SEIU 503 members come together in many different ways to enrich our Union, run its operations or advise the Board of Directors. Joining a committee is a great way to get more involved in the work of SEIU 503.
Click on a committee to learn more
The committee plans a biennial stewards’ conference, monitors steward training, and assists with lists, selection and replacement language, and development of councils and other steward networks.
Get in touch by emailing us at StewardsCommittee@seiu503.org. Or learn more about becoming a steward.
| Stewards | Staff Advisor: Penny VanSanten | |
| Sunflower Folkins | NH | Medford |
| Alisha Goodwin | DOJ | Salem |
| Jo Hickerson | EOU | LaGrande |
| Gary Fletcher | HCW | Roseburg |
| Shawn Holliday | OSH | Junction City |
| Tammy Tate Houdroge | HCW | Portland |
| Diana Lobo | HCW | Damascus |
| Mike Scott | ODOT | Grants Pass |
| Tifini Linford | DHS/OHA | Salem |
| Sally Comberworth | HCW | Cave Junction |
| Janet Ferris | OYA | Tillamook |
| Co-chairs: Terry Hayden | HCW | Corvallis |
| Micki Varney | ODFW | Salem |
Civil and Human Rights Committee promotes and monitors the union’s commitment to equal employment opportunity and administers the African/American, Asian/Desi/Pacific Islander, Indigenous, Latinx, and Lavender (LGBTQA+) caucuses to build a strong power base for pursuing issues of cultural diversity.
Get in touch by emailing us at CivilHumanRightsCommittee@seiu503.org.
| Civil and Human Rights | Staff Advisor: Courtney Graham | Guillermo Romero as Co-Vice Chair | |
| Ibrahim Coulibaly | BOLI | Junction City | |
| Didi Crellin | HCW | Klamath Falls | |
| Pam Dyer | HCW | Clackamas | |
| Michele Ford | DHS/OHA | Salem | |
| Betty Holladay | DHS/OHA | Salem | |
| Tammy Tate Houdroge | HCW | Portland | |
| Natalie Jackson | CC | Ashland | |
| Khanda Jubbary | DHS/OHA | Hillsboro | |
| Ann Montague | Retirees | Salem | |
| Martin Ramirez | DHS/OHA | Medford | |
| Coquille Rex | OSU | Corvallis | |
| Lora Sylvester | OSU | Lebanon/Corvallis | |
| Abyssinia Trent | AFH | Keizer | |
| Joy Vegar | HCW | Coos Bay | |
| Sharrone Vincent | HCW | Columbia Co | |
| Brittany Williams | HCW | Portland | |
| Diana Lobo | HCW | Damascus | |
| Kim Cole | HCW | Medford |
| Caucuses of the C&HR Committee | ||
| Lavender Caucus Email: LavenderCaucus@seiu503.org | Chairs: Greg Ivers and Temari Asazuki | Staff Advisors: Emily Sokolski & Kyndall Mason |
| AFRAM Caucus Email: AFRAMCaucus@seiu503.org | President: VP: | Staff Advisors: Nima Mohamed & Brian Dunnaville |
| Latinx Caucus | Chairs: | Staff Advisor: Gabe Holguin & Belinda Ochoa |
| Indigenous Peoples Caucus | Chairs: Paula Pena and Nannette "D" Carter-Jafri | Staff Advisor: Nichte Verdugo |
| Asian, Desi & Pacific Islander Caucus | Chair: Theodora Ko Thompson | Staff Advisor: Meng Chen and Andrew Kung |
| Womxn of Color Caucus | Chairs: Emily Wang Tammy Tate Vacancy Vice-Chairs: D Carter-Jafri Paula Pena Theo Thompson Treasurers Hismelda Ivonne Ribero Secretary: Temari Asazuki Renee Watson-Taylor | Staff Advisor: Luci Whitesell |
Member Benefits Committee recommends Board action on benefit programs, policy positions on insurance programs, and maintenance, betterment and promotion of workers’ compensation benefits.
