Committees
The members of UUP represent a diverse array of academic fields, professional interests and constituencies. That is part of the union's strength. This page lists UUP statewide committees. All committees are standing committees unless marked otherwise. If you are interested in becoming more involved through committee work, please reach out to your chapter president or the office of the Secretary/Treasurer (jobryan@uupmail.org) for more information.
Human and Civil Rights Committees:
- Disability Rights & Concerns Committee
- Ensure that membership is aware of their individual rights as a person with a disability, how to access policies for requesting accommodations on respective campuses and avenues for support should accommodations be denied. Provide resources to access details of federal and state laws pertaining to disability rights generally, and specifically in a workplace. Update constituents, by developing an active web page as to changes in law, cases of interest or UUP wide concerns as to disability rights. Collaborate with UUP for future meeting site planning to ensure optimal accessibility for attendees.
- Committee Chair: Pamela Wolfskill (pwolfskill@gmail.com)
- Board Liaison: Jaclyn Pittsley
- Website:
- Ensure that membership is aware of their individual rights as a person with a disability, how to access policies for requesting accommodations on respective campuses and avenues for support should accommodations be denied. Provide resources to access details of federal and state laws pertaining to disability rights generally, and specifically in a workplace. Update constituents, by developing an active web page as to changes in law, cases of interest or UUP wide concerns as to disability rights. Collaborate with UUP for future meeting site planning to ensure optimal accessibility for attendees.
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion works to implement affirmative action goals within UUP. They work with other committees to implement equal opportunity goals within SUNY and develop programs designed to aid members and Chapters in their pursuit of equal opportunity goals on their own campuses.
- Committee Chair: Darleyne Mayers (dmayers924@gmail.com) / Lisa Marie Anselmi (lmanselmi_dei@aol.com)
- Board Liaison: Darleyne Mayers
- Website:
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion works to implement affirmative action goals within UUP. They work with other committees to implement equal opportunity goals within SUNY and develop programs designed to aid members and Chapters in their pursuit of equal opportunity goals on their own campuses.
- Opportunity Programs Committee
- Focuses on identifying and investigating issues related to the EOP and EOC programs in SUNY.
- Committee Chair: Mary Garcia (mgv65@aol.com) / Grace Maxon (grace.maxon@oswego.edu)
- Board Liaison:
- Website:
- Reports: 4/8/22
- Gender and Sexuality Interests Committee
- The Gender and Sexuality Interests Committee is comprised of members from across the state focusing on issues affecting all aspects of the LGBTQ community.
- Committee Chair: Kelly Keck (kkeck@uupmail.org)
- Board Liaison: Kelly Keck
- Website: http://uuphost.org/lbgt/
- Reports:
- Veterans Affairs Committee
- Composed of members with service backgrounds and those who support veterans issues. The committee identifies issues impacting UUP members who are veterans, works to inform veterans of their rights and other activities that will ensure the well-being and proper treatment of UUP members who are veterans.
- Committee Chair: Brittany Profit-Rheinwald (britprofit@gmail.com) / Justin Culkowski (jfculkow@esf.edu)
- Board Liaison: Lisa Marie Anselmi
- Website: http://uuphost.org/vets/
- Reports:
- Women's Rights and Concerns Committee
- The WRCC is composed of members from across all institutions working to assure respect for fair and equal treatment of women and their issues and concerns as manifested on local campuses and reflected in the activities and policies of UUP and its affiliates.
- Committee Chair: Vicki Janik (vjanik@uupmail.org)
- Board Liaison: Alissa Karl
- Website:
(View Details)Advocacy/Legislative Committees:
- Academic Medical Programs Committee
- This committee is comprised of members interested in identifying and analyzing issues of concern to the health sciences centers, hospitals, and the nursing and other health-related professions in SUNY. The committee provides comments and suggestions on state and federal legislative and policy proposals that will impact health professions for UUP’s advocacy agenda.
- Committee Chair: Redetha Abrahams-Nichols (rabrahams@uupmail.org) / Richard Veenstra (VeenstraRD@Verizon.net)
- Board Liaison: Samuel Marquez
- Website:
- Reports:
- This committee is comprised of members interested in identifying and analyzing issues of concern to the health sciences centers, hospitals, and the nursing and other health-related professions in SUNY. The committee provides comments and suggestions on state and federal legislative and policy proposals that will impact health professions for UUP’s advocacy agenda.
