SAG-AFTRA’s National Board has appointed its current COO and general counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland to the role of national executive director and chief negotiator.
Crabtree-Ireland is stepping into the position after it was vacated by David White, who announced in May that he was leaving the job to pursue new opportunities. Crabtree-Ireland will start in the job June 21 and has a three-year contract.
“I couldn’t be more pleased that our board has selected Duncan Crabtree-Ireland as national executive director,” SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris said in a statement. “Duncan is a natural choice, an experienced leader and well respected by members and staff. I am confident that under his leadership, the union will continue building on the achievements and stability he has overseen working alongside David White over the past dozen years. I congratulate Duncan and look forward to working with him in his new capacity.”
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Working as the union’s general counsel since 2006 and COO since 2014, Crabtree-Ireland was involved in the merger between SAG and AFTRA in 2012 and served as coordinator on the organization’s COVID safety and return-to-work strategies. He has served as the lead negotiator on multi-employer music contracts and the Telemundo network contract for Spanish-language productions. In past negotiations, he helped land the first augmentation of streaming payments to include worldwide usage and the first health and retirement plan contributions from streaming payments.
During his time at the union, Crabtree-Ireland has overseen a wide array of departments, including legal, equity and inclusion, governance, government affairs and public policy, professional representatives, administration and IT. He has previously worked as a prosecutor for the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office and has long taught as an adjunct professor at the USC Gould School of Law.
Crabtree-Ireland said in his own statement, “It is an honor to accept this position and I look forward to continuing to work with members, the National Board, local boards, officers and staff in this new role. Together, we will build on the successes that have been achieved in recent years, as well as strategizing and innovating for the future as we navigate the dramatic changes taking place in our industry. I am grateful to the National Board for its vote of confidence and remain in awe of SAG-AFTRA’s remarkable history and service to its members.”
