Leadership
President Sean McGarvey
Sean McGarvey started his building trades career with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) in 1981 in Philadelphia. He subsequently worked his way up through various IUPAT leadership positions. In 2005, Sean was elected Secretary-Treasurer of NABTU, and in 2012, he was unanimously elected to NABTU’s office of president. Sean is a respected union construction thought leader among labor, government, corporate, and private sectors. He has dedicated his life to improving the economic security and career opportunities of current and future construction workers and their families, and his fervent commitment has strengthened NABTU’s impact and value to owners, contractors and whole communities.
A graduate and proponent of construction registered apprenticeship, Sean has led the development and expansion of Apprenticeship Readiness Programs to recruit more communities of color, women, veterans, indigenous people and the justice-involved into the building trades. Alongside NABTU’s governing board of presidents, he has established Capital Strategies, an expansive program to advance high-road standards in procurement practices and grow partnerships with top Wall Street and Bay Street investment firms supporting job-creating enterprises in commercial, industrial, and residential construction and public-private infrastructure. Throughout his tenure, Sean’s steady bipartisan approach to policy and politics has navigated the building trades through some of the toughest fights to protect and advance labor, training, and industry standards, lower barriers to entry for new energy infrastructure and promote investment in rebuilding public infrastructure.
Sean serves on several private and public sector boards, including the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI), Ullico, AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, Tradesfutures, CMRAVE/Helmets to Hardhats, CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training, and the National Coordinating Committee for Multi-Employer Plans (NCCMP). Sean chairs the Democratic Treasurers Association Labor Council and co-chairs labor-management committees of the American Petroleum Institute, American Chemistry Council, Southern Company-NABTU LMCC, and the Nuclear Power LMCC.
Sean has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, is a graduate of the Harvard University Trade Union Program, and is a member of the National Academy of Construction. Married to his lovely wife, Shari, Sean has two daughters, two stepdaughters, and five grandchildren named Lucas, Leah, Liam, Finnegan, and Paisleigh.
Secretary-Treasurer Brandon Bishop
Brandon Bishop is the Secretary-Treasurer for North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU). As a 29-year member of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 312, Brandon has worked his way from apprentice to one of the highest offices in unionized construction.
Throughout his career, Brandon has strongly advocated for the opportunities provided by Registered Apprenticeship and led efforts to increase access to training programs for historically marginalized communities, including the expansion of Apprenticeship Readiness Programs. A lifelong champion of equity and inclusion and a proud Birmingham, Alabama native, Brandon has held several leadership positions focused on organizing, recruitment, and financial and business development for unionized construction. His strong connection to working people and open, approachable style have made him a trusted voice among the owner and contractor community and a respected leader representing the interests of all trades in NABTU. Brandon serves on multiple labor-management committees and sits on the Labor Advisory Committee for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Birmingham branch. He also served as a Director on their Board from 2013-2018.
Before serving as NABTU Secretary-Treasurer, Brandon was NABTU’s Southern Regional Manager, where he led market development and labor relations across the southern United States. He has overseen labor agreements representing billions of dollars in construction for thousands of workers including the Tennessee Valley Authority, Southern Company, Walt Disney World, and more. Prior to NABTU, Brandon served as an International Representative for the IUOE’s Southern Region. Before representing the IUOE International, Brandon was a leader at his local union, serving members as Financial Secretary, Vice President, President, Assistant Business Manager and IUOE Local 312 Business Manager.
Brandon has been married to his lovely wife Joanna for 26 years, and they have two beautiful children, Brooks and Brynlee.
