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The Mediators

Christopher Beebe

Director, 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. He has had numerous union leadership positions in the US and served as a National Officer for the Air Line Pilots Association, Intl. and as the General Secretary of pilot unions in the United States, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

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.

 

Mike Tosi

Supervisory Mediator, Office of Mediation Services

Mike Tosi joined the National Mediation Board in March, 2005, as a Mediator. He was appointed Supervisory Mediator in December, 2023. He serves as a mediator in airline and railroad cases, including grievance mediation cases.

Prior to joining the NMB, Mike completed a career as a commercial pilot flying for several major airlines. He retired in March from US Airways. During his more than twenty-nine year career, Mike acquired experience in labor relations from both a management and a union perspective. He served as a Team Manager at People Express Airlines managing more than three hundred fellow employees. And, as chairman of US Airways’ largest ALPA council and as a representative on its Master Executive Council, Mike served on the pilots’ governing body during US Airways’ continuous efforts to restructure itself, and as it emerged from Chapter 11 in 2003. Mike also served as a member of the ALPA National Appeal Board.

Mike is a graduate of Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He retired in 1999 from the Air National Guard as the Vice Wing Commander of the 166th Air Wing in Wilmington, Delaware, thus completing thirty-two years of military service.

 

Gerry McGuckin

Supervisory Mediator, Office of Mediation Services

Gerry McGuckin joined the National Mediation Board as a Mediator in September of 2007. He was appointed Supervisory Mediator in December, 2023. He serves the Board in airline and railroad cases, including Grievance Mediation cases.

Prior to joining the NMB, Gerry completed a career as a commercial airline pilot for a number of major airlines, retiring in October, 2006 from US Airways. During his twenty nine year airline career, he gained extensive labor relations experience, including merger committee co-chairman for the PeoplExpress pilots, elected representative on the ALPA Master Executive Council for both Braniff International Airways and US Airways, and ALPA chief negotiator and negotiator for over twelve years at US Airways which involved crafting labor agreements for over six thousand pilots.

Gerry’s military career with the United States Air Force and Air Force Reserve spanned over twenty seven years. Initially serving as crew chief on the F-86 F aircraft, he retired in 1998, as a Lt. Col., Flight Commander, having flown the C-141 aircraft for twenty three years.

Gerry is a graduate of the City College of New York with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology; he also holds a Master’s degree in Business Management, emphasizing labor relations studies, from Central Michigan University.

 

Kevin Barry

Kevin Barry joined the National Mediation Board in April 2024, he has over 25 years of experience in the airline industry as a union representative. Kevin completed over 40 years as a commercial pilot with 36 of those years working for Eastern Airlines, Trump Shuttle, USAir Shuttle and American Airlines where he retired as an Airbus A330 pilot.

Kevin served the pilots as a union contract negotiator with the Trump Shuttle and USAirways. Kevin also served as a member of the merger committee for the mergers with USAirways, America West, and American Airlines.

Kevin’s military career spanned 15 years with the United States Air Force and the Massachusetts Air National Guard. He was a mission qualified pilot in the F-106, and then in the F-15, and was also qualified in the units C-26. He participated in many deployments and was a NORAD alert pilot having served at Otis ONGB on Cape Cod and Loring AFB in Maine.

Kevin studied at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and has a bachelor’s of science degree from Bridgewater State college.

 

Michael Donatelli

Mike Donatelli joined the National Mediation Board in April of 2024 following 35 years in the airline industry. During his flying career, he served in multiple volunteer and elected positions with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). He retired from Delta in 2022 as a B-767 International Captain.

Mike’s labor relations experience includes a multitude of positions with the Air Line Pilots Association. He served as a pilot representative for the Chicago flight crew base, Delta Master Executive Committee Strike Preparedness Chairman, Delta Master Chairman, and at the national level, as the ALPA Strategic Planning and Strike Committee Chairman assisting over 35 North American Airlines and 70,000 pilots.

Mike is a USAF Lt Colonel (Retired), and flew the A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) for twelve years and the F-16 Falcon for over seven years. His assignments were to RAF Bentwaters, UK, Nellis AFB, NV and the Wisconsin Air National Guard.

Mike Donatelli graduated from the United States Air Force Academy Class of 1979 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering and earned his certificate in mediation from the Northwestern University School of Professional Services.

 

Eva Durham

Eva Durham joined the National Mediation Board as a Mediator in June 2015 with 40 years of airline labor relations experience at regional, legacy and ULLC carriers. She began her career as a flight attendant with Ozark Airlines, where she was elected to the AFA MEC. At Trans World Airlines (TWA), Ms. Durham served as a labor advocate on cross divisional labor teams and later worked with multiple labor groups as manager in the TWA human resource – labor relations organization. Her labor experience in the regional airline industry includes serving as Vice President Inflight at Atlantic Southeast Airlines, and leading the Inflight department at Compass Airline. Ms. Durham gained ULLC experience at Frontier and Spirit Airlines, where she served as Senior Director Inflight. Her tenure in the airline industry includes labor relations, contract negotiations, and leading change during airline bankruptcy, strike, mergers, spin offs, and transitions.

Ms. Durham holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Her MBA was earned at Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia. She has completed mediation training at Harvard Law School and worked as a Georgia civil and domestic relations mediator.

 

Bjarne Henderson

Bjarne Henderson joined the National Mediation Board in July 2024 with over thirty-five years of labor relations experience involving freight and passenger railroads. His background includes representing carriers before all four divisions of the National Railroad Adjustment Board, providing training and labor relations advice at the National Railway Labor Conference, and serving as a highest designated carrier officer for labor relations and human resource issues at Canadian Pacific and Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District.

