Jeff was appointed Executive Director by the Council 15 Executive Board in 2009. He assumed the role upon retirement from the Milford Police Department after 20 years of service. He served in multiple leadership roles with the Milford Police Union, Local 899 such as Steward, Treasurer, Vice President and President. Jeff served as Vice President on the AFSCME Council 15 Executive Board for many years prior to his appointment as Executive Director. He is the 4th Vice President of the Connecticut AFL-CIO. Jeff is a member of the AFSCME National Law Enforcement Advisory Committee. He resides in Milford with his wife Wendy and two sons, Dylan and Tanner.
Bar Admission
State of Connecticut
U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court (pending oath)
Education
Fairfield University (B.A. cum laude, 1990- Economics & English)
University of Connecticut School of Law (J.D. 1993)
Eric Brown is a Waterbury native who began practicing law at Secor, Cassidy & McPartland, P.C. in Waterbury in 1993. While there, he specialized in litigation in all courts focusing on workers’ compensation and personal injury. In 1997, he came on staff at AFSCME Council 15 and has successfully litigated in state and federal courts as well as at the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration and the State Board of Labor Relations on behalf of his clients.
Chief among his successes was the case of South Windsor v. South Windsor Police Union, 225 Conn. 800 (2001), in which the Connecticut supreme Court reversed in Appellate Court decision and reinstated a terminated police officer to his position. He has defended the Bristol Police Union in federal district court resulting in a dismissal of a charge of failure to represent brought against the union president and the union.
He also successfully represented a corrections officer against the State of Connecticut on an allegation of harassment and defamation resulting in a jury verdict of $150,000 in favor of the plaintiff corrections officer.
Eric continues to try cases before all tribunals in the State of Connecticut including the Workers’ Compensation Commission and the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.
He is a former chairman of the Watertown Connecticut Board of Education, a past president of the Central Connecticut Baseball Umpires’ Association, and a legal columnist for the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper.
Eric has been married to his wife Adrienne for 11 years and has three children
| Staff Attorney |
| Daniel A. Esposito |
Daniel A. Esposito is a life-long Connecticut resident, presently residing in the New Haven area. A cum laude graduate of the University of New Haven with a bachelor’s degree in Law Enforcement science, Dan went on to attend the Quinnipiac University School of Law, where he was named a Dean’s Scholar Scholarship award recipient.
Prior to coming to Council 15, Dan founded and operated a private law practice focused on criminal law, during which time he successfully litigated hundreds of cases throughout Connecticut. He has also been recognized as a Special Public Defender.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Dan was a member of the Milford Police Department for eight years, where he spent time in the patrol division, much of it as a field training officer. While with the Milford Police Department, Dan was the recipient of the Daniel S. Wasson Memorial Scholarship Award, the Daniel S. Wasson Award for Academic Excellence, as well as the Samuel L. Luciano Award.
A member of the Connecticut Bar Association and New Haven County Bar Association, Dan continues to participate in a variety of legal out-reach programs directed at assisting those in need of legal counsel.
| Staff Attorney |
| Harry B. Elliott Jr. |
Degrees
May 1975 B.A. Boston University
May 1985 J.D. Tulane University
Admitted to Practice before Courts as follows:
December 1985: Superior Court (Connecticut)
November 1986: United States District Court (Connecticut)
May 2000: Second Circuit Court of Appeals
June 2001: United States Supreme Court
| Staff Attorney |
| Richard Gudis |
Richard Gudis was raised in South Eastern Connecticut where he currently resides with his family. Prior to coming to Council 15 he was in private practice concentrating in Workers Compensation. He has a strong labor background going back to his days as a union steward while working for the State Protective Services. Richard was a police officer for 9 years, 4 with the state of Connecticut DCF and 5 years as a part time officer for Groton Long Point. In addition to his labor and police experience Richard also serves as a JAG for the U.S Army Reserve as a CPT. He has done numerous deployments including a tour in Iraq as a Special Prosecutor responsible for prosecuting insurgents in the Iraqi courts.
In addition to his work for Council 15, Richard is on three non profit boards, one involves youth sports, another is dedicated to providing scholarships to underprivileged students seeking a technical education and he is also chief counsel to a Veterans organization.
| Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs |
| Thomas Carozza |
Tom has represented Council 15 as Director of Legislative Affairs since 2002. He currently works under the direction of Executive Director Jeffrey Matchett, Board President Anthony Zona, and the Council 15 Board of Directors. Tom’s duties and responsibilities include monitoring legislation at the Connecticut General Assembly dealing with issues of importance to labor in general and more specifically with law enforcement and public safety. Duties require being present at the Legislative Office Building and State Capital when the General Assembly is in Session from January until June, monitoring proposed and pending legislation, setting up appointments and meeting with elected officials and staff, attending committee meetings and public hearings, attending sessions of the State House and Senate, assisting in promoting legislation raised by our membership, and actively working to discourage legislation detrimental to labor and public safety employees. Tom is a member of the Council 15 Political Affairs Committee and advises leadership on the Rules and Regulations of the Office of the Secretary of the State pertaining to ethics and campaign finance issues.
