UAW President Rory L. Gamble and Region 1A Director Chuck Browning congratulated Laura Dickerson and Cassandra Shortridge for being named Women of Excellence by the Michigan Chronicle.
“We are honored that two of the UAW’s finest have been recognized for their selfless work both within the UAW and in our community,” said Gamble.
Dickerson is the first African American woman in the history of the UAW to be promoted to Assistant Director of a Regional UAW Office. The Region serves approximately 44,000 active members and 114,000 retirees and surviving spouses, covering most of Wayne, Monroe and Washtenaw counties.
As part of Dickerson’s many roles with the UAW, including many Wayne County organizations, she has been a regular volunteer in the Detroit Central United Methodist Church’s Feed the Homeless initiative, as well as the UAW-Ford’s Feed the Homeless project for Labor Day. A breast cancer survivor herself, Laura has been an avid participant in the Susan G. Komen “Race for the Cure” for many years.
“It is my absolute pleasure to congratulate my friend and coworker Laura Dickerson on being selected as a recipient of this year’s Michigan Chronicle Women of Excellence Award,” said Browning. “I have had the privilege of working with Laura for years and she is a true advocate for working men and women and all her sisters and brothers at the UAW. She is always ready to encourage and help younger members and has spent many, many hours serving our communities through good works like our sleeping bag drive. Laura’s many assignments and contributions to the UAW ultimately lead to her current assignment, Assistant Director for Region 1A.”
Browning added that Laura is “invaluable to me and to our region in serving and protecting our members. She is so deserving of this honor.”
Shortridge is a top aide to UAW President Rory L. Gamble. Like Dickerson, Shortridge has a long history of community service. She has coordinated and planned numerous community initiatives including coordinated efforts with warming centers, community organizations and volunteers canvassing the streets to provide sleeping bags to the homeless; coordinated educational opportunities for youth to help them become disciplined, focused, active and engaged and coordinated the many details involved in highlighting the rich history of the automotive industry during the largest event in the world – The Woodward Dream Cruise.
Her community work has included collaboration with community partners (Colleges, Workforce Development Agencies, State of Michigan, Detroit Public Schools, Non-Profit Organizations) to secure funding to expand public access to training programs and develop and implement new training programs.
“I have worked with Cassandra for many years and have seen up close her dedication to the UAW and to her brothers and sisters in labor. She is a great asset to our union and has worked tirelessly in support of our members. I am so proud to congratulate Cassandra on this great honor in recognition of her many contributions to our union and all working men and women,” added Gamble.
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