REGIONALLY-SPECIFIC SOLUTIONS
Just before I was elected as Eastern Regional Vice President, I got an offer to do a year-long national tour. After my spouse and my parents, my very first phone call was to Kate Shindle—Equity's President and a former Eastern Regional Vice President herself. I asked her "Can I do this job if I'm out on the road for a year?" Without hesitating she said "Not only can you do it, it'll make you better at it."
She told me about her time on the First National Tour of FUN HOME, and how she used it as an opportunity to meet with members at every stop along the way, and the profound impact it had had on her—hearing directly from members living all over the country, and being able to learn from their lived experiences to help make Equity policy that could make their lives better.
So, over the course of my tour, I met with members in 19 different Office Cities, Liaisons Areas, and smaller places in between. I met with Chairs of our Liaison Committees, members of committees and negotiating teams, and rank-and-file members who heard I was in town and just wanted to say hi. Kate, as usual, was right. I learned tremendously, and it made me a better representative of ALL of our members.
As Eastern Regional Vice President, I've also had the opportunity to attend the annual membership meetings in a number of the Liaison Areas here in the Eastern Region. At these meetings, I always make it clear is that my job is to hear from you—the stage managers and actors who were able to take the time to be there—and to take what I learn about your lives and livelihoods back with me to Equity. As the Chair of the Eastern Regional Board, I've also made sure the our Board members have gotten a report from at least one Area Liaison Chair at every single meeting that we've held, so that they too can hear firsthand about what life is like in different parts of the country.
Over the course of this campaign, I will publish ten documents—one for each of our ten Eastern Liaison Areas—outlining what I've heard and learned and how I think we can work together over the next four years to make life as an Equity member better in each of them—especially as we all recover together from our current circumstances.
I'll post each one here, as well as on each of my social media platforms, so you can see for yourself my commitment to every member across the Eastern Region.
