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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 

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.

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 about the Union Leadership Institute

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

Managing with Labor's Values Buffalo Area

In June, leaders from across industries and worker justice organizations gathered in Buffalo for the Managing with Labor’s Values workshop series.
Managing with Labor's Values Buffalo
Managing with Labor's Values Buffalo Area

Faculty and Staff

Elaine Kim

  • Senior Extension Associate, Labor Leadership Programs
ElaineKim2024
Elaine H. Kim spent over a decade as part of the leadership team at 32BJ SEIU, the largest property service union in the country representing janitors, security officers, airport and residential workers, among others.

Sherrie Morales

  • Program Coordinator
Sherrie Morales 2024

Sherrie Morales is a Program Coordinator for the Worker Institute at Cornell/ILR. She has worked for Cornell/ILR in NYC for over 27 years with various departments within ILR.

Kathleen Mulligan

  • Director of Labor Leadership Programs
Kathleen Mulligan

Kathleen Mulligan is the Director of Labor Leadership Programs, and Director of the National Labor Leadership Initiative, at Cornell University’s ILR School.

Natalia Navas

  • Extension Associate, Labor Leadership Programs
Natalia Navas
Natalia Navas, Ph.D., ’09, is a practitioner-labor scholar, educator, and qualitative sociologist specializing in the intersection of labor rights, displacement, and political autonomy within immigrant communities in the United States. 

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