SAG-AFTRA Welcomes New Executive Directors for Los Angeles, New York and New England

SAG-AFTRA is pleased to announce the appointment of three new local executive directors: Serena Kung in Los Angeles, Rebecca Damon in New York and Jessica Maher in New England. Additionally, Damon will serve as executive director, labor policy and international affairs.  

Kung and Maher had previously served as interim local executive directors. Damon previously served as SAG-AFTRA executive vice president and New York Local president. 

“I am thrilled that the Los Angeles Local Board voted unanimously to approve Serena Kung's appointment to executive director of the Los Angeles Local,” said Los Angeles Local President Jodi Long. “Serena worked as associate executive director for the last five years and as interim executive director for eight months and understands not only the inner workings of our union, but what our members need. She has been invaluable in helping me assume the mantle of your Los Angeles Local president.”

“The New York Local is extraordinarily fortunate to have Rebecca Damon as our local executive director. She has dedicated her life to serving SAG-AFTRA members and brings an unparallelled breadth of knowledge from her years of volunteer service as executive vice president, New York Local president, and as one of the key architects of merger. Her deep relationships with lawmakers and labor leaders across the country are a boon to our members,” said New York Local President Ezra Knight. “I am joined by the entire New York Local Board in giving a resounding unanimous vote of confidence to Rebecca. We are eager to have the benefit of her staff leadership for years to come.”

“We are thrilled with Jessica Maher’s promotion to New England Local executive director,” said New England Local President Andrea Lyman. “Jessica has gone above and beyond for our members at every turn. She helped us through the COVID shutdowns, steering members through much-needed resources, advocated for film tax incentives, and welcomed and guided new members into our union. She’s amazing and a role model to us all. We are lucky and grateful to have her as our executive director.”

“I am thrilled to appoint Serena, Rebecca and Jessica to these new roles,” said National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “Each of them has the unqualified support of their local member leadership, and has proven to be an invaluable advocate for the membership. I know that they will continue their record of distinguished service, and that they will make essential contributions to furthering the interests and cause of all SAG-AFTRA members.”

Serena Kung
Executive Director, Los Angeles Local

Serena Kung is a consummate professional within the entertainment labor union arena who aims to instill positive impact in the communities she serves. As executive director of SAG-AFTRA’s Los Angeles Local, Kung has extensive experience advocating for the Los Angeles Local membership and enjoys being able to creatively develop programs and events that encourage education, awareness and empowerment for performers. She is especially looking forward to collaborating closely with the Los Angeles Local Board and committees to continue the work of serving the local membership.

Growing up with heavy service industry roots, Kung began her early career in hospitality at the Argyle Hotel, now known as Sunset Towers. Her desire to intertwine her service, operations and management background into a nonprofit environment ultimately became the catalyst for her to dive into the labor sector of the entertainment industry. Kung spent 11 years at the Motion Picture Editors Guild overseeing operations, finance, membership and developing programs for the post-production community. She joined the ranks of SAG-AFTRA in March of 2016 and has focused on building effective teams, program development and working closely with board members, committees and staff across the country — all with a goal to serve SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Local members.

Kung particularly enjoys the part of her job that allows her to outreach and participate with organizations as a member of The Actors Fund Western Council; United Way WalkUnited L.A. Steering Committee; FilmLA Communications Committee; the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Entertainment, Arts & Media Committee; and as a delegate for the L.A. County Federation of Labor. 

Rebecca Damon
Executive Director, New York Local and Labor Policy and International Affairs

Rebecca Damon is executive director of the New York Local and labor policy and international affairs for SAG-AFTRA.

Damon is the former executive vice president of SAG-AFTRA, having been first elected to the union’s second-highest office in 2016. She was reelected to a two-year term in 2017 and again in 2019.  

Damon was also appointed to serve as president of the New York Local in 2017, and was reelected to the position in 2019. She was national chair of the Government Review Committee and Innovation and New Technology Committee, and served on the Executive, Finance and Government Affairs and Public Policy committees. Having served on the President’s Task Force on Education, Outreach and Engagement and as chair of the Member Outreach Relations & Education Committee, she is a fierce advocate for education and empowerment of performers nationwide.  

A champion for workers’ rights, Damon’s leadership includes strengthening New York’s right-of-publicity and digital image rights for the benefit of all members. She was thrice recognized as one of the most noteworthy figures on the front lines of the New York labor community this year by City and State Labor Power 100. In 2018, Damon was honored with the New York LaborPress Leadership Award for her outstanding advocacy on behalf of SAG-AFTRA members and her long-standing dedication and support of the labor movement. Additionally, she was a recipient of the Irish Echo Connecting America Award, the SAG-AFTRA George Heller Memorial Award gold card, and the SAG-AFTRA New York Local’s Joseph C. Riley Award. 

During her tenure as Screen Actors Guild New York Division vice president, she was a founding member of both the SAG President’s Forum for One Union and the joint Group for One Union, helping lead the effort to unite SAG and AFTRA. As co-leader of the Operations Workgroup, Damon was a key architect of the merger. 

Outside of SAG-AFTRA, Damon advocates for workers’ rights as a vice president of the New York State AFL-CIO Executive Council and as a member of the New York City Central Labor Council. She is on the board of PowHer N.Y., an inclusive statewide network committed to securing economic equality for all New York women. She is also a vice president of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, an educational, humanitarian and philanthropic nonprofit organization. She is the primary liaison for Foundation programming in New York and oversaw creation of the Robin Williams Center for Entertainment and Media in Times Square.  

Jessica Maher
Executive Director, New England Local

Jessica Maher has been with SAG-AFTRA since 2008 after previously working for AFTRA/SAG Boston in the late 1990s, where she started as an intern and was later hired in the freelance contracts department while studying Music Business at Northeastern University. Over the years she has held various positions in the New England Local, which gives her a unique perspective to see member needs from a variety of angles.  

Jessica’s entire career has been focused on advocating for performers. She is seen as a pillar of the industry in New England, as a consistent source of guidance not just for performers but for local casting directors, agents and producers. Her recent attention has been fpcused on contract enforcement, member education, and set safety to help guide performers through the COVID pandemic and the significant increase of production work in Massachusetts and New England. She played an important role in the elimination of the sunset of the Massachusetts Film & Television Tax Incentive, which passed in the summer of 2021. She is also a part of the national negotiating team for the SAG-AFTRA Public Television Agreement and Descriptive Video Services Agreement. Prior to her return to the union, Jessica was the Unit Manager for the PBS science series NOVA, where she was responsible for talent contracts and growing the narrator talent pool while creating new partnerships with national voiceover talent and major talent agencies.

Jessica currently serves as a board member of the Massachusetts Production Coalition and enjoys volunteering in her community for Meals on Wheels and her family’s yearly holiday toy drive for Boston Children’s Hospital, which will be celebrating its 20th year. Jessica grew up in Iowa and now lives south of Boston with her husband Tom and three sons.