- Black and Latino Faculty/Staff Legislative Committee
- This committee focuses on setting goals for Black and Latino Faculty/Staff Associations across UUP Chapters and on developing political synergy with the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators and the Hispanic Legislative Task Force to promote a SUNY-wide vision for Blacks and Hispanics in SUNY. They explore ways to enhance system-wide Black and Hispanic student life initiatives and create a process for mentoring Blacks and Hispanics members of UUP.
- Committee Chair: Zina Mega Lawrence (zinalawrence8@gmail.com )
- Board Liaison: Idalia Torres
- Website:
- This committee focuses on setting goals for Black and Latino Faculty/Staff Associations across UUP Chapters and on developing political synergy with the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators and the Hispanic Legislative Task Force to promote a SUNY-wide vision for Blacks and Hispanics in SUNY. They explore ways to enhance system-wide Black and Hispanic student life initiatives and create a process for mentoring Blacks and Hispanics members of UUP.
- Environmental Advocacy and Issues Committee
- UUP’s Environmental Issues and Advocacy Committee examines environmental issues affecting the UUP and SUNY communities and collaboratively proposes and advocates for policies and programs that build a more sustainable and regenerative future.
- Committee Chair: Susan Fassler (scfassle@esf.edu) / Brian Obach (brianobach@gmail.com)
- Board Liaison: Fred Kowal
- Application Form: View
- UUP’s Environmental Issues and Advocacy Committee examines environmental issues affecting the UUP and SUNY communities and collaboratively proposes and advocates for policies and programs that build a more sustainable and regenerative future.
- UUP Outreach Committee
- The outreach committee participates in the construction of and coordinates actions to promote the UUP legislative agenda. The committee work is divided into 6 different regions. Each region has a regional coordinator and each of the chapters within the regions have a chapter political coordinator, they comprise the membership of the committee. Chapter and regional coordinators work in conjunction with the UUP Legislative Team to recruit, train and educate volunteers to work on promoting UUPs Legislative Agenda at the local, state and federal level.
- Committee Chair: Pamela Malone (pmalone.uup@gmail.com) / Bekkie Bryan (rbryan@uupmail.org)
- Board Liaison: Carolyn Kube
- Website:
- Reports:
Membership Committees:
- Contingent Employment Committee
- The Contingent Employment Committee (CEC) is focused on proposing statewide and chapter policy and best practices concerning part-time and full-time Liaison employment. Working closely with the Officers for Liaisons from all campuses, in addition to allies and retirees, the committee seeks to identify and ameliorate inequity in the workplace and to develop action plans for relevant union work.
- Committee Chair: Anne Fearman (Fearman@fredonia.edu) / Jackie Pittsley (pittsleyj@cortland.edu)
- Board Liaison: Jeri O'Bryan-Losee
- Website: http://uuphost.org/cec/
- The Contingent Employment Committee (CEC) is focused on proposing statewide and chapter policy and best practices concerning part-time and full-time Liaison employment. Working closely with the Officers for Liaisons from all campuses, in addition to allies and retirees, the committee seeks to identify and ameliorate inequity in the workplace and to develop action plans for relevant union work.
- Future of Public Higher Education Committee
- Monitors trends and respond to attacks on higher education, including those around disinvestment, academic freedom, diversity, and the erosion of core academic disciplines in the humanities, arts and social sciences. In doing so, FoPHE will pay particular attention to the union-led efforts to preserve and expand access and quality in public higher ed. In particular, the committee will pursue initiatives designed to enhance union collaboration across the higher-ed sector so that UUP, as the nation’s largest higher-ed union, can play a leading role. The committee will also pay careful attention to technological developments that are likely to affect public higher education, including but not limited to proprietary instructional software, the integration of artificial intelligence into the classroom, and the technological basis for remote work. In all of its work, the committee will draw upon the expertise and experience of higher education workers to articulate a vision of higher education as a social good.
- Committee Chair: Nicholas Koridis (nickuup@yahoo.com) / Bret Benjamin (bbenjamin@uupmail.org)
- Board Liaison: Alissa Karl
- Website:
- Monitors trends and respond to attacks on higher education, including those around disinvestment, academic freedom, diversity, and the erosion of core academic disciplines in the humanities, arts and social sciences. In doing so, FoPHE will pay particular attention to the union-led efforts to preserve and expand access and quality in public higher ed. In particular, the committee will pursue initiatives designed to enhance union collaboration across the higher-ed sector so that UUP, as the nation’s largest higher-ed union, can play a leading role. The committee will also pay careful attention to technological developments that are likely to affect public higher education, including but not limited to proprietary instructional software, the integration of artificial intelligence into the classroom, and the technological basis for remote work. In all of its work, the committee will draw upon the expertise and experience of higher education workers to articulate a vision of higher education as a social good.
