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Leadership
The Officers of Local 764
Martha Smith
PRESIDENT
"Local 764 Members know how to collaborate. We know how to work with and for each other. There is an implicit burden in Union membership. As Union members, we are called upon to prioritize the "we" before the "I."
Martha Smith has been working under Local 764 contracts as a Wardrobe Worker since 1999. She became a member in 2000 and has worked under or at almost all of the Local 764 venues or contracts in some capacity. She became active in Local 764 by serving on bargaining committees and was elected as Union Trustee in 2005. Martha was elected Secretary-Treasurer in 2015, and President in 2026. She serves as a Local 764 Pension and Annuity Trustee and 401k Trustee, and serves on various bargaining committees. Martha holds a certificate in Labor Studies from the City University of New York, and is a member of the New York City Chapter of ASHRAE, and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Funds. She loves wardrobe work and wardrobe workers.
Kimberly Butler-Gilkeson
SECRETARY-TREASURER
"Unions have the power to change and improve workers' lives. They keep workers employed and thriving. That's why corporations work so hard to keep us out."
Kimberly has been a proud member of Local 764 since 1999. She was organized into this amazing union through the Roundabout Theater Company. She began working in live performance and has continued to expand her career path into daytime series Television, primetime series Television and Motion Picture. She was elected as a Local 764 Trustee in 2016, and feels honored to represent this community of workers. She started her service to the Membership by helping to build Local 764's presence on social media.
She currently co-manages the local's social media (Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr). She also helps facilitate the social justice task force heritage month book club selections and meetings. Kimberly is a Local 764 Pension and Annuity Fund Trustee. Along with our Vice President, Vangeli Kaseluris, she has created and currently maintains our Local 764 merchandise store. One of her favorite projects has been working with the Membership to bring their ideas to life, such as with political action postcards, bystander intervention training, and the member census committee.
In 2020, Kimberly was appointed to the IATSE Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee by IATSE President Matthew Loeb, and is currently a co-chair. Through this committee's work, she has been able to center the social justice practices and education that supports our evolving IATSE workforce.
Kimberly Baird
CHAIR OF TRUSTEES
"One of my favorite quotes by Marty Walsh is 'The one thing I've learned in the labor movement is solidarity. We can only overcome the challenges if we stand together.'"
Kimberly's wardrobe career started in college, meeting course requirements for a minor, as part of the run crew on “A Christmas Carol.” She quickly fell in love with the special kind of planned chaos that is part of being in production. Months after graduation, Kimberly made it to New York City landing at the New York Theater Workshop and The Joseph Papp Public Theater. She considers those years her graduate school. So many of the skills, habits, and beliefs that she uses daily in her work were developed during those years.
In 2001, Kimberly finally had the opportunity to move to Broadway where she works to this day. That is the year she proudly joined IATSE Local 764. Over the years, Kimberly has expanded her skills to include TV & Motion Picture production as both a supervisor and working on set. Being elected as a Local 764 Trustee and serving on various committees are accomplishments she is incredibly proud of. She is grateful for the support of this community.
William Hubner
TRUSTEE
“Knowledge is power and thus our Union becomes stronger and more effective the more we all know and learn. Thank you for this opportunity to be of value to our local.”
Bill has been a proud member of Local 764 since 1997. He feels very fortunate to have worked on Broadway, film, and television. He has served on the committees negotiating contracts with Disney, The Broadway League and helped with proposals for both RCM and Lincoln Center negotiations. Bill is committed to using his voice to amplify the voices of those who do not feel heard and is dedicated to creating a Union that is truly inclusive and equitable. As a 764 Trustee his focus is on health & safety in the workplace, and the elevation of membership through education.
Shannon Koger
TRUSTEE
"If you wonder what the Union can do, look to yourself and your fellow members. WE are the Union, and we can accomplish anything as long as we work together.”
Shannon Koger became a member of the IATSE in 1993 and transferred into Local 764 in 1996. She has worked under virtually every contract: Broadway (as a supervisor and dresser), Met Opera, Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, Radio City, The Beacon Theatre, Special Events, Network television at the soaps and news divisions of ABC and CBS, and the Majors Film and Television contract. She has served as shop steward at five Broadway shows and been a member of the Executive Board since 2005, serving as a trustee and as chair of trustees for three years before being elected Secretary/Treasurer from 2011 to 2015. Currently she serves on the Constitution committee and teaches through Local 764 Education committee.
Carmia Marshall-David
TRUSTEE
"I love unions because they are our community in motion. They are a place where your worth doesn't get lost in the shuffle, where your labor has a name, rate, and standard. They remind me that I am not a machine, and that my creativity, my presence, and my sweat all deserve respect."
