The EHDOC Board of Directors
Morton Bahr, President
Mr. Bahr is President Emeritus, Communications Workers of America, (CWA), AFL-CIO, Canadian Labor Congress; Vice President of Union Network International (UNI); and former President of UNI’s World Telecom Sector, representing 3 million workers in 120 countries. He is recognized as a leading voice of the labor movement both in the United States and internationally. He has been fully committed to helping seniors all his life.
Steve Protulis, Executive Vice President
Steve currently serves as EHDOC’s Executive Director. He is the former Executive Director, National Council of Senior Citizens (NCSC). He has more than 30 years of social and political activism, including being a national recognized advocate for senior issues.
Leo W. Gerard, Vice President for Operations
Currently serves as United Steelworkers International President. He was instrumental in the formation of the Industrial Union Council of the AFL-CIO; in February 2003, he was appointed to serve on the AFL-CIO Executive Committee as well as serving on its Executive Council. He was named Chair of the AFL-CIO’s Public Policy Committee in March 2005. He also serves on the U.S. National Commission on Energy Policy and is a founding Board Member of the Apollo alliance, a non-profit public policy initiative for creating good jobs in pursuit of energy independence.
Edward L. Romero, Vice President for Quality
Under the Clinton Administration, he served as Ambassador to Spain. He was the founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Sciences, Inc., a 600 employee environmental engineering and waste management corporation that merged with Commodore Applied Technologies. He has been a member of the U.S. Trade Representatives Services Policy Advisory Committee and has led a number of U.S. Delegations to Mexico during the Carter Administration. He has served on the Federal Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and he was a member of the U.S. Delegations on the Helsinki Accords.
Maria C. Cordone, Secretary
As the Director of Community Services and Retirees for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) she has been very active with senior issues. She is the Current Vice Chairperson, Democratic National Committee Senior Coordinating Council. She has a 34 year history of social and political activism.
Susan L. Phillips, Treasurer
The former International Vice President, of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW). She has been active in supporting workers rights. She served as National President, Coalition of Labor Union Women. She has devoted more than two decades to supporting issues related to retirees, women and young people.
Tony Fransetta, Director
A medaled veteran of the U.S. Navy, he worked for Ford Motors Company, Foundry and Engine Operations, Local 1250 until his retirement in 1990. During his time at Ford, he represented 15,000 employees where he negotiated contracts sharing joint Ford/UAW Programs. He was appointed as a Delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on
Aging. He is currently the President of the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans and serves as a General Policy Board Member of the National Alliance for Retired Americans.
Roger Smith, Director
He is the Chief Executive Officer and President of American Income Life (AIL). He became the SGA for Illinois and Iowa, building one of the leading agencies within AIL. Since assuming the leadership of American Income Life’s sales force, he has instituted a highly successful turn-around which led to record growth and production for the company. In 2002, AIL became the most profitable distribution system with Torchmark.
Joseph J. Hunt, Director
He is currently the General President, of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Iron Workers. He is a former Officer of Iron Workers Local 396, in St. Louis, MO. He currently serves on the boards of Maritime Trades Department, Metal Trades Department; and Governing Board of Presidents, Building and Construction Trades Department. He has more than 20 years of political and social service.
Marjorie Colebut-Jackson, Director
She is President of the Pequot Pharmaceutical Network (PRXN) and Chairperson of the Board of Directors. She serves as Corporate for the Board of Directors for Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London, CT. She is a member of the American Public Health Association, and an elected member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council. She has more than twenty years of service in health care.
Maxine Carter, Director
She is currently the head of the United Steelworkers of America’s (USWA) Civil Rights Department and she is the Assistant to the President of the USWA. She works diligently to protect the rights of workers. Maxine is known to be a strong advocate for senior’s rights in the community.
John Olsen, Director
President of the Connecticut AFL-CIO. He is a native of Greenwich, CT and was elected to the Executive Board of the Connecticut AFL-CIO in 1983. During his presidency the Connecticut AFL-CIO’s commitment to political education and legislative action has strengthened. Mr. Olsen represents the labor movement on numerous boards and commissions including the Connecticut Employement and Training Commission, Connecticut Innovations Inc., the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund and the Twenty-First Century Action Plan Commission.
Mark Weiner, Director
Founder of Financial Innovations, Inc., one of the largest mass-marketing firms in the United States, managing the merchandising efforts of numerous local, national and international organizations and conventions. He is the co-founder of Crimzon Rose Accessories, one of the top 10 largest jewelry manufacturing companies in the United States. He has received numerous awards and honors for his charitable work. His past and current activism includes participating in organizations such as Hands Across America, the Rhode Island Diabetes Association, the Special Olympics and St. Jude Children’s’ Hospital Research. He is a lifelong supporter of affordable senior housing.
Ellen Feingold, Director
As President of Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly, Ellen Feingold has been
recognized locally, nationally and internationally as a pioneer in making senior housing
a place where low income residents can age in peace. During her tenure, she is
credited with increasing the number of affordable senior housing apartments.
She has also been responsible for expanding services to seniors that range from
language translation assistance to activity programming to organizing cultural events.
She has been the recipient of many awards, including CHAPA’s 25th Anniversary
Achievement Award and the National Council on Aging’s Sidney Spector Award. Ellen
has also numerous government and community service appointments, including
appointments by Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford to the Massachusetts Advisory
Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Mark H. Ayers, Director
Prior to his unanimous election on September 6, 2007 as President of the BCTD, Mark Ayers was the Director of the Construction and Maintenance Department of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and as Chair of the National Maintenance Agreements Policy Committee (NMAPC). Prior to his tenure as the Director of the IBEW Construction and Maintenance Division, Ayers was the Business Manager and Financial Secretary for IBEW Local 34 in Peoria, Illinois; and served as co-founder and chairman of the Central Illinois Chapter of NECA-IBEW Local 34 Quality Connection, and was the Secretary Treasurer of the West Central Illinois Building & Construction Trades Council.
Ayers attended the George Meany Institute for Labor Studies ( now known as the National Labor College), the University of Wisconsin, the Uninversity of Illinois Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations, and the International Foundation for Employee Benefits. Mark has also served his country as an aviator in the United States Navy.
