STAFF

Rev. E. West McNeill, Executive Director
They/Them
Tel: (518) 217-5644
emcneill@labor-religion.org

West (they/them) is the Executive Director of Labor-Religion Coalition. They are ordained in the United Church of Christ and have over a decade of experience organizing with community, faith, and labor organizations. They are a graduate of the Union Leadership Institute of the NYS AFL-CIO and Cornell and hold an M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where they were a Fellow with the Kairos Center for Rights, Religions and Social Justice. Prior to joining LRC, West served as a parish minister in Tacoma, WA. They have a B.A. in journalism from Ithaca College.

Joe Celestin, Digital Communications Organizer

Joe is currently a second-year Master of Social Work Candidate at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, with a focus on Community Organizing and Social Policy. Before beginning his MSW, Joe worked at the Immigrant Defense Project, advocating for the rights of immigrants caught at the intersection of the racist immigration and criminal-legal systems; at IDP, Joe held roles in Development and Digital Strategy, and has honed many skills in community organizing, campaign strategy, and policy analysis over the course of his career.

Most recently, Joe has held graduate-level internships at Common Justice, working on their Fair Access to Victim Compensation Campaign, and Brooklyn Defender Services, as a part of their Policy, Advocacy, and Reform Team. The criminalization of people and communities of color has been a throughline in Joe's work, which he hopes to continue in a policy-oriented role after the completion of his degree.