The Economic and Policy Fight in Labor

Candace Archer is the Policy Director at the AFL-CIO where she manages a team of policy experts who advocate for unions and workers' rights. Prior to joining the AFL-CIO, she was a university professor who taught classes and published on political economy. As an academic, she became involved in the labor movement and led the campaign to unionize the faculty of Bowling Green State University. The campaign created the largest faculty bargaining unit that had been won in a decade. After successfully negotiating their first contract, she moved to DC to work on economic policy and labor issues and did so in organized labor at the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and in the non-profit sector at Americans for Financial Reform. She holds a Ph.D. in political economy from the University of Delaware and has published widely on global finance and financial crisis. She is a fiercely proud native of New Jersey, although loves her current home city (hopefully 51st state) Washington, DC.

Michelle Hurd can currently be seen starring opposite Patrick Stewart in Paramount+'s Star Trek: Picard. 

Hurd recently completed production on the Will Gluck rom-com Anyone But You with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, as well as Somewhere in Montana with Graham Mctavish, the comedy The Plus One alongside Cedric the Entertainer, and KEMBA with Nesta Coopper directed by Kelley Kali.

In addition to her explosive performance as "Shepherd" on NBC's hit drama, Blindspot, Michelle was recently seen on AMC's series, The Walking Dead: Dead City. Hurd is also known for her roles in Starz's hit horror comedy Ash Vs. Evil Dead, the Marvel Universe series' Daredevil and Jessica Jones ("DA Samantha Reyes"), and the A&E summer series, The Glades ("Colleen Manus"). Other television credits include: Pose, Hawaii Five-0,Lethal Weapon, Devious Maids, 90210, Witches of East End, How To Get Away With Murder, Bosch, Mysteries of Laura, Pretty Little Liars, Raising Hope, The Good Wife, Law & Order: SVU ("Det. Jeffries"), Gossip Girl, ER, Bones, According To Jim, Law & Order, Smith, Skin, Leap Years, Charmed, The O.C., Kevin Hill, The Practice and Another World. 

Other film credits include Justin Simiens's Bad Hair, Being Frank opposite Jim Gaffigan, Girl Most Likely (with Kristen Wiig) , We Don't Belong Here (alongside Catherine Keener and Maya Rudolph), Search Engines, Be Afraid, Within The Dark, Random Hearts, Personals, Double Parked, Wolf and King of New York. 

Theater credits include: The Dog in the Manger (Shakespeare Theatre Company), AML (MCC), Getting Away with Murder (Broadway), The Violet Hour (Off-Broadway), Looking for the Pony (Off-Broadway), and 900 Oneonta (Off-Broadway).

Hurd is a proud alumnus of NYC's premiere artist community at Westbeth.

Fedrick C. Ingram is secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers, serving 1.7 million members, including pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; and nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Ingram is the immediate past president of the 140,000-member Florida Education Association. He has served as an elected vice president of the AFT's executive council, and he served as an AFT vice president for six years (2014-2020) before being elected as the AFT's secretary-treasurer.

Since becoming secretary-treasurer in 2020, Ingram has amplified the voices of AFT members nationwide, particularly on education, labor and racial justice. President Joe Biden appointed him in April 2023 to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans.

Ingram serves on the executive committee of the AFL-CIO's Transportation Trades Department and on the board of Union Plus, a member benefits organization founded by the AFL-CIO. In June 2022, he was elected to serve as a vice president of the AFL-CIO's Union Label and Service Trades Department, which oversees a clearinghouse of public and private sector collective bargaining agreements. Earlier in 2022, he was elected to serve as a trustee on the board of the NAACP Foundation. In 2021, Ingram was elected to chair the AFL-CIO's Department for Professional Employees, a coalition of unions representing millions of professional and technical employees, including doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, actors and other highly trained workers.

With over 20 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Executive Branch, and in the private sector, Patrice Willoughby has applied a racial equity lens to advocacy in financial services, tax, and technology.

Patrice served as Chief of Staff and Counsel to the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (OH-11), guiding legislation to enhance retirement security and expand SBA lending programs.  She later served as Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus, supporting the passage of the Recovery Act, Dodd-Frank Financial Reform, and the Affordable Care Act.

After leaving Capitol Hill, Patrice served the Obama Administration at the General Services Administration. She most recently led the financial services practice at Signal Group, representing clients in capital markets, fintech, and private equity.

Patrice earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Case Western Reserve University, a Master of Arts from the University of Cincinnati, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison after studying International Law in the Netherlands. She is the recipient of numerous awards: 2020 Top Lobbyist and Influencer by "Lawyers of Color"; a 2021 Top Lobbyist by the National Institute of Lobbying and Ethics; and in 2022, Lifetime Achievement by the Washington Government Relations Group of Black government affairs professionals.

Keisha Deonarine serves as Director of Opportunity, Race, and Justice, guiding the strategy that drives the NAACP's work inclusive economy, race, and justice work. Before joining the NAACP she served in a dual role as the inaugural Executive Director of Nspire – A Park Community Initiative, Inc. (Nspire) and Executive Director of Philanthropy and Corporate Relations for Park Community Credit Union. In the past three years, under Keisha's leadership Park Community was awarded over $5 million in federal grants and $122.5 million in secondary capital. Keisha has gifted over $1.2 million in grant funds to non-profits and BIPOC small businesses in marginalized communities across Kentucky.

Keisha is a consultant specializing in anti-racism and anti-white supremacy strategic planning. She has consulted with organizations for over eight years. Keisha is an ongoing consultant with the Racial Healing Project. She commits to educating businesses, organizations, and individuals contextualizing and resolving inequitable outcomes that are rooted in our shared Black history and race.

In her previous roles, Keisha served as the inaugural Executive Director of the Passport Health Plan Foundation, creating programs addressing social determinants of health. Keisha served as an Economic Development Manager at Louisville Forward under Louisville Metro Government, locating more than $200 million in project investments, and helping bring more than 6,000 jobs to Louisville.

Keisha was named ABFE Connecting Leaders Fellowship Program Class of 2020, Forty Under 40 by Business First in 2021, Leadership Louisville Bingham Fellows Class of 2021, Today's Women DE&I Leader in 2022, Most Admired Women Equity Champion Nominee in 2022 and a Certified CDFI Practitioner in 2022.

Keisha is currently enrolled at Simmons College of Kentucky (HBCU), taking classes in Sociology and Social Justice. Keisha has two children and two Dobermans and is living in Louisville, KY.