AFSCME, Council 15 Staff

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

 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.

 Bar Admissions:

State of Connecticut

United States District Court, District of Connecticut                 

U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit

Education

DePaul University, B.A. in Sociology:  Law in Society, Minor:  Spanish

University of Connecticut School of Law, J.D.

Professional Associations:

American Bar Association

Connecticut Bar Association

Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association

Prior to working at Council 15, Kelly worked as an Associate Attorney for the Pattis Law Firm and John R. Williams & Associates.  Throughout this tenure, Kelly practiced employment, civil rights and criminal law throughout the federal and state court system in Connecticut.  Kelly also appeared in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.  In  addition to court, Kelly has appeared in a variety of fora including the Commission of Human Rights and Opportunities, the Workers Compensation Commission and the Department of Labor.

Kelly is a Milford native who currently lives in Wolcott with her family.

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 . 

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.

John is a retired police sergeant after an 18 year career.  John is a highly decorated officer with 4 Medals of Honor.  He has been a guest speaker for Council 15 and AFSCME at Law Enforcement conventions regarding the Use of Force and the importance of a creditable EAP Program.

John comes with years of Labor Experience in negotiating contracts, grievances and MPP's. He has held the positions of President, Vice President and Steward with his local union and has served on the Council 15 Executive Board, as Vice President.