Parisi & Floyd Scholarship Winners
Two organizing activists from a single Ohio affiliate will share the 2006 Joey Parisi Memorial Scholarship, which honors the legendary AFSCME organizer.
Scholarship recipients JoAnn Johntony and Davida Russell are both members of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE)/AFSCME Local 4. They will pursue undergraduate degrees at the National Labor College (NLC) in Silver Spring, Md.
Johntony has organized campaigns in Ohio and Kentucky as OAPSE's state president. She has walked picket lines, made house calls, helped settle strikes and fought attacks on members' retirement security. She is a member of Local 425.
Russell serves as an OAPSE executive board member and as president of Local 744. She has done organizing work in Michigan and Illinois, and has also been active in Cleveland-area politics.
The Nadra Floyd Memorial Scholarship goes this year to Sam Chavez of Local 624 (New Mexico's Council 18) and Allyson Collis of Local 1549 (New York City's DC 37). Each has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship to attend the NLC.
Chavez serves as vice president, executive board member and chief steward of his local and is also on the executive board of Council 18. He is a lead organizer and a strong advocate for employees' rights.
Collis, a 27-year member of her local, serves on its Constitution and By-Laws and Quality of Work Life committees. She has participated in Council 37's Lobby Days.
Floyd rose from rank-and-file activist and staff member to become executive director of Council 10, representing University of California employees. She then served the International Union and the AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C., before being appointed organizing director for New York's Civil Service Employees Association/AFSCME Local 1000. She died in November 2001.
The deadline for applications for AFSCME's 2006 Jerry Clark Memorial Scholarship is July 1. Eligible applicants for this $10,000 award, given to a single student chosen by lottery, must be sophomores enrolled in full-time, four-year degree programs in accredited colleges or universities; major in political science; have a grade point average of 3.0 or above; and have a parent or legal guardian (or responsible grandparent) who is an AFSCME member. For more information, contact the Department of Education and Leadership Training at (202) 429-1250. Scholarship details are available online at AFSCME.
