When merger passed on March 30, 2012, Ken Howard became the final president of Screen Actors Guild, after serving since 2009. He took the podium in the Los Angeles headquarters’ James Cagney Boardroom to announce to an eager crowd, “SAG-AFTRA is born.” He was now SAG-AFTRA co-president with Roberta Reardon, the last national president of American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
In the 2013 election, Howard was elected to a two-year term, becoming the first SAG-AFTRA solo president, and he was reelected to a second two-year term in 2015. At the inaugural SAG-AFTRA national convention in 2013, he reminded the delegates, “We must always keep our eye on the prize: We are here to serve, to consider, to advise, to decide and to lead — for the members. Our guiding principle must always be what is right for the members, that which serves the members’ interests.”
During his first solo term, he chaired multiple contract negotiating committees, a new 80-member National Board was created, the current SAG-AFTRA logo was adopted, organizing increased, the Los Angeles headquarters on Wilshire was renamed SAG-AFTRA Plaza and the union opened a New York headquarters on Broadway, combining the staffs of the two legacy unions.
After his 2015 reelection on August 20, he said, “Serving the members of Screen Actors Guild and now SAG-AFTRA has been one of the greatest privileges of my life as an actor. I am honored and grateful to the members for their confidence in our team. From merger to contract gains and beyond, we have together built a strong union that is focused on economic security and opportunity for members. But the fight to protect performers is never over, and I am eager to continue it. I thank the members for their support, and I’m excited to get back to work.”
But Howard’s future was to be just seven months. After he died on March 23, 2016, Executive Vice President Gabrielle Carteris succeeded him and paid heartfelt tribute: “He was a light that never dimmed and was completely devoted to the membership. He led us through tumultuous times and set our union on a steady course of excellence. We will be forever in his debt.”