MEET THE STAFF
Mary McHugh
Director
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.
Joe Gruber
Assistant Director
Joe Gruber has been a part of the labor movement for 20-plus years as a member of the UFCW; the Carpenter’s Union in both Chicago, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri; and of IAM Local Lodge 387 (District 837, aerospace) as of 2008. During brother Gruber’s time at LL 387 he served as the education chair and as a delegate to the Missouri Legislative Conference. In 2016, he became an educator for District 837 and in 2017 was appointed Educational Representative for the Midwest Territory. In 2020 he took a position with IAM CREST at Headquarters as a project coordinator/instructor and in January of 2021 came on staff of the Winpisinger Center as an Educational Representative. Joe became Assistant Director of the Winpisinger Center in July 2022. He is currently working on a degree in business with a focus in labor studies.
Luis Silvas
Educational Representative
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.
Ines Garcia-Keim
Educational Representative
Ines Garcia-Keim joined Local Lodge 914 (Newark, New Jersey) in 2012; as a member of Local Lodge 914, she served as shop steward and as chair of Local Lodge 914’s Legislative Committee. Ines became a District 141 Organizer in 2016; in addition to working in the field, she also translated campaign materials to Spanish. In 2018, she was appointed Communications Representative for District 141 and took on the roles of writer and lead copy editor. She has represented Local Lodge 914 in the New Jersey State Council of Machinists, was elected as the council’s Legislative Director, and later served as Council President from 2018 to 2021. Prior to her appointment as Educational Representative in 2021, Ines participated in the Spanish Leadership Working Group, which advises on, plans, and implements the Winpisinger Center’s Spanish language programs. She holds a B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University.
Matthew Pyne
Educational Representative
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.
Jeff McLeod
Educational Representative
Jeff McLeod, a Master Mechanic by trade, initiated into Local Lodge 698 in 1996 while working as an automotive mechanic for UPS, and served as an alternate steward and a member of the UPS negotiating committee. As a member of Local Lodge 698, McLeod held the positions of Conductor-Sentinel, Communicator, and Business Representative. Brother McLeod also served District Lodge 60 as a Business Representative, Assistant Directing Business Representative, and President/Directing Business Representative. He served as Vice-President and President of the Michigan State Council of Machinists. McLeod is a Master ASE Truck Tech, Michigan State Master Automotive Tech, and Michigan State Master Heavy Duty Truck Tech. He was appointed Educational Representative for the Winpisinger Center effective May 1, 2022.
Jon Irvine
Educational Representative
Jon Irvine joined his first union in 2000 with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local 271 and has been a member of IAM Local Lodge W130 since 2010. He is from the Pacific Northwest and has worked in the timber industry as a wildland firefighter and logger. Jon studied Forestry Engineering at Oregon State University and afterwards worked as a log scaler. He moved from logging camps to export log yards where he appraised high-end timber destined for Asian markets. As an employee at the Port of Olympia Weyerhaeuser Company export facility, Jon first served Local Lodge W130 as chief steward and as a member of the negotiating committee. Brother Irvine was elected Local Lodge W130’s secretary-treasurer and later president before taking a full-time staff position with the Oregon AFL-CIO. He eventually returned to the IAM as a Business Representative with District Lodge W24 and led the District’s organizing and legislative efforts prior to his appointment as Educational Representative at the Winpisinger Center in 2022.
Dee Colbert
Educational Representative
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.
Traci Drummond
Research Librarian
Traci Drummond joined the Winpisinger Center’s staff in 2018 and is responsible for managing the Center’s library, social media accounts, and website. Previously, Traci was archivist for the Southern Labor Archives at Georgia State University Library, which houses the historical archives of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.