STEMMM
SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING MATH & MONEY MANAGEMENT
ABOUT
Ronald Patton
STEMMM, Executive Director
Teamsters National Black Caucus,
National Media Director
FINANCIAL LITERACY
Ronald Patton, a native of Compton, California, holds a Master's Degree in Business and is dedicated to educating underserved youth and adults on financial literacy and life skills, emphasizing the importance of time and money management. His journey with the Teamsters began when he produced several campaign videos for a Southern California local. Impressed by his work, Eric Tate, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 848, appointed Ronald as the Media Director. In this role, he oversees media operations and produces a variety of videos under the TEAM 848 brand name.
In February 2023, Richard Teems, President of the Southern California Chapter of the Teamsters National Black Caucus (TNBC), appointed Ronald as Chairman of the Student Career Day Committee. Embracing this role, Ronald launched the STEMMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math & Money Management) program and collaborated with educators, dignitaries, and employers. The initiative aims to equip young people and adults with valuable information and resources on critical issues, helping them build financial literacy and career preparedness.
James (Curb) Curbeam, National Chairman of the TNBC, was impressed by Ronald's work and appointed him as the organization's National Media Director. In this role, Ronald is dedicated to expanding TNBC’s social media presence while connecting with local chapters to support their online initiatives. His commitment to strengthening TNBC’s influence aims to establish it as a nationally recognized force, driving membership growth at both local and national levels.
Eric Tate's motto is: Honesty, integrity, education, and hard work leads to success and his bio depicts that he lives by his motto. His career as a Teamster began in 1992 when he was hired by Laidlaw Transit as a bus driver. After a year as a driver, he gained the trust of his co-workers, and they elected him Shop Steward. After two more years of driving his daily bus route and volunteering as Shop Steward, Eric was named Shop Steward of the Year for Teamsters Local 848.
Eric became a Business Representative and Political Coordinator for Teamster Local 848 in the year 2000. As Business Representative, Eric Tate has increased the wages for Union’s bus drivers from the $8 per hour he earned as a bus driver to today's top contract rate of more than $35 per hour and increased the number of bus drivers within Local 848 from 350 drivers to more than 2000 today. The contracts he has negotiated with the bus companies have not only increased income, but now pays 100% of the drivers' medical premiums for them and their families and as much as $5 per hour towards the Teamsters Pension Plan.
As a Political Coordinator he spearheaded Senate Bill 158 with the help of the Teamster’s state lobbyist, which protects privatized bus driver’s jobs when new bus company’s take over the service within any city in the state of California. Today that bill is known as Labor Code 1070 – 1074. All this was accomplished while Eric was attending night school. He graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree and is a member of The International Honor Society in Business Management and Administration (Sigma Beta Delta).
In October 2009 Eric Tate became Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 848. He is the first African American in the Western half of the United States to achieve this goal. The members of Teamsters Local 848 have shown their confidence in Eric by electing him and re-electing him to office five times, three times via white ballot. In 2023, Eric Tate became the Secretary-Treasurer on the Joint Council 42 Executive Board. Eric has been married for more than 30 years and has two adult children. His daughter, who is a member of Teamsters Local 848 working at Sealogix, and his son, who is a special needs adult that has overcome life threatening health, mental and physical challenges.
Eric Tate
Secretary-Treasurer, Local 848
Secretary-Treasurer, Joint Council 42
Teamsters National Black Caucus,
Vice Chair
LABOR MANAGEMENT
Lawrence Atkinson
Project Manager,
County of Los Angeles
Internal Services Department
(Retired)
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Lawrence Atkinson has dedicated his life to serving others. Lawrence worked as an Administrative Specialist in the United States Army and received an Honorable Discharge upon completing his duties. After military life, he began working for the City of Long Beach as a Teacher's Assistant in Long Beach CA. Later, Lawrence would become an Outreach Counselor at Compton College in Compton, CA.
In 1998, Lawrence began his career with the County of Los Angeles where he worked on a variety of assignments (public and private) which included city, county and state projects. These projects included airports, prisons, schools and a myriad of government buildings.
Lawrence retired as a Project Manager for the County of Los Angeles' Internal Services Department which is responsible for all of the county's building projects including construction, tunneling and various other major projects.
Mike Fields is an Account Executive for Brokers First Funding. As a mortgage professional with more than 24 years of experience, Mike has worked in loan origination, loan processing, underwriting and account management.
Mike has worked with some of the largest lenders in the nation which has prepared him to deliver exceptional support for mortgage brokers who desire help with government-backed mortgages, conventional loans and non QM (non traditional) loans. Community involvement and a commitment to personal development are attributes that Mike embodies
Mike Fields
Accounts Executive, Brokers First Funding
MONEY MANAGEMENT