George Gresham, PhD, was born in Virginia and his family moved north to New York City when he was young. His mother was a homecare worker, and his father eventually got a union job as a truck driver, which helped provide some stability for their family.

Mr. Gresham began his career in the housekeeping department at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. He soon moved up to become a clerk in the radiology department and then — through the 1199 Training Fund — studied to become an MRI Technologist. Over four decades, he has held nearly every position in the Union, including member delegate, organizer, vice president, executive vice president and secretary-treasurer, and was elected president in 2007.

Mr. Gresham’s leadership has secured the highest standards for healthcare workers in the nation, including fair wages, affordable health benefits, dignified retirement, continuing education, child care, safe staffing and a real voice on the job. He has also led the Union’s growth to more than 400,000 members throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Florida.

Mr. Gresham has built a powerful voice for healthcare workers in local, state and federal government, and is a national leader for social justice. He believes strongly that the union movement must work together with coalitions to advance progressive causes, including access to quality healthcare, living wages, environmental protection and the rights of women, immigrants, the LGBT community and people of color.

Mr. Gresham is on the boards of the NAACP; Children’s Defense Fund; A. Philip Randolph Institute; Coalition of Black Trade Unionists; Murphy Institute Labor Advisory Board; Consortium for Worker Education; Partnership for Quality Care; and SEIU, which is the largest union in the United States with more than two million members.

Currently President of the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes of New York, Mr. Kramer has also been, for the past eight years, Principal Managing Director of Port Media Solutions, LLC.

Mr. Kramer was the CEO of the Daily News, the most widely read newspaper in the largest media market in the nation, from 2006 to 2010. He spearheaded the purchase of new full-color presses which established the Daily News as the first and only full-color major market daily in the United States. He oversaw the development of NYDailyNews.com, which was named one of the top Internet sites for news coverage in the world.

Prior to being named CEO at the Daily News, Mr. Kramer held several positions at The New York Times, including Senior Vice President of Circulation, Senior Vice President of Production and Vice President of Labor Relations, where he was responsible for labor relations, circulation and consumer marketing, and production beginning in August 1999. While overseeing production, he was responsible for the production of The New York Times, the formulation and execution of the labor relations strategy and the operation of its headquarters. He joined The New York Times as Vice President for Labor Relations in April 1998, with responsibility for directing labor relations with all its unions.

Mr. Kramer joined The New York Times following his first tenure at the Daily News during which time he was Vice President and General Counsel from 1993 until 1998, responsible for the conduct of legal affairs. As Vice President and General Counsel, he developed a company-wide labor strategy and supervised all aspects of the company’s legal department. Concurrently, he worked with Applied Graphics Technologies, Inc. and Applied Printing Technologies, L.P. as their labor counsel.

From 1990 until 1993, Mr. Kramer was an associate at Proskauer. From 1985 until 1990, he also served as the Deputy General Counsel and subsequently the General Counsel at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Labor Relations.

Mr. Kramer has also served as an adjunct professor of labor law at New York University and he is the co-author of State Regulations of Public Employment New York Employment Law (Matthew Bender).

Mr. Kramer has served on the boards of the New York Blood Center, WAN-IFRA World Association of Newspapers and Newspaper Publishers and the Queens Museum.

Mr. Kramer is married and has two children.

Lee H. Perlman is a lifelong New Yorker who has dedicated his career to serving others. Since 1983, Mr. Perlman has been the driving force behind GNYHA Ventures, Inc., the for-profit business arm of the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA). As President, Mr. Perlman has been responsible for the development of all companies created under GNYHA Ventures, many of which have been sold to larger organizations. The current GNYHA Ventures portfolio includes subsidiaries that engage in $6 billion in commerce annually through group purchasing, management outsourcing and healthcare consulting. GNYHA is a longtime business partner and the largest shareholder in Premier, Inc. (PINC). Mr. Perlman also serves as GNYHA’s Executive Vice President of Administration and Chief Financial Officer.

One of the industry’s most passionate leaders regarding the marriage of business and science in healthcare management and procurement, Mr. Perlman is former Chairman of the Healthcare Supply Chain Association (HSCA) Board, and is current Chairman of the HSCA Public Policy Committee. Mr. Perlman is former Chair and now Board member of the Steering Committee of the Healthcare Group Purchasing Industry Initiative (HGPII).

