"Tom brings a breadth of experience to the table and his leadership skills complement our staff and support our mission," said executive director Mary McColl in a statement. "He will quickly become the go-to guy for our Eastern region."
As the Eastern regional director, Carpenter will oversee the region's operations, collective bargaining and contracts, and he will lead the New York and Orlando staffs. Additionally, he will serve as lead staff for Public Policy. He joins the executive team as an assistant executive director; and, as general counsel for Equity, Carpenter will oversee arbitrations and manage the Union's relationships with external legal counsel for labor relations.
"This is a tremendous opportunity to be part of the Equity staff as the Union approaches its 100th anniversary," said Carpenter in a statement. "I look forward to working on behalf of the membership in all areas of contract administration, public policy and strategic planning. As live performance increasingly intersects with recorded media, I will work closely with Equity's leadership to develop new strategies to protect the intellectual property rights and integrity of our members' performances."
Carpenter joins Equity from his current position as the assistant national executive director and chief labor counsel for SAG-AFTRA. Prior to the merger of SAG and AFTRA, Carpenter served as AFTRA's general counsel and director of legislative affairs. Carpenter received his Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law and his undergraduate degree in Radio, Television and Film from Northwestern University. He serves on the executive committee of the International Federation of Journalists and is treasurer of the International News Safety Institute. He is also a member of the AFL-CIO's Lawyers Coordinating Committee and Lawyers Advisory Panel.
Actors' Equity Association represents more than 49,000 professional stage actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to "advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society." Visit ActorsEquity.org.