A member since 2003, Carmia is an accomplished wardrobe dresser with extensive experience in TV and Motion Picture. As a Union Trustee, co-chair of the Social Justice Task Force, and member of the constitution committee, she is dedicated to ensuring to provide resources that create safe spaces in professional environments for marginalized communities. She is also deeply committed to education, continually fostering growth and learning. Carmia is the co-chair and one of the co-founders of a Social Justice Task Force Book Club, blending her love for impactful storytelling, and community building, with professional and personal development.
Patricia White
PRESIDENT EMERITA
"I love seeing the enthusiasm, courage, and hope of the Members of Local 764. Whether they’re organizing their jobs, engaging with the complicated process of being part of contract negotiations, or working on projects to benefit the membership, I love seeing people get involved.”
Patricia White (she/her) grew up in Scituate, Massachusetts (near Boston). She has loved live theater since the day she was born and was raised being taken to the theater often by her parents. Pat moved to New York City soon after graduating from Providence College with a BA in Theatre and worked at first Off Broadway and in costumes shops. She became a member of the IATSE in 1987 and of Local 764 in 1989, working for many years in the Wardrobe Departments of Broadway shows (usually as a star dresser) and on television soap operas and on tour, notably as Wardrobe Supervisor of the Mark Morris Dance Group. The IATSE and the entertainment business have enabled Pat to see the country and much of the world while working with hundreds of incredibly gifted technicians, union reps, and performers.
Pat is the President of the Local, an office she has held since 2003. Prior to that, she served on the Executive Board as a Trustee and as Vice President. In these capacities, Pat has negotiated contracts for Local 764 for over 30 years and has also assisted representatives of other local unions in their negotiations. Representing the Local in collective bargaining is one of the things Pat sees as her greatest contribution to the union, although assisting members with their workplace issues, organizing new workers, chairing all kinds of meetings, and representing Local 764 at conventions and events all run a close second!
In addition to her work with Local 764, Pat is currently an International Trustee and the Department Director of Education and Training for the IATSE International. In this capacity, Pat works closely with the IATSE International President, Executive Board, staff, committees, and local leaders from many locals toward the broad shared goal of creating and sustaining a culture of continuous education throughout the IATSE, and in each of its locals.
Pat is a member of the New York City Central Labor Council Executive Council. She is also a Trustee on the IATSE National Benefit Funds and the IATSE Training Trust Fund, a member of the Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP) Council, the Behind the Scenes Foundation Board and the Behind the Scenes Emotional Wellness and Suicide Prevention Initiative, the AFL-CIO Safety and Health Committee, and is an annual presenter at the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Conference, participating there in panels that prepare students to enter the professional entertainment world. Currently, Pat serves on the Finance Committee of USITT. She is a founding member of the Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds (COBUG). Having the privilege to engage with these organizations gives Pat an enhanced ability to advocate for Local 764 and its workers in many different spheres of influence.
As part of an IATSE partnership with Roundabout Theatres, Pat has been one of the architects of two innovative entertainment career preparation programs for New York City high school students, Hidden Career Path Days, and the Theatrical Workforce Development Program. She has been instrumental in creating various other student outreach programs that assist diverse workers from New York City begin their careers in the Motion Picture and Television Industry.
Pat is married to theatrical lighting and scenic designer (and Local USA 829 member) Rick Martin, and loves being part of the entertainment industry and labor communities.
Joseph Sibley
VICE PRESIDENT
“Unions don’t just improve our paychecks, they help shape the social and political fabric of the communities we operate in, we lift standards for union and nonunion workers alike. When we stand together in solidarity we stand in power.”
Joseph Sibley (he/him) joined Local 764 in 2015 after earning his qualifying days as a dayworker and replacement dresser on Honeymoon in Vegas. Over the past 11 years, he has helped further the work of the collective by engaging as an active member, serving on the Broadway League Negotiation Committee in 2021, and working as a Trustee on the Board of Directors since 2024. He is elated to assume a new role as Vice President.
As a supervisor on Broadway, he has seen first-hand the impact the major gains achieved in the 2021 Broadway League contract ratification had on his fellow union members. Increases in wages, annuity and continued contribution to our healthcare are all things we should celebrate and strive to protect. Even in the face of anti-health, anti-labor administrations, we have stood strong.
The incredible increase in voter turnout in our 2026 Local 764 election is motivation and proof to him that our membership is ready for the moment. In these times of increasing isolation, loneliness, and individualism, it’s more important than ever to engage our community, to create solidarity, and to work together to secure our wellbeing and prosperity.
