Greg Kelley is the president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana Missouri & Kansas. In December of 2021, he became the first Black president in the Council’s history. His 20-plus years in the labor movement began when Kelley was a rank-and-file SEIU member at the Cook County Clerk’s office, organizing his colleagues to win better pay and conditions.. His organizing efforts continued as he went on to organize attending physicians at the former Cook County Hospital (now Stroger Hospital) and workers at the historic DuSable Museum, where he helped to negotiate its first collective bargaining agreement. His organizing work grew from there, and he was named president of the fastest-growing union in the Midwest in 2020.

Born in Chicago, Kelley has firsthand experience of the inequalities and issues working Chicagoans have faced over decades. Kelley is the son of longtime union members. His mother was a member of the Cook County Teachers Union and his father, a Vietnam veteran, worked as a correctional officer at the Cook County Jail, where he would become president of the sergeants’ union. His stepfather worked for more than 30 years on the grounds crew at the Brookfield Zoo, where Kelley worked summer jobs in high school. He is also the grandson and nephew of Baptist ministers. Kelley is a graduate of Proviso East High School in Maywood, Ill., a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., and graduate of the University of Iowa, where he was president of the Black Student Union.

Dian was the first person in her family to graduate from college. She is the oldest of eight children, and she wanted a career where she could make a living for her family and also give back to the community. Her career started in a nursing home, and then went on to work for a hospital and a sexual assault treatment center. She found her voice while working as a registered nurse, where she and her co-workers successfully organized the nurses in their facility. There was no looking back. She has been a member of SEIU for 29 years, mother of three sons, and has one grandson. Dian was president of SEIU Healthcare WI before coming to Local 73 where she was asked to serve as co-trustee during the union’s transition period. As a labor leader for over 20 years, her commitment and dedication has never wavered. She is proud to currently serve as president of SEIU Local 73, since November 2018, where she’s committed to building a strong, growing, and politically active union. Palmer holds a B.S. in Nursing from Carroll College/Columbia School of Nursing and is a State of Wisconsin Public Health Nurse specializing in Chronic Diseases in Minority Populations.

Efrain Elias has worked for SEIU Local 1 for more than 20 years, beginning as an organizer helping suburban commercial office janitors in the Chicagoland area unionize and strike for affordable health insurance and higher wages. Now, as vice president and residential division director of SEIU Local 1, Elias is committed to helping and organizing the unorganized, especially people of color, to use their voice and to ensure every working family can live the American Dream.

Elias has worked to protect and improve the livelihoods of thousands of residential engineers, doorstaff, janitors and more. He also chairs the board for the SEIU Local 1 Training Fund with the Apartment Building Owners and Managers Association (ABOMA) that helps members get the skills they need to move up in the residential ranks, as well as the Local’s 401k retirement and savings fund.

The first Puerto Rican residential division director and vice president, Elias is a member of the steering committee for Vamos4PR, which advocates for a debt audit and an end to austerity policies on the island.  He also was a founding member of the SEIU International Latino Caucus and currently serves as Secretary-Treasurer.

Anthony Driver is a lifelong southside Chicago resident, political strategist, and labor leader. Anthony come from a labor family as his grandfather was a plumber and  father a carpenter. Driver has been politically active since his graduation from Howard University where he earned a degree in Political Science. His early days as a student were spent organizing campus janitorial workers and helping to fight for fair wages and rights.

Driver previously held the position of political and legislative coordinator at SEIU Healthcare Illinois where he was the lead strategist on winning campaigns that raised the minimum wage to $15 per hour in Chicago and created a Civilian Oversight Board over the Chicago Police Department. He now serves as the President of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability.