February 6, 2026 — The PEF Pride Committee is back up and running after former committee chair Sheila Ambrose had to step down for personal reasons. Erika Baker and Jessica Kumar are the co-chairs.
Baker is a Health Program Administrator with the Department of Health (DOH) in Albany. She is also a PEF Convention Delegate and co-chair of the DOH Statewide Labor Management Committee. Kumar is a public health physician and PEF Steward at DOH in Albany.
Baker and Kumar themselves do not identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, but they both have family members who do and say it’s their love for them that motivated them to restart the committee.
“This is a time when people need a safe space to talk and share community,” said Baker. “The PEF Pride Committee can really be a place for everyone to just reach out, get help, talk and share.”
“I have found that in doing this work and getting to know more parents and families who are similarly advocating for their children, there is a sense that we can do the work now to make sure the world is a better place for them as they grow up,” said Kumar.
Baker and Kumar found inspiration in speaking to former chair Ambrose. They said her passion for the committee was infectious and helped motivate them to take on a leadership role.
“It was inspiring to hear her say that she would really like somebody to continue this committee,” said Baker. “Her passion and drive were overwhelming. Plus, I am the type to raise their hand all the time!”
While the PEF Pride Committee has been working for some time to increase its membership, Baker and Kumar said that they saw a groundswell of support during last October’s PEF Convention in Lake Placid.
“We were invited to present to the multicultural committee, which isn’t something either of us thought would happen,” said Kumar. “But they really gave us a really warm reception, and we were able to connect with other committees and leaders like Scarlett Ahmed, Amy Pacholk and Gwendolyn Culpepper. The more we started talking to other members, the more we realized that we and other committees have so much work to do to make sure members feels comfortable in union spaces.”
Kumar and Baker are hopeful that they can be a resource for LGBTQ+ PEF members to find healthcare resources and help with discrimination concerns, but they are also hopeful that members outside of the committee will be able to benefit from their work.
“We really want to change the idea of scarcity,” said Baker. “We want to bring more people in and show them how things like inclusive language and respectful, professional dialogue can be a benefit to everyone.”
One of their major goals for the committee is to make sure it is collaborative. They want the committee to be shaped by members.
“We really want people who get involved to feel like they have ownership so that they can decide what the committee is going to work on,” said Kumar. “Since our meeting at Convention, we’ve been working on having members focus on work in their region, but also share information and resources so that no matter where you are in the state, you can use that information potentially for your region as well and keep the momentum going.”
There are also plans for the committee to branch out and help local LGBTQ+ community organizations. Kumar said it is important for PEF and the committee to have a relationship with local organizations, especially when it comes to sharing information on health.
The committee is planning on several tabling events and seeks to have a presence at the upcoming Fix Tier 6 rally on March 8 in Albany.
The PEF Pride Committee has a Facebook and Instagram page. The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for March 27 at 7pm. Members can email pridepef@gmail.com to be added to the member list and receive a Zoom link for the meeting.
