Oregon AFSCME Leadership

Joe Baessler 
(he/him/his)
Executive Director
[email protected]
Joe Baessler joined the Oregon AFSCME staff in 2006. A native of the Midwest, prior to joining AFSCME Baessler worked on the staffs of Gov. Ted Kulongoski, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, and Multnomah County Commissioner Lisa Naito, among others. He is also a co-founder of the Oregon Bus Project. Baessler graduated from Michigan State University in 1997 and has a law degree from Case Western Reserve in Cleveland. Baessler and his wife, Sarah, have three young children.

Corey Hope Leaffer
(she/her/hers)
Associate Director
[email protected] 
Corey Hope Leaffer has been with Oregon AFSCME since 2015 after almost a decade working for 1199 SEIU MA running campaigns to organize over 5,000 new workers. Prior to that, she was the Program Director of the North Shore Labor Council, AFL-CIO. She also served as the board co-chair of the New England Jewish Labor Committee, on the board of the Women’s Institute for Leadership Development, and as a regular trainer and mentor to young organizers with the Jewish Organizing Initiative Network. A native of Denver, Leaffer lives in Portland with her two young children Rebel & General.

Lamar Wise
(he/him/his)
Political Director
[email protected]
Lamar Wise began his professional advocacy work with the Oregon Student Association as their Legislative Director in 2015 and eventually became the Executive Director in 2017. During his time at OSA he focused on fighting against tuition increases, increasing mental health services on campuses, and leading the organization to register 35,000 students to vote in 2018. Lamar then transitioned to working for Oregon AFSCME as a Political Coordinator in 2019, focusing on fighting for economic justice for all working families. Since then, Lamar has been appointed to various boards, including the ACLU of Oregon, the Community Alliance of Tenants Action Fund, Our Oregon, Safety and Justice PAC board, and The Governor's Racial Council. 

David Kreisman
(he/him/his)
Public Affairs Manager
[email protected]
Prior to joining Oregon AFSCME, David spent six years with AFSCME International where he oversaw strategic communications on internal/external organizing campaigns, legislative/policy fights, and political campaigns. Originally from the Midwest, David managed political and progressive advocacy campaigns in Wisconsin for a decade before joining the labor movement. David graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and lives in NE Portland with his dog Dexter.

Andy Chavira
(he/him/his)
Member Engagement Director
[email protected]
Andy spent eight years on the road organizing workers around the country with AFSCME International prior to joining Oregon AFSCME in 2013 as a Council Representative. A native of Arizona, he enjoys periodically escaping the rain to enjoy the mountains and cacti with his family. 

Dave Cutler
(he/him/his)
Fiscal Director
[email protected]
Dave Cutler has managed financial operations, along with IT, HR, facilities and fundraising, for labor unions and social justice nonprofits for over 30 years. Before coming to AFSCME in 2020, he spent 10 years at SEIU and also worked in antipoverty advocacy, progressive philanthropy, and environmental justice, including a term as Executive Director at the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance. He has served on the City of Portland Socially Responsible Investments Committee and on the boards of organizations including Basic Rights Oregon and Portland Jobs with Justice. 

Jessica Conn
(she/her/hers)
Human Resources Director
[email protected]
Jessica started her career in human resources during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting Portland-area nonprofits providing resources for the community's houseless population. She created HR systems and processes within those nonprofits, which facilitated greater support for employees at all organizational levels. Jessica came to Oregon AFSCME in 2024 to continue her mission of reframing the meaning of human resources by providing guidance for every question, support for every concern, and feedback for every new idea - for everyone in the organization. Jessica received her PHR in 2021, a certificate from Harvard Business School Online in Organizational Leadership in 2023, and is continuing her journey by pursuing her SHRM certification in 2025.

Jade McCredy
(she/her/hers)
State Program Manager
[email protected]

Damon DiCicco
(he/him/his)
OHSU Program Manager
[email protected]

Ross Grami
(he/him/his)
External Organizing Program Manager
[email protected]

Kim Harman
(she/her/hers)
Internal Organizing Program Manager
[email protected]

Christopher Johnson
(he/him/his)
Multnomah County Program Manager
[email protected]

Eben Pullman
(he/him/his)
Bargaining & Representation Program Manager
[email protected]