| Nina currently serves as the Interim Executive Director of AFTPA. Nina retired as the President of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT400) and the Executive Vice President of AFTPA in December 2023. She also served as a Vice President of the Allegheny County Labor Council and of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO. Other union roles included serving on the AFT K-12 Program & Policy Council, on the PSU Labor Advisory Board and as an ASPEN Fellow representing AFT. Nina’s professional honors include being named one of the Labor Power 100 for several years during her tenure in Pittsburgh, being named Labor Woman of the Year by the Allegheny County Labor Council, and the Democratic Woman of the Year by the Democratic Committee. Nina was named a Women of Distinction by Delta Kappa Gamma and is very proud to have been awarded the Albert Fondy Legacy Award at the 2025 AFTPA Biennial Convention by former President Arthur Steinberg. | Jeffrey J. Coyne (Jeff) serves as the Director of Government and Political Affairs at AFT Pennsylvania.With over 30 years of experience in government and political campaigns, Jeff brings a deep understanding of public policy, legislative strategy, and advocacy. Before joining AFT Pennsylvania, he served as Chief of Staff for the Indiana Democratic House Caucus in the Indiana House of Representatives. A native of Pennsylvania, Jeff has worked on five statewide campaigns across three states. Notably, in 2006, he managed the re-election campaign of Catherine Baker Knoll, Pennsylvania’s first elected female lieutenant governor. Based in Harrisburg, Jeff leads AFT Pennsylvania’s efforts to engage with the executive and legislative branches, regulatory agencies, labor and community allies, and the union’s 60+ local affiliates. His work is focused on advancing the interests of students, educators, and working families throughout the state. Jeff previously held the position of Director of Federal Relations and Grants Management at the Indiana Department of Education. There, he served as the agency’s primary liaison to federal agencies and members of Congress. He managed a team of 13 and oversaw more than $300 million in federally funded programs for local school districts and public charter schools. He also led the department’s work on Indiana’s ESEA flexibility waiver and has experience as a political consultant. Originally from Delaware County, Jeff maintains close family ties in both Southeastern and Southwestern Pennsylvania. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Mount Saint Mary’s University in Maryland. |
| Syed Adnan serves as Director of Organizing and Outreach for AFTPA, drawing on generations of family activism to advance labor and democratic rights. A first‑generation immigrant raised in Southwest Florida, he is a fourth‑generation union and political organizer who has spearheaded campaigns across Florida, Georgia, the Texan and Mexican sides of the Rio Grande Valley, and Pennsylvania—while also supporting workers in Canada and Mexico—advocating in English, Spanish, French, and Bengali. Syed launched his formal organizing career with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 77, directing construction‑industry drives that shielded immigrant workers from exploitative practices, before moving on to represent educators, healthcare professionals, and public‑service employees nationwide at AFTPA. His passion is rooted in family history: his grandfather, a leader in the East Pakistan/Bangladesh Public Works Department Workers' Union (Gônopurtô Bibhag Shramik Union) helped lead the Bengali labor actions that toppled Pakistan’s Ayub Khan dictatorship in 1968, played a key role in the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, and contributed to ending the genocide that killed an estimated 3 million Bengalis during the Bangladesh Liberation War. His mother, Ms. Irene, has spent nearly 25 years as a teacher, paraeducator, and cafeteria worker in Lee County, Florida—remaining an active union member throughout. She was also one of the first women in her family to graduate middle school, eventually graduating from university. Her story inspired Syed to fight for education access and worker justice. Following in the footsteps of his mother and grandfather, Syed combines deep personal commitment with multi‑regional experience to strengthen worker power across North America. | Cindy Carr serves as the Director of Communications for AFT Pennsylvania. With more than 12 years of experience in strategic and advocacy communications, Cindy has a proven track record of leading communications campaigns at the state, regional, national, and international levels. She started her career with the Sierra Club in Washington, DC where she led the organization’s work advocating for judicial nominations and international climate commitments before moving into the Senior Press Secretary position supporting the Club’s state-level work in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. Cindy was elected as secretary of the Sierra Club's staff union, the Progressive Workers Union (PWU), for three years and is currently a member of the Young Friends of PAWS (Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society) advisory board.. Cindy grew up outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. Cindy has lived in the Philadelphia area since 2021. |
