The National Mediation Board (NMB), established by the 1934 amendments to the Railway Labor Act of 1926, is an independent U.S. federal government agency that facilitates labor-management relations within the nation’s railroad and airline industries. Pursuant to the Railway Labor Act, NMB programs provide dispute resolution processes to effectively meet its statutory objectives: avoiding interruption to commerce or to the operation of any carrier; forbidding any limitation upon freedom of association among employees; providing for the prompt and orderly settlement of all disputes concerning rates of pay, rules, or working conditions; and providing for the prompt and orderly settlement of all disputes growing out of grievances related to the implementation and management of collective bargaining agreements.
The NMB is headed by a three member board nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The members self-designate a Chairman, typically on a yearly basis. Although appointed for three year terms, members may serve until replaced.
Board Members
Loren E. Sweatt
Chair
Loren Sweatt was confirmed as a Member of the National Mediation Board by the United States Senate on March 7, 2024. Ms. Sweatt transitions to the Board from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions where she most recently was a Senior Professional Staff Member. Prior to the Senate position, Ms. Sweatt also served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor for almost four years. For 15 years, Ms. Sweatt was a Senior Policy Advisor at the Committee on Education and the Workforce in the House of Representatives.
Her experience includes all facets of labor policy. Ms. Sweatt holds a Bachelor of Arts from Texas Christian University and a Master of Business Administration from Marymount University.
Linda A. Puchala
Member
Linda Puchala was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2024 as a Member of the National Mediation Board. Ms. Puchala has served consecutively since her first appointment and confirmation to the Board in May 2009.
A former Mediator, Sr. Mediator and NMB Associate Director of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Ms. Puchala joined the Board following a career in elected and appointed positions with the Association of Flight Attendants and the Michigan State Employees Association.
Linda Puchala is a native of Norway, Michigan and a graduate of Cleary University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.
Deirdre Hamilton
Member
Deirdre Hamilton was confirmed by the United States Senate as a Member of the National Mediation Board on December 7, 2021.Prior to becoming a Member, Ms. Hamilton worked as a staff attorney at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), working exclusively with the IBT’s Airline Division. At the IBT she represented most of the crafts or classes within the airline industry- including pilots, flight attendants, technicians, and aircraft cleaners- at both commercial and cargo air carriers. Before that, Ms. Hamilton was a staff attorney at the Association of Flight Attendants. In her career, she has handled a wide range of legal matters including National Mediation Board elections and mediation, collective bargaining support, contract enforcement, and litigation of Railway Labor Act issues. Ms. Hamilton began her career as a legal fellow in the General Counsel’s office at the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.Ms. Hamilton has been an active member of the Railway Labor Act legal community. She has served as a panelist at meetings of the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Committee and the Railway and Airline Labor Law Committee. She has also served as a Senior Editor for the ABA Railway Labor Act Treatise.
Ms. Hamilton is a graduate of Oberlin College and the University of Michigan Law School.
Directors
Maria-Kate Dowling
General Counsel
Maria-Kate Dowling is General Counsel of the National Mediation Board. Ms. Dowling joined the NMB as Associate General Counsel in 2003. Prior to joining the NMB, she served as an Assistant Chief Counsel on the staff of a Member of the National Labor Relations Board.
As General Counsel, she serves as the Chief Legal Officer of the agency and manages the Board’s representation program and a legal program which includes litigation. In this role, Ms. Dowling provides legal advice to the Board Members and agency staff. In addition, she ensures compliance with the Freedom of Information Act, Government in the Sunshine Act, and other statutes.
Ms. Dowling received a B.S. degree in Computer Science and a B.A. degree in English from the University of Maryland, College Park where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earned a J.D. with honors from the George Washington University Law School. Ms. Dowling is a member of the Maryland Bar.
Christopher Beebe
Office of Mediation Services
Mr. Beebe joined the NMB on July 31, 2023. As the Director of Mediation Services, he has overall responsibility for the administration and management of the NMB Mediation programs to assist in the negotiations of collective bargaining agreements, resolution of minor disputes through grievance mediation, and training and utilization of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the airline and railroad industries.
Chris has over 35 years of labor relations experience including contract negotiations and mediation, and in grievance and discipline representation.
A graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Biology, he has long been a proponent of utilizing Interest Based Bargaining (IBB) and ADR in dispute resolution.
Terri D. Brown
Director, Office of Arbitration Services
Terri D. Brown, Director, Arbitration Services, is responsible for all aspects of grievance and interest arbitration in the airline and railroad industries. Ms. Brown has served as the Director of Arbitration Services since March 2020. She joined the NMB in 2002 as a Mediator and was subsequently promoted to Senior Mediator in 2010. Ms. Brown has more than 25 years of experience in labor relations, mediation, arbitration, and dispute resolution. During her tenure as an NMB mediator she successfully mediated many complex cases in both the airline and railroad industries.
Ms. Brown has an MBA from the University of Baltimore, a JD from Howard University and a BA from Chatham University.
Michael Jerger
Chief Financial Officer
Michael Jerger joined the National Mediation Board in June 2019 as the Chief Financial Officer. In this role Mr. Jerger serves as a senior advisor to the Board and staff on financial, budgetary, and resource management decisions. In addition, he directs the financial management of the NMB and provides interpretation and direction on fiscal policy and law.
Prior to joining the NMB, Mr. Jerger was the Chief Operating Officer for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States. In this role, he directed and managed the Offices of the Chief Financial Officer, Grants Administration, Human Resources, and Operations. Prior to joining the IMLS, Mr. Jerger was a Senior Global Business consultant with the IBM Corporation in New York.
Mr. Jerger holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Maryland, College Park.
William Fumey
Chief Information Officer
William Fumey, Chief Information Officer and Director of the Office of Information Services, joined the NMB in January 2019. As Chief Information Officer, Mr. Fumey oversees information technology and its related security and management for the Board.
Mr. Fumey holds a Master of Business Administration from the George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in Information Sciences and Technology and a minor in Telecommunications from the Pennsylvania State University. He is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Certified Information Systems Auditor.