- Membership Committee
- This committee, comprised of Membership Development Officers and Department Reps from across all campuses. This committee works on development programs to assist chapters with membership growth and expansion.
- Committee Chair: Mike Walker (michaeljwalker19@gmail.com) / Dom Licata (V)/ Jude Jayatilleke (V)
- Board Liaison: Patrick Romain
- Website:
- This committee, comprised of Membership Development Officers and Department Reps from across all campuses. This committee works on development programs to assist chapters with membership growth and expansion.
- Solidarity Committee
- The committee works as a liaison between UUP and the labor movement at large by gathering and disseminating information about other unions, union related matters, social justice issues and the role of UUP in the labor movement in New York, regionally, nationally, and internationally. It recommends referrals and other actions on items referred to it by other unions, organizing committees, UUP chapters, the Executive Board or other bodies. It also administers the Solidarity Fund.
- Committee Chair: Sandra Lewis (sandrelica@yahoo.com)
- Board Liaison: Susan Orr
- Solidarity Funding Requests:
- Reports:
- Teacher Education Committee
- The Teacher Education Committee, which is comprised of faculty and professional staff from SUNY Teacher Education programs, focuses on issues that affect teaching in NYS. We monitor directives and policy changes that have an impact on teacher education programs and the teaching force and respond to these initiatives with commentary and advocacy on behalf of our members and our students.
- Committee Chair: Cathy Houston-Wilson (chouston@brockport.edu)
- Board Liaison: Rebecca Bryan
- Website: https://uupinfo.org/committees/teached/
- Technology Campuses Committee
- The Technology Campuses Committee shall focus on identifying and analyzing concerns, generating goals, and acting to ensure funding, equity and sustainability of our tech campuses. The committee will inform UUP statewide leadership to aid in developing an appropriate advocacy plan for the state legislation and SUNY support. The committee will work to educate UUP members, colleagues, campus leadership, community members, SUNY, and state elected officials. By doing so, the committee will ensure the needs of our members, our students, and our communities are met.
- Committee Chair: Stephen Hinkle (slhinkle64@yahoo.com) / William Tusang (wtusang@uupmail.org)
- Board Liaison: Mindy Heath
- Website:
- Scholarship Development subcommittee
The Scholarship Development Committee focuses on increasing contributions to the UUP College Scholarship Fund and makes recommendations to the UUP Scholarship Fund Trustees. To assist please consider a donation to the scholarship fund HERE or participate in one of the opportunities below.
- Scholarship Donation: A general donation to the scholarship fund is greatly appreciated. A tax deductible donation of a specific amount may be sent to the UUP Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 15143, Albany, NY 12212-9954 using this FORM. If you are interested in having a recurring electronic payment sent from your financial institution please contact the UUP Accounting Department at 800-342-4206.
- SEFA Paycheck donation: During the annual Statewide SEFA campaign you may choose to direct your payroll deduction to the UUP Scholarship Fund. The UUP College Scholarship Fund charity code is 50-00478. Following is a link to the UUP Scholarship fund on the SEFA website: https://www.sefanys.org/united-university-professions-college-scholarship-fund.
- Expense Voucher Donation: Members who submit an expense voucher after attending a UUP event may contribute to the scholarship fund. There are multiple options for donations including Undergraduate Scholarship, Graduate Scholarship or Memorial Scholarship all indicated on the voucher form.
- Cookbook: Simply Delicious from United University Professions Created by UUP members, this spiral bound cookbook gives you a “taste” of how much our members care about giving students scholarship opportunities. You may purchase a cookbook HERE.
- Masks: Now you can wear a stylish face mask and help fund UUP’s annual college scholarships or VOTE/COPE at the same time. The union is selling UUP face masks and filters; proceeds will go to UUP’s College Scholarship Fund or VOTE/COPE. Members purchasing masks can decide which to donate to. The masks, made in the U.S.A, are made of 100 percent cotton and are machine washable. The filters are hand washable. Members have their choice between buying a mask and five filters or just the filters. Masks and filters are selling for $20; the filters are $10.
Click HERE to order online.
Click HERE to order by mail and pay by check.