Tom joined the Waterbury Police Department in 1968 and rose through the ranks, retiring at the rank of Captain in 2000. In 1984 he was elected to the Executive Board of the Waterbury Police Union Local 1237 AFSCME Council 15. From that time he served in the elected positions of Treasurer, Vice-President, and from 1992-2000 as President of Local 1237. He participated in the negotiations of five collective bargaining agreements from 1984 through 2000 and represented the membership before the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration and State Labor Board on grievances and Municipal Prohibited Practice complaints. Prior to membership in AFSCME he was a member of the American Federation of Musicians and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Tom represented the Hartford Police Union and the Stamford Police Association during the 2003 and 2004 sessions of the Connecticut General Assembly.
A lifelong resident of Waterbury, Tom attended class at the Waterbury Branch University of Connecticut, graduated Class of 1962 Wilby High School, and Class of 1958 Driggs Grammar School. Tom and his wife, the former Deborah Howe, have one son, Tom Jr.
Tom is Secretary of the Connecticut Retired Police Officers Association AFSCME Chapter 15, member of the Waterbury Police and Fire Fighters Retirees Association, member of the Police Association of Connecticut, board member of the Connecticut Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation, associate member of the Western Area Regional Chiefs of Police Association, sustaining member of the New England Chiefs of Police Association, member of the Officers Club of Connecticut, member of the Waterbury Democrat Town Committee, member of the Waterbury Lodge of Elks, BPOE Lodge 265, past president of the Western Hills Golf and Social Club, member of the Watertown Golf Club, and is a communicant of the Blessed Sacrament Church in Waterbury.
| Administrative Assistant |
| Stephanie Wise |
Stephanie was born and raised in Elmira, New York. Stephanie moved to Connecticut when she was 14. Stephanie graduated Thomaston High School and attended Briarwood College in Southington and received my Paralegal Degree. Stephanie worked in various law firms in Connecticut working in Civil Litigation, Real Estate, and Personnel Injury. Stephanie joined Council #15 in March of 2004 as an Administrative Assistant.
Stephanie is an Equestrian and competes in Horse Shows around Connecticut .
| Administrative Assistant |
| Marcie Karlins |
Marcie Karlins is a Monroe Native, and began her career in Law Enforcement at age 17, as a volunteer in the New Haven Police Substation in Newhallville. Subsequently she volunteered in the Juvenile Services Division and then became a New Haven Police Dispatcher working side by side with police officers to ensure public safety. Marcie joined Council #15 in 2005 as an Administrative Assistant, working along side the attorney’s, Executive Director, and Council President.
She has also volunteered for the Special Olympics as well as the D.A.R.E. Program and is currently attending Southern Connecticut State University.
|
Director of Finance and Human Resources
|
| Diane Trifone |
Diane joined Council 15 in February 2010. Prior to Council 15, Diane spent 14 years in the Financial Services Industry assisting clients in all aspects of financial planning. Prior to that, Diane spent 13 years at Connecticut National Bank where she held various positions including banking officer, mortgage originator and branch manager. Diane also spent time as an officer manager for a small business in Cheshire and as a tax preparer for H&R Block. Diane resides in Cheshire with her husband, Steve and her children, Chris, Nick, Greg and Julie.
After graduating from Notre Dame High School, Troy attended Arizona State University, where he majored in Aeronautical Technology and Political Science. Troy received his B.S., in Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement, from the University Of New Haven. He is currently pursuing his Masters in Labor Relations at the University of New Haven.
Troy has been an Organizer for Council 15 since 2008. He served over 20 years as a Police Officer in the Town of East Haven. In 2005 he proudly participated in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Troy retired in 2007 at the rank of Detective. He served as the East Haven Police Union’s Vice-President for 2 years and President for 14 years. Troy has also been a member of the Board of Directors for the East Haven Municipal Employees Credit Union for the past 14 years.
Troy’s Military Experience includes 10 years of service in the United States Army Reserve. After being assigned to the 826th Military Intelligence Battalion from 1984 to 1985, as an Imagery Interpreter / Censorship Officer, Troy transferred to the 344th Military Police Company, where he remained until 1994. Troy was activated for Desert Shield/Desert Storm and he served in the Kuwait Theater of Operations from 1990-1991. Troy was Honorably discharged in 1994, at the rank of Staff Sergeant.
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