Michelle Bennett is the Chief Governance and Equity & Inclusion Officer for SAG-AFTRA and is responsible for developing and executing the governance and equity and inclusion strategies for the union. She oversees the administration of union governance and serves as a liaison between staff, elected officers and committees. She also provides guidance to senior staff and elected leadership in policy development and decision-making processes to ensure compliance and uniformity of administration of the union’s governing rules. She is committed to addressing and reducing bias in the workplace, implementing action plans to prevent sexual harassment and building frameworks for equity and inclusive excellence. Bennett started her career as an advocate for performers at Screen Actors Guild in 1995 and has worked in various departments, including claims, contracts, outreach, research and governance. She was instrumental in collecting and interpreting data that supported SAG’s 2001 theatrical and television contract negotiations and oversaw the implementation of SAG’s governance plan as well as the new governance structure for SAG-AFTRA. Most recently, as part of a collaborative team, she helped coordinate the execution of the union’s sexual harassment and intimacy coordinator initiatives.Bennett has a Bachelor of Science degree in operations management, with an emphasis in finance, from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and is a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians. She also serves as secretary on the board of the SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union.