Get in touch by emailing us at MemberBenefitsCommittee@seiu503.org.
| Member Benefits | Staff Advisor: Rebecca Kozisek | |
| Trudi Jackson | Employment Dept | Bend |
| Colleen Jeffrey | DMV | Sherwood |
| Allen Meyer | DCBS | Salem |
| Amy Yum | HCW | Milwaukie |
| Ken Hollenzer | HCW | Portland |
| Michael Omogrosso | UO | Eugene |
| Chair: TBD |
Women’s Council plans conferences and institutes information, research, and lobbying programs that address issues of particular interest to the women of our union. This committee is comprised of members and a Chairperson appointed by the President and approved by the Board.
Get in touch by emailing us at WomensCouncil@seiu503.org.
| Women's Council | Staff Advisor: Anandi van Diepen-Hedayat | |
| Sherri Arias | HCW | K Falls |
| DiDi Crellin | HCW | K Falls |
| Latosha Dyson-Ridge | HCW | Portland |
| Alisha Goodwin | DOJ | Salem |
| Khanda Jubbary | DHS/OHA | Tigard |
| Theodora Ko Thompson | OU | Eugene |
| Dianna LaChance Janowski | DCBS | Salem |
| Kimberlye McDowell | HCW | Lebanon |
| Nancy Padilla | Retirees | S. OR Coast |
| Alice Redding | HCW | Rainier |
| Catherine Stearns | Retirees | Corvallis |
| Lora Sylvester | OSU | Corvallis/Lebanon |
| Abyssinia Trent | AFH | Keizer |
| Sharronne Vincent | HCW | Columbia Co |
| Brittany Williams | HCW | Portland |
| Sunflower Folkins | NH | Medford |
| Rhonda Morgan | DHS/OHA | Salem |
| Joy'e Willman | HCW | Portland |
| Michele Ford | DHS/OHA | Salem |
| Natalie Jackson | CC | Ashland |
| Coquille Rex | OSU | Covallis |
| Erin Selvey | City of Springfield | Springfield |
| Joy Vegar | HCW | Coos Bay/N Bend |
Staff Screening Committee collects and reviews applications, conducts interviews and makes recommendations to the Executive Director or Department Supervisor.
Get in touch with us via email at StaffScreeningCommittee@seiu503.org.
Civil and Human Ri
| Staff Screening | Staff Advisors: Maureen Crawford | |
| Angelica Ceja Ochoa | OSH | Salem |
| Thomas Gale-Barnard | Dept of Justice | Portland |
| Abyssinia Trent | AFH | Keizer |
| Tammy Tate Houdroge | HCW | Portland |
| Theodora Ko Thompson | UO | Eugene |
| Ron Strle | NH | Hood River |
The Climate Justice Committee advocates for a green jobs future.
Get in touch with us via email at ClimateChange@seiu503.org.
| Members | Staff Advisor: Jay Parasco | |
| Twila Jacobsen (Co-chair) | LCOG | Eugene/Springfield |
| Austin Folnagy | Employment | K Falls |
| Lois Yoshishige (Co-chair) | UO | Eugene |
| Carolynn Kohout | HCW | Hillsboro |
| Nancy Diamond | Retiree | |
| Mike Powers | Dept of Ag | Salem |
| Mike Scott | ODOT | Beaverton |
Union Finance Committee develops plans for adequately financing the union, presents an annual budget to the Board and regularly reviews the fiscal operation of the union.
Get in touch with us via email at FinanceCommittee503@seiu503.org.
| Finance Committee | Staff Advisor: Beth Moore | |
| Theo Ko Thompson | UO | Eugene |
| Rebecca Sandoval | HCW | Medford |
| Melissa Unger | Exec Dir | Statewide |
| Carl Nolte | AFH | Bend |
| Joy'e Willman | Homecare | Portland |
| Helen Moore | Higher Ed | La Grande |
| Bobbie Sotin | HCW | Coos Bay |
| Ibrahim Coulibaly | BOLI | Junction City |
| Andrea Kennedy-Smith | DHS | Hillsboro |
| Cristal DeJarnac | HCW | Central Oregon |
| Chair: Mary Stewart | Revenue | Eugene |
Rules Committee promotes the consistency of rules as set forth in the Union’s Bylaws and Administrative Policies and Procedures, making recommendations to the Board on issues requiring clarification.
