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ULI Graduation Class

About the New York State AFL-CIO / Cornell Union Leadership Institute

The New York State AFL-CIO/Cornell Union Leadership Institute (ULI), founded in 2001, prepares labor and worker-justice leaders to effectively and strategically advance workers' rights. ULI helps labor and worker-justice leaders strengthen their organizations so that they are bold, innovative, and able to adapt to a changing global economy and workforce.

ULI ventures beyond the traditional “skills-building“ approach in labor leadership training, using a transformational leadership development model to build inclusion and solidarity. We are a unique, multi-union, multi-sector statewide certificate program where participants share ideas and common concerns, acquire new tools, sharpen skills, and connect with other worker leaders in the New York labor and worker justice movements. It helps build a statewide network of visionary leaders who can advance collective bargaining and worker representation in communities and workplaces.

Program Structure

ULI's curriculum includes a week-long retreat at the start and end of the program, with three weekends in between. Experienced instructors facilitate the program, which is designed to adjust to the needs of participants. ULI provides a safe space for leaders to explore strategic challenges they face at work and in society. Instructors offer coaching and mentoring to help participants develop leadership skills in three key areas.

The program focuses on three thematic domains of leadership:

  1. Strengthening individual leadership
  2. Leading and transforming your organization
  3. Building a dynamic and inclusive movement

Participants are also required to complete a leadership project (field work) that allows them to apply the skills learned to lead a transformational project within their union or organization. Attendance at all five retreats is required for successful graduation of the program.

Additionally, three optional electives can be chosen from the non-credit public programming offered by Cornell during the one-year program and for one year after graduation.

For more information, please get in touch with Sherrie Morales at sm92@cornell.edu or 212.340.2827.

The ULI program worked for me because it tapped into a relational aspect of organized labor that one sometimes has to tap back into. If you look down into the core of trade unionism, there is a deep relational understanding there. How would we build power for working people across industries without it? Somehow, along the way, over the years, organized labor has forgotten this point. The ULI program is trying to pull its participants back into that understanding in a real and grounded way. It’s a major honor to be a part of this community. It means that someone believes in you, maybe more than you believe in yourself. I see ULI being a key component in my personal coalition-building moving forward.
–
Alvin Carter
,
Security Field Coordinator NYC, SEIU Local 32BJ
Alvin Carter speaking behind a lectern
This program has shifted my focus into thinking much larger: Fighting for job security, a living wage, a decent pension for all union members, and justice for all workers. I feel I’ve become a more effective leader, especially after having courageous conversations and being transparent in my strive. I feel more self-aware of my vision and what I wish to achieve in this career within the labor movement.
–
Lovette Mootry
,
President, Buffalo Psychiatric Center Local 403
Lovette Mootry
My path to leadership is one not often followed! I sometimes think, “How did I get here?” It’s exciting to see the new wave of organizing, and I feel we will be able to draw from this experience and the many tools we learned. I try to live in the present while dreaming about the future we want to create. My hope is that my contributions to the movement will move us towards that future.
–
Will Rojas
,
Organizing Coordinator, SEIU 32BJ
Will Rojas
There’s no doubt in my mind that what we learned in this Institute as labor leaders will carry us through the tumultuous times ahead.
– Randi DiAntonio, ULI Class of 2018

Latest News

See all latest news

Empowering Workers, Building Leaders

On October 9, 2025, thirty participants celebrated their graduation from the first Housekeeping Technician and Leadership Development Workshop Series, a collaborative training effort between Labor Leadership Initiatives at Cornell’s ILR School and the Worker Justice Project (WJP).
WJP Graduation. Cleaning technicians 2
Empowering Workers, Building Leaders

New Report Highlights 20+ Years of ULI’s Impact on New York’s Labor Leadership

A revealing evaluation shows how the Union Leadership Institute has empowered hundreds of leaders to strengthen the labor movement and advance equity across New York State.
ULI Cohort 2024-2025
New Report Highlights 20+ Years of ULI’s Impact on New York’s Labor Leadership

ULI Spotlight: Mark Carter, President of the Peekskill Professional Firefighters Local 2343

Mark Carter is the first Black President of the Peekskill Professional Firefighters Local 2343 and the recipient of the 2025-2026 NYS AFL-CIO Union L.E.A.D. Scholarship.
Mark Carter, Peekskill Professional Firefighters Local 2343
ULI Spotlight: Mark Carter, President of the Peekskill Professional Firefighters Local 2343

Faculty and Staff

Elaine Kim

  • Senior Extension Associate, Labor Leadership Initiatives
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ElaineKim2024

Sherrie Morales

  • Program Coordinator
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Sherrie Morales 2024

Kathleen Mulligan

  • Director of Labor Leadership Initiatives
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Kathleen Mulligan

Natalia Navas

  • Extension Associate, Labor Leadership Initiatives
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Natalia Navas

New York State AFL-CIO/Cornell Union Leadership Institute

Hear from past participants and learn what they gained by attending the Union Leadership Institute. 

Contact

To speak with someone about the program or to request an information packet contact: 
Elaine Kim, Director of New York State AFL-CIO/Cornell Union Leadership Institute at ek583@cornell.edu.

New York State AFL-CIO/Cornell Union Leadership Institute

The Worker Institute, ILR School
Cornell University
570 Lexington Ave
12th floor, New York, NY 10022
laborleadership@cornell.edu