- Donor Wall of Hope:The Donor Wall of Hope is a unique way for UUP members to contribute to UUP’s College Scholarship Fund, and to ensure that hard-working, labor-conscious students can get the financial help they need to pursue their education. The wall is inspirational because it recognizes the important role of our donors, while identifying the hopes and dreams of those aspiring to graduate. Members can purchase a brick for a minimum donation of $100. Donors can use their brick as a way to remember family members, friends or colleagues who have passed away, as well as to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, retirements and other memorable events. Please mail completed form and check or money order to: United University Professions, PO Box 15143, Albany, NY 12212-9954.
- Estate/Will Donations: If you are interested in leaving funds to support the UUP Scholarship Fund please contact the UUP Accounting Department at 800-342-4206.
- Committee Chair: Brittany Profit-Rheinwald (britprofit@gmail.com)
- Board Liaison: Carolyn Kube
- Scholarship Selection subcommittee
The Scholarship Selection Committee reviews and recommends scholarship award winners to the statewide Executive Board.
- Committee Chair: Ivan Steen (idsteen@msn.com)
- Board Liaison: Carolyn Kube
- Committee Chair: Ivan Steen (idsteen@msn.com)
Process Committees:
- Compliance/Audit Committee
- Work with the UUP Secretary-Treasurer, the Comptroller’s office, and the Finance Committee to ensure UUP’s fiscal accountability.
- Committee Chair: Chris King (christopher.king@stonybrook.edu)
- Board Liaison: Jeri O’Bryan-Losee
- Website:
- Work with the UUP Secretary-Treasurer, the Comptroller’s office, and the Finance Committee to ensure UUP’s fiscal accountability.
- Constitution and Governance Committee
- This committee is responsible for conducting elections; oversight of registration at the Delegate Assembly including reporting and making recommendations on seating of delegates and/or alternatives. Also assists chapters with bylaws review and reviews proposed Constitutional Amendments to provide advice and guidance to the UUP Executive Board and Delegate Assembly.
- Committee Chair: Robert See (rob@rsee.net) / Michael Barclay (Michael.barclay171@gmail.com)
- Board Liaison: Jeri O’Bryan-Losee
- Website:
- This committee is responsible for conducting elections; oversight of registration at the Delegate Assembly including reporting and making recommendations on seating of delegates and/or alternatives. Also assists chapters with bylaws review and reviews proposed Constitutional Amendments to provide advice and guidance to the UUP Executive Board and Delegate Assembly.
- Finance Committee
- Comprised primarily of chapter treasurers, the Finance Committee is responsible for drawing up and recommending the proposed budget, reviewing expenditures and the activities of the Secretary-Treasurer and administers UUP’s Legal Defense Fund.
- Committee Chair: Maria Brickhouse (brickhmb@buffalostate.edu) / Derrik Decker (derrik.decker@gmail.com)
- Board Liaison: Jeri O’Bryan-Losee
- Website:
- Comprised primarily of chapter treasurers, the Finance Committee is responsible for drawing up and recommending the proposed budget, reviewing expenditures and the activities of the Secretary-Treasurer and administers UUP’s Legal Defense Fund.
- Grievance Committee
- Works with chapter grievances which have not gone to arbitration. Members review cases and make recommendations for actions, as appropriate, to the UUP President.
- Committee Chair: Jen Drake (jenduup@gmail.com) / Laura Rhoads (laura@lsrhoads.com)
- Board Liaison: Bret Benjamin
- Website:
- Works with chapter grievances which have not gone to arbitration. Members review cases and make recommendations for actions, as appropriate, to the UUP President.
Retirees Information
- Retired Membership Governing Board Committee
- Members of this committee are elected from the retired membership. They also oversee one of the eight retiree regions. The statewide elected retired delegate is the chair of the committee. In total the Committee is composed of twelve members; the elected chair, the eight regional representatives elected by the Retired Membership of UUP and two members appointed by the President. The UUP Membership Development Officer is a member ex officio. This group works to encourage and promote UUP involvement by the retired membership, ARM, the Active Retiree Membership, of UUP, and supports the activities of the chapter Officer for Retirees.
- Committee Chair: Charles McAteer (cfmcateer@gmail.com)
- Board Liaison: Patrick Romain
- Website: View
- Governing Board Structure: View
- Retired Member Structure: View
- Members of this committee are elected from the retired membership. They also oversee one of the eight retiree regions. The statewide elected retired delegate is the chair of the committee. In total the Committee is composed of twelve members; the elected chair, the eight regional representatives elected by the Retired Membership of UUP and two members appointed by the President. The UUP Membership Development Officer is a member ex officio. This group works to encourage and promote UUP involvement by the retired membership, ARM, the Active Retiree Membership, of UUP, and supports the activities of the chapter Officer for Retirees.