ANGEL GOBER, TRANSITION CHAIR
Nineteen years ago, Angel joined the Northside Coalitions for Fair Housing tenants union that fought back against mass eviction in public housing where she lived with her daughter. Since then she has been a fearless community organizer, working on Housing, and Education Justice.
Through her work as a parent organizer, Angel has driven campaigns against School PushOut. She has fought for Community Schools, affordable Early Childhood Education and ending suspensions for our youngest learners. In 2010, as part of a coalition of labor, community, faith-based and environmental organizations, Angel worked to pass the city’s Prevailing Wage for Service Workers and Clean Water laws.
She has been a successful Campaign Manager, winning Mayoral and School Board races locally and nationally, as well as co-authoring policy to stop the school-to-prison-pipeline.
Angel envisions, and strategically works towards, a beautiful, well-resourced world for Black children. She is dedicated to state-wide and national coalitions to make change.
Her background led her to become a political strategist, developing Black leadership in local systems of power. Currently Angel is the Western Pennsylvania Director with One Pennsylvania, a social justice membership organization of impacted Pennsylvanians working to follow the money, confront the power and create the change.
SILAS RUSSELL, TRANSITION CO-CHAIR
As a labor leader, activist, organizer, ally and political professional, Silas has devoted his career to advancing the cause of justice for all people through organized political power. Growing up in a working class family and community in rural western Pennsylvania opened Silas’ eyes at an early age to economic and social disparities that hold entire communities and groups of people back from reaching their full potential. A combination of education, leadership, and activist opportunities while earning his bachelor’s degree in political science and writing at Allegheny College coalesced Silas’ understanding of political and economic power and how it can be leveraged to even the playing field for marginalized people.
Silas adopted Pittsburgh as his home in 2009 while organizing to pass the Affordable Care Act. Since 2010, Silas has been a leader in SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania – the largest union of healthcare workers in PA – where he currently serves as Vice President and Political Director. Alongside the 45,000 healthcare workers that come together through his union, Silas works daily with elected officials at every level to advance progressive administrative and legislative action that impacts workers and public health. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, SEIU Healthcare PA’s advocacy has led to numerous wins for frontline healthcare workers, including historic investments in PA’s direct care workforce and the expected increase in Pennsylvania’s nursing home staffing regulations to a 4.1 care hour standard, which will take PA nursing homes from among the lowest to the best staffed in the country.
Silas was recently listed as one of the 100 most influential labor leaders in Pennsylvania by City and State PA. He lives in Mt. Washington with his wife and most trusted advisor, Emily Farah, dog Zelda, and cat Frances Purrkins. In his spare time, Silas enjoys rock climbing, biking and hiking the trails of Emerald View Park.