Speakers Bio

Rev. Terrence L. Melvin, president of the international Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, holds the second highest office in the New York state labor movement as secretary-treasurer of the 2.5 million–member New York State AFL-CIO. Melvin was elected to the position in July 2007.

Melvin started his career in 1980 as a member of Civil Service Employees Association Local 427. Three years later, at the age of 21, he became the youngest CSEA local leader when he was elected president of the local. In January 1996, Melvin was appointed the Executive Assistant to then-CSEA statewide President Danny Donohue. In this position, he oversaw and directed the day-to-day activities of the President’s office and was responsible for overall coordination of the union’s senior staff. Since being elected Secretary-Treasurer in 2007, Melvin has focused on developing lasting ties between labor, religious organizations and community partners.

A long-time activist, Melvin is actively engaged in labor and community organizations. In August 1996, he was elected director of CBTU Region One, representing unionists in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Ontario, Canada. CBTU is dedicated to addressing the unique concerns of Black workers and communities. Melvin was subsequently re-elected as Region One director through August 2010. In May 2012, at the 41st International Convention of the CBTU, he was unanimously elected as the organization’s new president, succeeding William (Bill) Lucy, who had held the position since he co-founded CBTU in 1972.

Amongst his various labor and community roles, Melvin is an ordained Baptist minister serving as Associate Minister and Assistant to the Pastor at Second Baptist Church, Lackawanna, New York.

L. Joy Williams is a seasoned political strategist, civic leader, and dynamic speaker with a passion for empowering individuals and communities to engage in the democratic process.

As President of the Brooklyn NAACP and President of the New York State NAACP Conference of Branches, L. Joy is dedicated to advancing civil rights, advocating for social justice, and creating lasting change in her community. Her leadership also extends to her role as Chair of Higher Heights PAC, where she works to amplify the political voice of Black women across the nation.

Through her work, L. Joy has built a reputation for delivering impactful speeches, training sessions, and workshops that inspire action. Whether leading discussions on policy reform, advocating for racial equity, or facilitating conversations on civic engagement, her voice resonates with audiences across the country.

L. Joy is also the host of the nationally recognized and four-time NAACP Image Award-nominated podcast, #SundayCivics. The show, which teaches adults how to understand and navigate the political system, has become a vital tool for those seeking to become more involved in civic life. Through candid interviews with policymakers, thought leaders, and community activists, #SundayCivics encourages listeners to take meaningful action in their communities.

Throughout her career, L. Joy has championed numerous advocacy efforts—from local campaigns to national initiatives—helping to shape public policy and galvanize communities to demand accountability from elected officials. Her leadership is not just about policy change but also about providing people with the tools to become advocates themselves, strengthening the civic fabric of our democracy.

Beyond her professional roles, L. Joy is deeply committed to personal empowerment and education. She believes that everyone has the ability to make a difference, and through both her public work and her podcast, she provides a platform for individuals to learn, grow, and take action in ways that align with their values.

Her work has earned recognition from organizations across the country, and she continues to be a trusted voice for progress and change. L. Joy’s tireless commitment to the cause of justice, equity, and civic engagement inspires those around her to believe in their own power to create a better future.

Karla Hernández-Mats is the past president of United Teachers of Dade, the largest teachers union in the southeastern United States. She served as UTD president for nine years, from 2016 to 2025, during which time she championed public education and led efforts that resulted in the successful passage of two countywide referendums to increase teacher pay, marking the largest pay increases in the history of Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

In 2022, Hernández-Mats was selected by the Democratic Party and asked to run as the lieutenant governor of Florida as the Democratic nominee.

Before her presidency, Hernández-Mats served as UTD’s secretary/treasurer from 2013 to 2016. She has been nationally recognized for her leadership, including being honored by Miami Today’s Achiever Series in 2019 for advancing public education throughout Miami-Dade.

She has been active on numerous boards, including the Florida Education Association Governance Board and Executive Cabinet, the United Way Board of Miami, the Florida AFL-CIO’s executive board, the Children’s Trust’s executive board and the Education Fund’s executive board. She is also the chairperson of the AFT’s Women’s Rights Committee.

A respected voice for public education, Hernández-Mats frequently addresses national groups on the challenges educators face and is an advocate for immigration reform and children’s rights. She has presented for organizations such as the AFT, the National Education Association, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, the Miami Women’s March and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference.

Born and raised in Miami, Hernández-Mats is a first-generation American of Honduran descent and the first Hispanic officer elected to lead United Teachers of Dade. She holds a bachelor’s degree in emotionally handicapped education from Florida International University and a master’s degree in business management from St. Thomas University.

Before dedicating herself fully to union leadership, she spent over a decade as a classroom teacher, earning recognition as Teacher of the Year at Hialeah Middle School in 2010. She remains deeply involved in her community, actively volunteering and supporting humanitarian missions overseas.

Hernández-Mats is married with two children. Her lifelong commitment to public education, advocacy and community service continues to inspire those working for a better future.

“One of the most powerful labor leaders in the country.”
- Adrianne Shropshire, Black PAC

Stacy Davis Gates took office as President of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) in July of 2022 and was just re-elected to her second term in May of 2025. She is an internationally recognized leader in labor, racial justice movements, and progressive politics, most known for her role in leading common good unionism, spearheading the campaign to expand democracy and win an elected school board, and leading the successful strategy to elect former schoolteacher and CTU organizer Brandon Johnson, as Mayor of the City of Chicago.

President Davis Gates is a high school social studies teacher spurred into union activity in 2008 when Arne Duncan closed the school in which she was teaching.

Late CTU President Karen Lewis tapped Davis Gates to become the union’s Political and Legislative Director in 2011. In that position, she built coalitions and spearheaded legislative campaigns that established an elected school board for Chicago, the most substantial charter school accountability measures in the country, restoration of bargaining rights denied to Chicago educators for nearly three decades, and the creation of equity-based funding models that secured hundreds of millions of dollars in state resources for Chicago Public Schools.

Her leadership greatly expanded the union’s political vision, building political organizations like United Working Families and raising millions to elect progressive community leaders from Chicago to city, county, and state governments and the U.S. Congress, culminating with the election of CTU organizer and middle school teacher Brandon Johnson as Mayor of Chicago in 2023.

As CTU Vice President, Davis Gates helped lead a successful 15-day strike in the fall of 2019 that won key advances and laid the groundwork for the transformative contract that CTU members just approved with nearly 100% support that lowers class sizes, raises educator wages, initiates processes for green schools, creates LGBTQIA+ Safe Schools, sanctuary schools, and enshrines the right to teach Black history, among other advances.

Davis Gates’ focus on community labor coalition and CTU’s outspokenness about racism, privatization, democracy, women’s rights and other causes under her leadership have gained a national audience and made her a regular target of right-wing media, conservative activists and corporate lobbyists.

In addition to her leadership at CTU, President Davis Gates also serves as the Executive Vice President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Vice President of the American Federation of Teachers, Party Chair of United Working Families, and board member of the Action Center on Race & the Economy (ACRE). She lives on the South Side of Chicago with her husband and three children.