July 20, 2009

Gov. Nixon makes appointments to State Board of Mediation

JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Jay Nixon today announced two appointments to the State Board of Mediation. The Governor last week appointed Peggy Cochran, of Rocky Mount, to fill a post representing organized labor, and Emily Martin, of St. Louis, to fill a post representing the employers of labor to the board. The appointments will be subject to Senate confirmation when it re-convenes in January.

Cochran most recently worked as the Executive Director of the Missouri National Education Association from 1991 to 2006 and previously as that organization's Assistant Executive Director from 1988 to 1991. She serves on the Missouri Business and Professional Women's State Board of Directors and on the Missouri Women's Political Caucus Board of Directors.

Martin is the President of Aschinger Electric Company and also serves on its Board of Directors. She sits on the Board of Directors for the National Electrical Contractors Association-St. Louis Chapter and serves as its treasurer and chair of the governmental affairs committee.

The Missouri State Board of Mediation is a public employee agency statutorily charged with the responsibility of determining an appropriate bargaining unit of public employees and the majority representative status. The board consists of two members of organized labor; two members of employers of labor; and one chairman who is neither an employee nor an employer of labor. The Governor has appointed both Cochran and Martin to terms that expire April 1, 2012.