FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2018
August 30, 2018
Contact:
Tim Kauffman
202-639-6405/202-374-6491
[email protected]
Kentucky Native Jeremy Lannan Elected to Lead Largest Federal Employee Union’s Equal Rights Program
Lannan is one of AFGE’s youngest and first openly gay national leader
WASHINGTON – Louisville, Ky., native Jeremy Lannan has made history as one of the youngest – and first openly gay – federal employee ever elected to one of three national leadership positions with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal and D.C. government workers.
During AFGE’s 41st National Convention in Las Vegas on Aug. 15, delegates overwhelmingly elected Lannan, 40, to serve as AFGE’s National Vice President for Women and Fair Practices. He joins J. David Cox Sr., who was reelected to his third consecutive term as National President, and newly elected National Secretary-Treasurer Everett Kelley.
In this position, NVP Lannan will oversee AFGE’s Women’s and Fair Practices Departments, which promote civil, human, women’s, and workers’ rights for the more than 700,000 federal and D.C. government employees represented by AFGE. He is the first male ever to hold this position – which Lannan says amplifies how “it is all of our responsibility to fight for women’s, civil, and human rights.”
“I am very humbled by the love and support shown to me by all the delegates who put their faith and confidence in me,” Lannan said. “My campaign was about honoring the past but being prepared for the future, and I’m excited to get to Washington and hit the ground running.”
Lannan’s election to national office is a culmination of two decades of public service, starting when he was hired as a clerk by the U.S. Census Bureau in 1997. He soon joined AFGE Local 1438, which represents Census Bureau employees in Jeffersonville, Ind., and held numerous leadership roles in the local including Executive Vice President and Fair Practice Coordinator.
Between 2012 and 2015, Lannan was AFGE’s National Fair Practices Affirmative Action Coordinator for the 6th District, serving employees in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. He most recently worked as an AFGE national organizer, actively signing up new members and contributing to AFGE’s record 27 consecutive years of membership growth. He has participated actively in AFGE’s Y.O.U.N.G. and Pride programs, representing under-40 and LGBTQ members, respectively – providing him a platform as a young leader for his voice to be heard.
“This union has changed my life in unimaginable ways and I am so excited to help bring about positive changes for all working people,” Lannan said.
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