder
• Tom Alter, Texas State University
• Angela Vergara, California State University, Los Angeles
• Peter Cole, Western Illinois University
• Holly Brewer, University of Maryland

The Program Committee works to elevate LAWCHA’s presence among scholars and activists both nationally and regionally. Among its activities are: ensuring LAWCHA’s presence at and connection to conferences of regional labor history organizations; developing panels for inclusion in the programs of conferences such as the Organization of American Historians (OAH); working with the program committees of a range of academic conferences including the OAH, the American Historical Association, and other associations to sponsor panels on labor and working-class history at their conferences; organizing occasional on-line programs of interest to LAWCHA members and a broader audience of scholars and activists.

Members

• Eileen Boris (chair), University of California at Santa Barbara
• Dana M. Caldemeyer, University of Kentucky
• Jenny Carson, Toronto Metropolitan University
• Dwjuan Frazier, University of Minnesota
• Toni Gilpin, Independent Scholar
• Max Grivno, University of Southern Mississippi
• Joshua Hollands, Elon University
• Sarah McNamara, Texas A&M University
• Terrell James Orr, University of Georgia
• Jermaine Thibodeaux, University of Oklahoma-Norman
• Adrienne Petty, William & Mary
• Robert Hutchins Woodrum, Georgia State University

The committee’s purpose is to promote labor and working-class history in schools, community colleges, colleges, universities, and unions. The committee sponsors LAWCHA’s toolkit of open access teaching resources, and offers workshops on developing and using these resources.

Members

• Nikki Mandell (chair), University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
• Cecelia Bucki, Fairfield University
• Janine Giordano Drake, Indiana University
• Rosemary Feurer, Northern Illinois University
• Nick Juravich, University of Massachusetts, Boston
• Matthew Holm, Batavia High School
• Jon Shelton, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
• Joel Sipress, University of Wisconsin-Superior
• Randi Storch, SUNY Cortland

This working group exists to promote the study of the pre-1900 period within labor history. It hopes to encourage scholars of early America and the pre-20th century world to see LAWCHA as one of their scholarly homes. It also hopes to encourage current members of the organization to once again embrace early America as a useful period of inquiry and to create panels on these topics at the annual conference.

Members

• Erik Loomis (chair), University of Rhode Island
• Dana Caldemeyer, Alabama A&M University
• Thavolia Glymph, Duke University
• Marjoleine Kars, University of Maryland-Baltimore County
• Simon Middleton, College of William & Mary
• Seth Rockman, Brown University
• Stacey Smith, Oregon State University
• Lara Vapnek, St. John’s University