Board of Directors
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Leonard Brown
Worksafe
he/his/él
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Leonard Brown is a dedicated worker leader and a board member of National COSH, committed to advancing worker rights and safety. Through his involvement with Worksafe’s Black Worker Initiative and as a participant in National COSH’s We Rise Leadership Academy, Leonard has embraced a journey of worker advocacy, amplifying the voices of those too often unheard.
With a career spanning cleaning, hospitality, and safety, Leonard finds his work both rewarding and emotionally challenging, particularly when encountering human suffering firsthand. Reflecting on his experiences, he shares: “At first, it was difficult to engage unhoused individuals, and I often found myself looking away from those caught in addiction or struggling with mental illness. But over time, I began to truly see and honor their humanity --because everyone is deserving of love and respect.”
Beyond his advocacy and work, Leonard enjoys writing, spending time with family and friends on his days off, and exploring new cultures through travel and cuisine. He remains deeply committed to building a more just and compassionate world for all workers.
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Lucia Gambino
Sur Legal Collaborative
she/her/ella
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Lucia Gambino is a bilingual Workers’ Rights Organizer at Sur Legal Collaborative, where she leads the Workers’ Advisory Committee program and develops training rooted in immigrant worker leadership and collective power. Born in Miami and raised in Costa Rica and Argentina, Lucia grew up in a mixed status household, an experience that deeply shaped her commitment to justice, dignity, and accessible worker protections.
Lucia studied political science at Georgia State University and has organized with immigrant communities across Northeast Atlanta since the first Trump administration. Her organizing began alongside tenants in the Buford Highway corridor addressing unsafe housing conditions and later expanded to broader community mobilizations, including efforts connected to the Stop Cop City movement.
At Sur Legal, Lucia designs Know Your Rights programs grounded in worker voices and lived experience, with a strong focus on the intersection of immigration and labor. Her work reflects a personal commitment to ensuring that immigrant workers, like those she grew up alongside, have the tools, knowledge, and collective support to advocate for safer workplaces and stronger communities.
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Melissa Martinez-Chacon
Border Workers United
she/her/ella
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Melissa Martinez is a worker rights advocate, whose leadership draws upon her own and her family’s journey from Mexico and in the US. As a former dreamer who moved to Texas from Mexico at age five, Melissa knew first-hand the importance of the DACA (Deferred Action for Child Arrivals) program. She spent five years advocating for its passage in DC, sharing her story with Congressional representatives. Melissa was introduced to labor rights when her mother became a victim of wage theft in 2014 while working long, extra hours at a restaurant in El Paso. As a result, Melissa began to involve herself in labor rights and Know Your Rights trainings, volunteering at Border Workers United, an El Paso-based COSH worker center, during breaks in college at the University of Texas at El Paso. She advocated for domestic workers and victims of trafficking by sharing their stories in Washington DC since many of them could not leave El Paso, being a border city with a 50 mile radius to USCIS checkpoints. After volunteering for two years at Border Workers United, Melissa became and has served as the group's administrator for over 6 years.
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Kevin McElroy
RICOSH
he/his/él
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Kevin McElroy is the Workforce Education Director at the Institute for Labor Studies and Research, where he develops and delivers worker rights education to youth and adult audiences. With a background in social work, labor, and community organizing, he provides training on Rhode Island labor and child labor laws, OSHA rights, workers’ compensation protections, and workplace harassment prevention.
Kevin is deeply committed to advancing worker justice through education and movement building. He serves as an elected officer of OPEIU Local 25 and sits on multiple boards, including the Rhode Island Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, the Economic Progress Institute, and the Occupational and Environmental Health Center of Rhode Island. He also contributes to preserving labor history through his work with the Rhode Island Labor History Society.
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Latasha Palmer
Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights
she/her/ella
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Latasha Palmer is dedicated to advancing worker health, safety, and dignity. As the Administrative Assistant at the Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights, she plays a vital role in supporting efforts to protect and uplift low-wage Black and Brown workers. Working alongside the dynamic leadership of Attorney Jaribu Hill, Latasha is committed to ensuring that every worker who seeks support is treated with the respect and justice they deserve.
Prior to this role, Latasha spent 16 years as a Pharmacy Technician, where her deep compassion for her community drove her to provide care and advocate for the health and well-being of those she served. Her lifelong dedication to service is rooted in a strong belief that all workers deserve safe conditions and fair treatment.
A proud resident of Greenville, MS, Latasha is happily married and the mother of two children, Jaylen and Imani. She is a 1998 graduate of O’Bannon High School and earned her Associate’s Degree in Science from Mississippi Delta Community College before obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development from Delta State University.
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Manuel Perez
Cincinnati Interfaith Worker Center
he/his/él
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Manuel Perez, an organizer at the Cincinnati Interfaith Worker Center (CIWC), came to the United States from Guatemala with a decade of experience working as a teacher and principal. After experiencing wage theft and discrimination while working at construction and restaurant jobs in the US, he came to CIWC seeking help and found community and a calling.
After attending worker rights meetings, participating in worker committees and then serving on the board of CIWC, he joined the staff - and now 14 years later has dedicated himself to educating and assisting workers in achieving their rights. He has gained credentials as an OSHA 10 construction outreach trainer and as a trainer in chemicals and disaster response through COSH’s collaboration with the International Chemical Workers Union Consortium.For Manuel the Workers Center is more than a job; it is a passion, allowing him to educate workers about their rights, give them basic training on health and safety at work and OSHA 10 training for construction and assist volunteer lawyers and government agencies with recovering stolen wages.
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Freddy Pierre
Beyond the Bars
he/his/él
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Freddy Pierre is a community organizer based in Miami dedicated to advancing worker rights and economic justice. His journey into organizing grew from personal experiences navigating the legal system, rebuilding his career through temporary and fast-food work, and witnessing firsthand how systems impact working families.
Freddy began organizing with Beyond the Bars, where he helped lead campaigns challenging excessive fines and fees and advocating for dignity and fairness. He has completed organizing and facilitation training through MassLibb’s Training 4 Trainers program and holds OSHA 511 certification in safety standards. Freddy earned his associate degree from Miami Dade College and was recognized by Legacy Magazine in 2025 as one of Miami’s most influential Black business leaders.
At his core, Freddy is a proud father and husband, and he brings that commitment to family and community into his work to empower others through dignity, knowledge, and collective action.
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Eddie Sanchez
SoCalCOSH
he/his/él
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Eddie Sanchez is the Co-Director of the Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (SoCalCOSH), where he supports worker leadership development and health and safety organizing across California’s Inland Empire. He began organizing as a student with the Student Labor Action Project at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and has spent more than a decade advancing protections and collective power for working people.
Before joining SoCalCOSH, Eddie organized with SEIU 721, helping form unions for public sector workers across Southern California. His work focuses on building strong worker networks, supporting the California Worker Outreach Project, and strengthening organizing campaigns locally and nationally through his role as co-chair of the Southern California Workplace Organizing Committee.
Outside of his organizing work, Eddie enjoys basketball and football, gaming, and music – especially Hip Hop and Funk – and draws inspiration from his friends, family, community, and future child.