A leader in promoting diversity in healthcare leadership, Mr. Perlman founded the GNYHA Summer Enrichment Program, which has placed more than 300 diverse students in summer internships. He currently serves as Treasurer for charitySTRONG, which helps nonprofits build strong, diverse boards of directors.

A dedicated volunteer and philanthropist, Mr. Perlman devotes significant energy to nonprofits related to healthcare, education and the arts. He is Chairman of the LiveOnNY Foundation, which promotes organ donation, and also serves on the Board of the Ronald McDonald House of New York. Mr. Perlman was appointed by Governor Cuomo to the boards that oversee the operation of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York.

Mr. Perlman is an officer and Board member of the Berkshire Theatre Group in Pittsfield, Massachusetts; Rosie’s Theater Kids; The Actor’s Fund; and most recently was elected to the Board of the American Theatre Wing. Mr. Perlman also sits on the Board of the UJA-Federation of New York; the Board of the Samuel Field Y; and serves as Co-chair of the Hunter Hillel at CUNY Hunter College.

Ruth C. Browne, SD, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Ronald McDonald House New York (RMH-NY), which provides temporary housing and support for pediatric cancer patients and their families in a secure, caring and supportive environment that not only keeps families close, but near the car and resources they need most. Serving as the top international haven for pediatric cancer patients and their families from around the world, RMH-NY is uniquely positioned at the nexus of healthcare and hospitality.

Previously, Dr. Browne was CEO of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, a best practice catalyst for interventions that advance health and educational equity solutions for culturally diverse populations, locally and nationally. Dr. Browne was formerly the Principal Investigator and Director of the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center, a National Institutes of Health-funded Center of Excellence.

Dr. Browne is an Associate Clinical Professor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and holds academic appointments in the center’s College of Medicine, College of Health Related Professions and School of Public Health.

Dr. Browne is the recipient of the 2013 Lewis and Jack Rudin New York Prize for Medicine and Health, the 2014 JW Differenter Innovator of Change Award, the 2015 Towsley Policymaker in Residence at the University of Michigan Gerald Ford School of Public Policy and two Fulbright Scholar Awards.

She is an active member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Manhattan Chapter, advancing leadership opportunities for African-American women of all ages, and an immediate past board member of the full-service, non-profit community hospital, Interfaith Medical Center, in Brooklyn, New York.

Dr. Browne earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Princeton University, a Master of Public Health and Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan, and a Doctor of Science from Harvard University’s School of Public Health.

Peta-Gay Clarke is a well-rounded professional with broad experience as a business, information technology and community leader, coupled with a passion for providing S.T.E.M. education to youth underrepresented in the technology industry. Ms. Clarke is currently the Community and Operations Manager for Google’s Code Next initiative. Code Next aims to expand social capital in Black and Latino neighborhoods by developing culturally engaging and community-centric tech innovation experiences. Previously, she was the Deputy Director of IT at the Columbia University School of Journalism. She has more than 10 years’ experience as a Programmer, building web-based applications for companies such as the Federal Reserve Bank, the New York City Department of Education, New York magazine and COACH, Inc. Ms. Clarke holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Programming from Farmingdale State University of New York (SUNY). She has earned a Master’s degree from Pace University and was awarded the Civic Engagement Award for Academic Excellence and Community Service in May 2015.

As a beneficiary of and participant in a S.T.E.M. development youth program, Ms. Clarke has seen first-hand the need for and the benefits of S.T.E.M. programs for women and underserved youth. From 2013 to 2015, she voluntarily spearheaded the launch and co-led the New York Chapter of Black Girls Code. As of today, the New York Chapter has held tech field trips, hackathons and technical workshops for more than 500 young girls of color, ranging between the ages of 7 and 18. A number of the senior ladies have since gone off to college to major in Computer Science.

Ms. Clarke is a native New Yorker of Jamaican-born parents. She resides in Queens, NY with her daughter, Rochelle. Outside of work, Ms. Clarke finds pleasure in spending quality time with her family, traveling, going on excursions and learning about other cultures. In her spare time, she enjoys action movies, theater, reading primarily non-fiction genres and developing new skills.

David R. Jones, Esq., is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Community Service Society of New York (CSS), a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that promotes economic advancement and full civic participation for low-income New Yorkers. Mr. Jones has led CSS since 1986 and writes a bi-weekly column for the New York Amsterdam News and El Diario/La Prensa.

