IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection Names Diversity Director
Sylvester Taylor, an officer with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 and 31-year IBEW electrician, was recently named to lead diversity initiatives for the IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection partnership. He will be the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the labor-management partnership, which represents more than 5,000 IBEW members and more than 150 electrical contractors signatory to the union. IBEW partners with the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) to form the Electrical Connection.
“As leader of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus, Sylvester has been instrumental in helping us broaden diversity within our membership,” said Frank Jacobs, business manager, IBEW Local 1. “He has been an effective voice for minorities within IBEW, from apprentices to veteran journey workers, helping us better reflect the communities we serve.”
Taylor serves as president of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus, which he helped found in 2004. He is currently the recording secretary for IBEW. Outside of the electrical industry, Taylor serves as treasurer on the Hazelwood School Board, chairman of the St. Louis County Fire Safety and Standards Commission and has served on the board of the Black Jack Fire Protection District. From 2012 to 2019, Taylor also served as the representative for 80th District in the Missouri House of Representative.
“Sylvester has been a tremendous asset in our outreach to minority communities,” said Doug Martin, executive vice president, St. Louis Chapter NECA. “His work in a mentoring program with the Missouri Division of Youth Services has opened pathways for young people to careers in the electrical industry.”
About a third of the apprentices now being trained at the IBEW/NECA Electrical Industry Training Center at 2300 Hampton Ave. are minorities.