President and Staff
DPE President
Jennifer dorning
Jennifer Dorning was first elected to serve as president of DPE beginning September 1, 2018. She was re-elected to a four-year term in June 2021. Jennifer joined DPE in August 2010 previously serving as Assistant to the President and Research Director. Jennifer is the first woman to serve as an AFL-CIO trade department president.
At DPE, Jennifer’s leadership has focused on strengthening the DPE coalition and helping it grow. Under Jennifer’s leadership, there has been an increased focus on organizing professionals, leading DPE to partner with affiliates to develop campaigns to generate organizing leads, surveying the attitudes of nonunion professionals toward unions, and creating resources to engage and organize professionals.
Prior to joining DPE, Jennifer served in a number of advocacy-related positions, including as a criminal defense attorney, legislative assistant in the Oregon state legislature, and working on political campaigns for progressive candidates and causes.
Jennifer graduated cum laude from Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington and earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.
Jennifer is a member of the AFL-CIO General Board and serves on the Labor Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and Trade Policy.
Assistant to the President and Legislative Director
Michael Wasser
Michael Wasser joined DPE in August 2016. At DPE, Michael is responsible for conducting outreach to labor and non-labor organizations, representing DPE before Congress on issues important to professional and technical workers, and working with affiliate unions to identify and advance issues important to professional and technical workers.
Prior to joining DPE, Michael worked for six years at Jobs With Justice (and, previous to its merger, American Rights at Work), serving most recently as senior policy analyst. Michael produced original research and led the organization’s federal policy strategy, monitoring developments related to the workplace and serving as the primary liaison to congressional offices and federal agencies.
Michael has been quoted in or written for a number of media outlets, including The Washington Post, The Hill, Huffington Post, and NPR. He also has been published in the Nevada Law Journal.
Michael is a graduate of the Schreyer Honors College at the Pennsylvania State University, with a bachelor’s degree in labor studies and employment relations and a master’s degree in human resources and employment relations. Michael is an adjunct professor of labor and employment relations at Penn State and is a member of the Labor and Employment Relations Association.
Communications Director
katie barrows
Katie Barrows joined DPE in November 2016. At DPE, Katie is responsible for managing DPE’s communications, including drafting and publishing press releases, coordinating and responding to media inquiries, and administering DPE’s social media accounts.
Prior to joining DPE, Katie served as communications coordinator for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), where she worked with journalists on stories related to student and faculty rights violations on college campuses.
Katie has also worked as a congressional outreach and research assistant for LegiStorm and as a field organizer for Jay Inslee’s 2012 campaign for governor in Washington state.
Katie graduated cum laude from the University of Washington with a degree in political science in 2012.
Research and Organizing Manager
Alana Staiti
Alana Staiti joined DPE in April 2022. At DPE, Alana is responsible for working with union affiliates on strategic research and organizing initiatives, developing resources for member engagement, and conducting research on issues that impact professional workers.
Prior to joining DPE, Alana was a museum curator at the Smithsonian Institution, where she researched and wrote about digital culture and the history of technology. She has published articles and given presentations about 3-D digital actors, the video game industry, and early computer animation in the U.S.
From 2015 to 2017, Alana organized fellow graduate workers across Cornell University's campus on behalf of Cornell Graduate Students United. Alana earned her PhD from Cornell in 2018, and she holds a masters in history and museum studies from the University of Delaware and bachelors in textiles and apparel design from Cornell University.