From 1983 to 1986, he served as Executive Director of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development. Mr. Jones was Special Advisor to Mayor Edward Koch from 1979 to 1983, with responsibilities in race relations, urban development, immigration reform and education.

Mr. Jones has served on transition committees for Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He also served as a member of the Moreland Commission to investigate public corruption. In June 2016, Mr. Jones was confirmed by the State Senate to fill a city seat on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He was appointed to a blue-ribbon commission advising the Mayor’s Office on structural changes to the New York City Health + Hospitals Corporation (NYC H + H), and he is a member of the Advisory Council of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

From 1996 to 2000, Mr. Jones was Chairman of the Board of Carver Federal Savings Bank, the largest African-American-managed bank in the nation. He served for 12 years on the board of trustees of Wesleyan University and is now a Trustee Emeritus. Mr. Jones also served on the board of NYC H + H and was Vice Chairman of the Primary Care Development Corporation.

While receiving his Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University, Mr. Jones interned for the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy in Washington, D.C. He received a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School in 1974. Prior to his nonprofit and public service careers, he specialized in corporate antitrust cases and contract litigation at the law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore.

Bruce McIver is the current President of the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes of New York. The League serves as the bargaining agent for over 100 voluntary hospitals and nursing homes in New York City. Since Mr. McIver has been President, starting in 1991, the League has concluded nine rounds of bargaining on behalf of the industry. Included in the negotiations that the League does is the bargaining for nurses in 17 hospitals and nursing homes.

Prior to joining the League in 1991, he was a private consultant providing services to clients in all aspects of labor relations. His practice included negotiations and a broad range of human resource issues concerning employees who are represented by unions.

Mr. McIver was formerly President and General Manager of the Long Island Railroad, the nation’s largest commuter railroad, with an operating budget of $600 million and 6,000 employees represented by 15 separate unions.

He also served as Director of Labor Relations for the New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority, representing the Authority in its negotiations with 50,000 rail and transit employees. While in that capacity he served simultaneously as Acting Vice President of Labor Relations, New York City Transit Authority, completing a major reorganization of their represented supervisory workforce.

Prior to these positions, Mr. McIver was New York City’s Chief Labor Negotiator in negotiations with over 100 unions representing 300,000 employees in areas that included police, firefighters, teachers, sanitation workers and healthcare workers of all disciplines.

Included in this experience is the management of New York City’s health insurance and welfare benefits, as well as extensive productivity bargaining experience. The conversion of the crew size from three to two employees on New York City’s sanitation trucks is an example of such bargaining.

Mr. McIver has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Columbia University.

Bonnie Lou Raagas Mallonga, PhD is the Chief Operating Officer and Education Director of the 1199SEIU Future of America Learning Center (FALC), a nationally accredited learning institution. She has served as FALC’s Education Director for more than two decades; supervising teaching and administrative staff and facilitating FALC’s diverse, research-driven professional development. She also created the eclectic “Plant-A-Dream” curriculum model that connects children to the real and natural world and cultivates curriculum content that is meaningful to young children, relevant to society, and anchored on the formation of values among all stakeholders.

Dr. Mallonga has held managerial positions at Montessori schools and directed workshops and seminar presentations at the Archdiocese of New York and Bank Street College. She has presented both in the U.S. and abroad on such topics as mentoring and peer coaching, curriculum and organizational development, and child advocacy. With prior experience in psychometrics and counseling psychology, Dr. Mallonga was trained at the Washington Montessori Institute and is a New York State-certified educator and administrator.

Active in the community, Dr. Mallonga is the Co-Chair of the Bronx Early Childhood Education Consortium (BECEC), which was formally established as part of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz’ initiative to build an influential structure that better fosters and supports education in the Bronx, from “cradle to career.” She currently serves as Advisory Board Member of the DOE’s Transition to 3K and an Early Learning and Curriculum Development presenter to both public and private school teachers in New York City. Under her leadership, FALC and its Plant-A-Dream curriculum was selected as the Pre-K Showcase of New York City, the first and only community-based program chosen in 2014. Her numerous awards include the National Women’s Achievement Award, Leadership Award, Golden Heart and Service Award.

It has been Dr. Mallonga’s career commitment to ensure that those who teach and influence our children have the opportunity to achieve higher learning, develop their skills and perfect their craft through their participation in a system that fosters lifelong learning, continuous improvement and community collaboration.