Two new staff members have joined the 802 staff in recent months.

Summer Smith, an organizer in the Organizing Department, received a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Emory University in 1997. After graduation, she worked in Italy, India, Argentina and the U.S. for diverse organizations, including public health, refugee, and arts groups.

Between these projects, she returned to her home town in Florida, where she was a cellist with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra during the ’98, ’99, and 2000 seasons. Smith moved to New York earlier this year and joined the staff of Local 802 in June, after attending the AFL-CIO’s Organizing Institute.

Tara Donach has been working since May as secretary to President Bill Moriarity and assistant to Public Relations Director Heather Beaudoin. She also administers the Local 802 private teachers’ registry and provides clerical support to other departments on the fifth floor of the 802 building.

Donach worked part-time at the union in the summers of 1998 and ’99, while still in high school. She subsequently earned an associate degree in criminal justice at St. Francis College, and plans to continue her studies toward a B.A.