Henderson has resolved major disputes, minor disputes, and acquisition/merger issues with all of the major operating and non-operating railroad crafts. He is familiar with how size, operational, and financial differences can affect the negotiation dynamics among the various crafts and carriers in the railroad industry. He has found in recent years that Interest Based Bargaining and Facilitated Negotiation are helpful ways to address the massive generational and experiential transition occurring among labor and carrier advocates.

Bjarne is a retired Army Colonel who served as a judge advocate in the First Infantry Division, Second Armored Division, and Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. He has a Bachelor of Science (Transportation) and Juris Doctorate from Indiana University as well as a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College.

 

Michael Kelliher

Mr. Kelliher joined the NMB as a Mediator in August of 2010 with thirty years of labor relations experience in the airline industry as a labor advocate. His labor relations experience includes work in a variety of capacities including a term as President of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.

Prior to joining the NMB, Mr. Kelliher served as an adjunct professor of management in the Brennan School of Business at Dominican University. From 2012 to June 2017, Mr. Kelliher managed the NMB’s partnership with Dominican University, focusing on issues related to Conflict Resolution and Negotiations.

Mr. Kelliher earned his undergraduate degree and MBA from Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. He holds a certificate in mediation from Northwestern University’s School of Continuing Studies and earned an Ombudsman certificate from the United States Department of Defense.

 

Mark Littleton

Mark Littleton joined the NMB as a mediator in October of 2022 after 33 years as a flight attendant.  His flying career began with the original Piedmont Airlines and, after multiple mergers, ended with American Airlines.

Mark has experience as an advocate, having served in numerous capacities at multiple unions.  He served as a Senior Staff Negotiator for the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA for 16 years gaining extensive experience in collective bargaining.  His bargaining experience includes traditional bargaining as well as mergers, bankruptcies, and mediation at regional, national and global airlines.

Prior to joining the Board, Mark served as the Assistant to the National President of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. He also served for a period as the Interim National Vice President, gaining additional experience in alternative dispute resolution, grievance mediation and arbitration.

Mark has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee.

 

James Mackenzie

Jim Mackenzie joined the National Mediation Board as a Mediator in March of 2009. In this capacity, he serves as a mediator in Airline and Railroad cases.

Prior to joining the NMB, Jim completed 31 years as a commercial pilot for a number of major airlines, retiring from Northwest Airlines in 2006 as an Airbus Captain. Following retirement, Jim was a Captain B-777/787 Instructor pilot for Alteon, a Boeing Company and an aviation consultant.

Jim’s labor relations experience included 30 years working in various positions for the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). During his career with the airlines, Jim served as Chairman of the NWA Pilot Retirement and Insurance Committee and was successful in maintaining the pilots defined benefit plan through Congressional legislation. In addition, he gained bankruptcy and workout experience serving as a member of the NWA Unsecured Creditors Committee. His extensive labor relations experience also includes being elected to the Master Executive Council of Braniff International Airlines, Co-Chairman of the PeoplExpress Pilot Merger Committee and serving on various ALPA committees at the local and national level. In addition, he served as President of the Board of Directors of the Air Line Pilots Mutual Aid Association, which provided disability benefits for all ALPA pilots.

Jim’s military career with the United States Navy included 5 years flying the A-4 Skyhawk on active duty in the Western Pacific and 9 years in the Reserves as an adversary pilot.

Jim is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

 

Connor M. Parker

Connor M. Parker is a Mediator at the National Mediation Board. Mr. Parker joined the Board in April 2018. Prior to being selected as a Mediator in August 2022, Mr. Parker served as Confidential Assistant to Chairman Linda Puchala.

Mr. Parker has over 14 years of experience in labor relations and conflict and dispute resolution in the air and rail industries. His prior labor relations experience includes work in various capacities as a carrier advocate at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey PATH Commuter Railroad, and JetBlue Airways. Additionally, Mr. Parker has extensive apprentice experience working for several labor arbitrators.

Mr. Parker holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a Master’s degree in Conflict and Dispute Resolution from the University of Oregon School of Law.

 

Jack Stephan

Jack Stephan joined the National Mediation Board in September 2022 with 22 years experience in the Airline industry as a union representative. Jack completed 34 years as a commercial pilot, retiring from American Airlines as a B-767 International Captain. Prior to joining the NMB, Jack was a practicing mediator and facilitator for the Maryland District and Circuit Courts.

Jack’s labor relations experience includes a multitude of positions with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). During his time with US Airways he served as Chairman of the US Airways Pilots Strike Preparedness Committee, Chairman of the Communications Committee (where he was lead media spokesman for US Airways second bankruptcy), System Board member, member of the Merger Committee, member of ALPA’s Education Committee, Local Council Chairman and Chairman of the US Airways Master Executive Council during the merger with America West Airlines. He was also instrumental in establishing the Family Awareness Program at US Airways as well as helping develop ALPA’s “Pilot to Pilot” program, a grass roots internal organizing program.

Jack’s military service includes major deployments to the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea flying the S3-A Viking and the A7-E Corsair with Carrier Air Group Six. He retired from Active Duty in 1984 as an Advanced Jet Flight Instructor and Landing Signal Officer in the A4 Skyhawk with over 200 Aircraft Carrier Landings. Jack retired from the US Navy Reserve as a Commander in 1995.

Jack is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a BA in American Studies.