Mary McHugh began her career with the IAM in 1995 as an Associate General Counsel in the Legal Department at IAM headquarters. Prior to coming to the IAM, Mary worked as an aide to U.S. Representative Jim L. Oberstar. She has a bachelor of arts degree in history from Princeton University and a juris doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School. Mary served as Assistant Director of the Winpisinger Center from 2006 to 2022 when she became its first woman Director.

Luis Silvas joined Local Lodge 1125 of the IAM in San Diego, California, in early 2013 and soon after became Shop Steward. Brother Luis was Recording Secretary of Local Lodge 1125 for three years, was later elected Local Lodge President, and became a Business Representative for District 725 in 2017. As Business Representative he also served as the Political Facilitator for his District Lodge and was elected as Trustee for the California Conference of Machinists. Meanwhile, he has been actively involved in the Spanish Leadership Working Group at the Winpisinger Center and came on staff of the Winpisinger Center in 2021. 

Matt Pyne joined District Lodge 140, Local Lodge 1763 in 2009 and has served as shop steward, a national contract negotiation team member for collective bargaining, a contract researcher and presenter, and a 10-year health and safety representative in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. As a young Machinists leader at his local, Matt participated as an organizer, presenter, and mentor. He was elected president of Local Lodge 1763 for two consecutive terms representing workers in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland. Matt holds a Master’s of Science in Labor Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a specialization in Union Leadership and Administration.

Dee Colbert initiated into Local Lodge 846 (Baltimore, Maryland) in 1998 while employed with Southwest Airlines. There, she served as Shop Steward, Conductor-Sentinel, Trustee, and Recording Secretary; during this time, she also lobbied in Washington D.C. and participated in Day of Action events. She transferred to Local Lodge 2665 in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2012 where she served as Vice-President for multiple terms. While in Atlanta Dee worked on the Delta Campaign which sparked her interest in Organizing. That interest grew into a passion and led to her appointment as the Director of Organizing for District 142 in 2021. While serving as Organizer, she participated in several Air Transport campaigns and trained and deployed organizers as well. Serving as the Committee Chairperson for Organizing at the IAM’s 2023 North American Transportation Conference turned a spotlight on her work as an Educator which in turn led to her interest in becoming an Instructor at the Winpisinger Center. Prior to her appointment as an Education Representative, Dee attended programs at the Winpisinger Center. She also obtained an Associate’s Degree in Business Management with a concentration in Labor Studies through the IAM’s Free Union College program.