Get in touch with us via email at RulesCommittee@seiu503.org.
| Rules | Staff Advisor: Shirin Khosravi | |
| Brittany Williams | HCW | Portland |
| Catherine Stearns | Retirees | Corvallis |
| Khandra Jubbary | DHS/OHA | Tigard |
| Chair: Andrea Kennedy Smith | DHS/OHA | Hillsboro |
Member Representation Committee recommends Board action on matters concerning negotiation and representation of employees, election appeals and recall elections, allegations of a breach of the union’s duty of fair representation, internal union disputes, and contract ratification procedures.
Get in touch with us via email at MemberRepresentationCommittee@seiu503.org.
| Member Representation | Staff Advisor: Shirin Khosravi | |
| Samuel Browne | NH | Aloha/Beaverton |
| Sara Campos | DSH/OHA | Salem |
| Guillermo Ramero | DHS | Astoria |
| Didi Crellin | HCW | K Falls |
| Rhonda Morgan | DHS/OHA | Salem |
| Chair: Erin Selvey | City of Springfield | Springfield |
Member/Local Union Organizing Committee designs and supports programs in which members work on behalf of the union while on leave or release from their current employment.
Get in touch with us via email at MemberLocalUnionOrganizingCommittee@seiu503.org.
| Member Local Organizing | Staff Advisor: Vanessa Veselka | |
| Sherri Arias | HCW | K Falls |
| Victor Becera | DHS/OHA | K Falls |
| Mark Cook | HCW | Keizer/Salem |
| Alice Redding | HCW | Rainier |
| Catherine Stearns | Retirees | Corvallis |
| Louie Vidmar | UO | Eugene |
| Heather Digregorio | HCW | Umatilla |
Hardship Committee sets standards and criteria for local Hardship Committees for providing limited and short-term assistance to members.
Get in touch with us via email at HardshipCommittee@seiu503.org.
Staff Advisor: Madison Hibler
Chair: Steve Demarest
Members: Martin Ramirez, Trudi Jackson, Julie Macon
Committee to Protect Injured Workers organizes, educates and mobilizes around the issues of workers’ compensation, insurance, safety and health.
Get in touch with us via email at ProtectInjuredWorkersCommittee@seiu503.org
Pension and Thrift Committee includes two members who help monitor the plan implementation and pension funds investment of the SEIU Local 503, OPEU staff retirement plan.
Get in touch with us via email at PensionsThriftCommittee@seiu503.org.
Staff Advisor: Beth Moore
Members: Steve Demarest, Aurora Lang and Mary Stewart.
Fight Contracting Out Committee is charged with developing expertise in how to fight privatization and acts as a rapid response team to assist in fighting any contracting out efforts.
Get in touch with us via email at FightContractingOutCommittee@seiu503.org.
Operations Committee
| Staff Advisors: Beth Moore | ||
| Mary Stewart | Revenue | Eugene |
| Natalie Jackson | HCW | Medford |
| Johnny Earl | UO | Eugene |
| Bruce Davis | Revenue | Keizer |
Standing Committees
NOTE: President Steve Demarest serves as a non-voting ex-officio member of all Standing Committees. (Bylaws Article XIV, section 1 (f))
Union Finance Committee
Rules Committee
Member Representation Committee
Stewards’ Committee
Climate Justice Committee
Standing Committees by AP&P
Member Benefits Committee
Staff Screening Committee
Civil and Human Rights Committee
Member/Local Union Organizing Committee
Hardship Committee
Committee to Protect Injured Workers
Pension and Thrift Committee
Fight Contracting Out Committee
Special Councils
Women’s Council
Special Committees
Building Committee