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U N I O N !
I N H O N O R O F C A T H Y R E P O L A
a Beacon for woMen
Upon Kutak's retirement in November of 2016,
Repola was ready to take the helm as the national
executive director. No woman had ever done
that before.
For years prior, she had started organizing
informal dinners with other IA women to connect,
share stories, and informally support one another
at executive board meetings. What began as a small
group of 12 grew to include 25 to 30…40, then 75 to
80, and still growing today. "I wanted the women to
leave there taking something with them," Repola said.
In 2015, IA President Matt Loeb acknowledged
the importance of women within the IATSE and
created an official women's committee. "It was the
first time the IA had a women's committee, and he
appointed me chairperson," she said. "I'm extremely
proud of that, because it has made a difference in
a bunch of women's lives. ere are a number of
women who've run for office because of it, who
UNION PROUD: Cathy flanked by Mike Miller of IATSE (left) and Tobey Bays of Local 44.
