Roberta Reardon, who teaches the Union Leadership course at Murphy, has been appointed as New York State Commissioner of Labor. The Department of Labor is tasked with overseeing state labor regulations, unemployment, and workforce training initiatives.

 Commissioner Reardon is the founding co-President of SAG-AFTRA, a 165,000 member union for the entertainment industry. She is the three-term unanimously elected National President of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). Reardon also has over thirty-five years of experience as professional actor and has appeared on television and regional and off-Broadway theater.

Her extensive experience in labor negotiations and leadership development made her an ideal fit for the Murphy Labor Studies program. This past spring, Professor Reardon taught the Union Leadership course to CSEA rank-and-file leaders as a part of the CUNY-Cornell Labor Relations Certificate program. She was so popular among her students that on the last night of class, they awarded her an “Oscar” for best teacher.

Congratulations Commissioner Reardon!