Leah Okin
BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVE
“I love that Local 764 Members are all in for each other and for wardrobe workers everywhere. They are the heartbeat of their job site and the embodiment of solidarity.”
Leah Okin has served as the Live Event Business Representative at Local 764 since 2013 and has been a member of the IATSE since 2005. Before working for Local 764, Leah was a member of ACT and IATSE Local 28. In her role as Business Representative, Leah is part of a team, along with members, committees, and elected officers, that negotiates and administers Local 764’s live events contracts. Local 764 has over thirty agreements covering a wide variety of employers, including venues that work throughout the year, like the Metropolitan Opera and Broadway, to Special Events that may only last the day. Leah’s favorite part of working at Local 764 is working with the members. Show visits are especially meaningful to Leah as she gets to put faces to new names and reconnect with members she already knows. In 2017, Leah completed the Cornell Union Leadership Institute, a program focused on “preparing labor leaders to effectively and strategically advance the rights of workers”.
Jessica Dermody
TRUSTEE
"I deeply value the familial bonds of kinship that unions are built on. Solidarity with our 764 union family makes our work, which is truly a lifestyle, more meaningful."
Jessica has been a dedicated IATSE member since 1997, serving South Florida Locals 623 and 500 before joining Local 764 in 2003. A New York based wardrobe supervisor, producer, and arts educator, she currently serves as Wardrobe Supervisor of Hamilton and brings over 25 years of award-winning hands-on industry experience to her role as Trustee.
Her behind the scenes career spans theatre, film, television, concerts, fashion, and live events, with many professional credits, including Frozen, The Great Comet of 1812, West Side Story, American Idiot, The Producers, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and The Drew Barrymore Show.
Passionate about arts education and mentorship, Jessica presents workshops and lectures to students and industry professionals worldwide. A strong advocate for union solidarity, she believes our greatest strength lies in supporting one another and creating opportunities for others to grow with a strong sense of community.
Raven Jakubowski
TRUSTEE
“In Local 764, our diversity is our strength, and I’m proud of our local for amplifying the voices of our Union Kin with different backgrounds and experiences.”
Raven has been a proud member of Local 764 since 2009, when she earned her qualifying union days as a stitcher for “Mary Poppins”. Raven went on to work as a puppet wrangler off-Broadway and a stitcher, swing dresser, assistant wardrobe supervisor, and wardrobe supervisor on Broadway. Since 2016, she has worked primarily as a tailor for Television & Motion Picture.
Initially, Raven was just excited to be part of a Union that was going to provide her with health insurance and a decent wage, over the years, Raven found herself becoming more involved in Local 764. She began attending Membership Meetings more frequently, then serving on bargaining committees for the Majors agreement in 2019 and 2022. After representing Local 764 at the United Association for Labor Education Summer School in 2019, she knew she wanted to become more involved. In 2020, Raven was elected as a Local 764 Trustee. As someone who came up through the world of off-off-Broadway shows, regional theaters, and commercial costume shops, she knows firsthand what a difference a good contract can make to quality of life.
Raven is passionate about the labor movement as a means to recapture the power and dignity of the working class in America.
Terry LaVada
TRUSTEE
“I feel it’s important to be involved with this Local and the International because our involvement helps this Union grow and get stronger.”
Terry LaVada has been working under Local 764 contracts since 1983 and was sworn in as a member in 1986. He was elected as a Trustee in 1993, serving as a Board member, Sergeant-at-Arms, and Chair of Trustees. He has worked under most Local 764 contracts, including those with American Ballet Theatre, Broadway League, CBS, Disney, Lincoln Center Theater, Majors, Manhattan Theater Company, Metropolitan Opera, NBC, and Roundabout Theatre Company. Terry is proud to have represented Local 764 at nine IATSE Conventions.
Adina Wells
TRUSTEE
"I am a proud Local 764 member. I believe our strength as a Local is found both in our skills and our solidarity. Our contracts help us hold power to account. This Local is vital to the fabric of both New York City and the broader Labor Movement. "
Adina Wells (she/they) has been working professionally in theatrical wardrobe since 2015. She joined IATSE Local 764 in 2018 while at the Metropolitan Opera before moving into working on Broadway. They have worked on numerous Broadway contracts with the Broadway League, Second Stage, and Lincoln Center as a dayworker, swing, and full-time dresser, including dressing young performers since 2024.
Being a Union Member and putting solidarity into practice via active participation in the local is one of Adina's core identities and beliefs; they helped negotiate various contracts in both 2022 and 2026, including Second Stage and the Broadway League. Adina is honored and excited to now represent Local 764 as a trustee. Unions are such a vital part of our democracy, it is more important than ever to strengthen our local and beyond.
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