Good Tech for Good Jobs:
Strategies for Building Worker Power in the Age of AI

Ibrahim Ahmed

Policy Advisor, County of San Diego, Office of County Supervisor Joel Anderson

Ibrahim Ahmed is a dedicated public servant with extensive experience in government and nonprofits, currently serving as an Advisor to Supervisor Joel Anderson at the San Diego Board of Supervisors. His work focuses on homelessness, public safety, SANDAG, immigration, ethics and compliance, and IT/innovative technologies. He is also the primary advisor for the newly established subcommittee on AI and innovative technologies, where he collaborates with Supervisor Anderson and Chair Vargas to enhance public engagement and improve the County's IT infrastructure for greater efficiency and responsiveness.

Andres Alva-Cardenas

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Business Representative, AFSCME District Council 36

Andres Alva-Cardenas, born in Delano and raised in Bakersfield, California, developed a passion for worker and labor rights as the grandson of field laborers and son of public-school teachers. After earning his B.A. in Political Science from the University of La Verne, and a J.D. with a certificate in Labor & Employment Law from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

He tutored and later provided supplemental education to low-income students in Houston before attending law school. There, he gained diverse legal experience, assisting clients facing employer mistreatment, drafting legal documents, and reviewing allegations for a government agency. Now serving as Business Representative of Local 127, he is dedicated to advocating for union members' rights and promoting workplace equity, building on AFSCME’s legacy. He also holds a J.D. with a certificate in Labor & Employment Law from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Brandon Beck

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Chief Steward, Communication Workers of America Local 9511

Brandon Beck has served 20 years as a union worker in the wireless retail and customer service industry.

Marco Briones

Political Director, San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council

Marco Briones, raised in South San Diego, co-founded BEAT at San Diego City College, focusing on social justice. He started his career in 2012 at the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, later joining Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez’s team. Marco worked at the Center on Policy Initiatives and was the Area Director for Bernie 2020. As the Labor Council’s Political Director, he ensures working families have a voice. He served as a WFP Member Rep for 2 years, aiming to grow WFP as a political home for progressives.

Timothy Douglass

President, AFSCME Local 127

Tim Douglass has served as the elected President of AFSCME Local 127 since 2022, advocating for better wages and working conditions for approximately 2,200 employees across 175 job classifications in San Diego, Coronado, and Lemon Grove. Growing up in San Diego, he began his career with the city in 1994 as a Pool Guard while in high school. After completing a Marine Diving Technology program in Santa Barbara, he returned to San Diego State University to study Criminal Justice. Tim was re-hired by the City of San Diego in 2000 as a Ranger Diver and later managed Lake Hodges’ reservoirs. He has over 27 years of service with the city and was elected Vice President of AFSCME Local 127 in 2001 before becoming President in 2022.

Lilly Irani

Faculty Director, UC San Diego Labor Center

Associate Professor, Department of Communication, UC San Diego

Lilly Irani is a professor at UCSD focused on designing worker-centered technologies. She is co-founder of data worker-led advocacy organization Turkopticon. She sits on the board of United Taxi Workers San Diego and helped launch a worker-center ridehail app Ride United. She also organizes with Tech Workers Coalition San Diego and as part of San Diego’s Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology (TRUST) Coalition. 

Spencer Katz

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Director of Strategic Initiatives, County of San Diego, Office of Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer

Spencer Katz was born and raised in San Diego. He has been an advisor to County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer for the past five years and currently serves as her Director of Strategic Initiatives. The son of a teacher and union rep and a small businessman, Spencer's work for the County of San Diego is driven by his commitment to making the region more worker-friendly and advancing sustainable economic development. He earned his degree in Political Science - Public Service from UC Davis before returning home to run Supervisor Lawson-Remer's 2020 campaign. Spencer lives in South Park with his fiancée Josie and their dog Frankie.

Michael Kennedy

Pronouns: He/Him/His

RN/Nurse Representative, California Nurses Association

Michael Kennedy is a Registered Nurse at UC San Diego Health where he serves as the Chief Nurse Representative for UCSD Health's La Jolla Campus. Michael has extensive organizing experience at hospitals around the country, and played a key role in representing UCSD in contract negotiations. In 2020, he was elected to represent union nurses from San Diego and Imperial Counties on CNA/NNU's Nursing Practice Commission. This commission tackles emerging issues in nursing, like artificial intelligence, and creates strategies to counteract threats to the profession. In June, Michael earned a Master of Public Policy degree from UCSD's School of Global Policy and Strategy, focusing on health and environmental policy.

Sarah Maya-Goldbaum

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Workforce Development and Training Coordinator, UFCW Local 135

Sarah Maya-Goldbaum is a San Diego native whose union career started in 2007 with 13 years of service at Vons. She transitioned to UFCW Local 135, where beginning as clerical staff handling insurance and membership. In 2019, she was appointed as the first Workforce Development and Training Coordinator for the local, where she focuses on enhancing member skills and professional growth. Additionally, she serves as a San Diego Labor Council delegate and is the Sector Lead for the San Diego Subregional for California Jobs First.

Alice Montes

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers/Ella

Government Relations Advocate, SEIU-UHW

Alice Montes is a government relations advocate for SEIU-UHW and works on labor, healthcare, workforce, education, and licensing board related issues. She previously worked in the State Capitol for 7 years as a Senior Legislative Aide for two different assembly members and focused on similar issue areas. She received a bachelor's degree from UC Davis and a master's from Pepperdine law school.

Lucas O'Connor

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Executive Director, Progressive Labor Alliance

Lucas O'Connor is the Executive Director of the Progressive Labor Alliance Summit. With a unique lens to political and policy matters, developed over nearly two decades of work in campaign, governance, labor, and community organizing spaces in San Diego. Previously, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for San Diego Councilmember and now-Assembly member Chris Ward. Additionally, he has worked for Assembly woman Lorena Gonzalez, Congressman Scott Peters, Senator Barbara Boxer, and the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council. He was a founding board member for Climate Action Campaign and the San Diego Leadership Alliance, and has served on the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party and as a Board Member of the League of Conservation Voters San Diego. He has been published in a variety of regional, state, and national outlets and has his own branded t-shirt line.

Satomi Rash-Zeigler

Executive Director, UC San Diego Labor Center

Satomi Rash-Zeigler brings over 15 years of experience working and organizing in the labor movement across the country and is the founding president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists – San Diego County Chapter. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from UCLA and her MBA from the Haas School of Business and was recently honored with the Trailblazer Hall of Fame Award by the California Black Women’s Collective. A native San Diegan, she currently resides in Spring Valley with her family.

Cori Schumacher

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Environmental Organizer, IBEW 569

Smith Sirisakorn

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Special assistant to the executive director, United Domestic Worker AFSCME 3930

Smith Sirisakorn is an accomplished entrepreneur, strategist, and attorney with a diverse background in business consulting and small business ownership. He is also an IHSS caretaker for his mother, a representative of the Torrey Pines Men’s Golf Club, and a former World Series of Poker champion. Smith holds a Bachelor of Science from MIT and a Juris Doctor and Master of Intellectual Property from the University of New Hampshire, and resides in San Diego with his family.

Greg Sowizdrzal

Pronouns: He/Him/His

President, IATSE 122

Greg Sowizdrzal joined IATSE Local 122 in 2005, has been a card carrying member of IATSE Local 122, and an officer since 2013. He has worked in nearly all aspects of stagecraft as well as Corporate Audio Visual work. He has recently become an executive board member for the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council as well as a delegate for the Imperial Counties Labor Council.