December 2006: The success of Chapter 293 has always depended greatly upon the talent and commitment of its members and leaders. In this issue, we briefly spotlight the valued contributions of Chapter 293 Steward Sue Hannan.

Originally from New Jersey before moving to California in 1972, Sue has served as an Enforcement staff attorney in the Pacific Regional Office since March of 2000. She is also a member of the SEC Women’s Committee. She has a B.A. in psychology from Rutgers University, an M.Ed. from Rutgers Graduate School of Education, and a J.D. from Loyola. After working for many years as an attorney specializing in insurance defense litigation, she was drawn to a career at the SEC as a result of her strong interest in investing and her desire to help advance the agency’s mission of protecting investors.

Sue has greatly enjoyed her work for the Enforcement Division, which she has found to be highly rewarding. Just this year, she worked on the successful trial team that won a federal district court trial against Emvest Mortgage Fund, LLC, Emvest, Inc., and Milon Lyle Brock.

Sue became a member of Chapter 293 as soon as SEC employees voted it into existence in the summer of 2000. She found the decision to join NTEU to be an easy one. “To me, it was a no-brainer,” she recently said. “Where I come from, it is not a radical position to join a union. If you are from the East Coast, where unions are not considered radical, you just join them – it’s like joining a sewing circle.” When asked about the benefits of being a member of NTEU, she replied, “I was a teacher before I went to law school, and the teachers had their union, which negotiated for better pay and benefits.” She went on to explain, “I didn’t join NTEU because I was dissatisfied with my job at the SEC. I joined because I thought that it would be beneficial to the SEC and its employees. I have enjoyed working for the SEC from the day I started. I wanted to help bring the SEC up to par with the private sector and other federal agencies in terms of pay and benefits.”

Sue has served as a Steward at the PRO from Chapter 293’s inception. In that capacity, she has represented a number of employees in various difficult situations, including disciplinary actions. She is a strong advocate for utilizing mediation to resolve disputes and to repair damaged communications, and she has been able to bring that philosophy to her work on behalf of the union in a way that has been mutually beneficial to both managers and employees. “In our office, the branches are small, so we don’t have the option of moving our problems around. We don’t have that kind of room to maneuver. So it is all the more important that employees and managers sit down and try to work out issues rather than hide from them. Mediation is a great way to accomplish that. I see the union as providing an opportunity to create a win-win situation for employees and managers in difficult situations.”

In her personal life, Sue takes full advantage of the excellent work/life balance that her career at the SEC permits. She enjoys a broad range of outdoor activities in California, including hiking, skiing and golf. She is also an avid reader and she loves movies.

Thanks Sue, for your valuable contributions to NTEU and the SEC.