Starting April 5, the Chicago AFTRA office will have new leadership. Eric Chaudron will be replacing Eileen Willenborg, who will retire after 15 years.

Chaudron, was scheduled to start in December, but postponed it due to family obligations. He comes to AFTRA with a solid background as a labor lawyer. He has worked for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and was mentored by legendary labor leader Miguel Contreras.

Chaudron also has worked with unions whose members, like actors and musicians, work a variety of jobs. He represented construction trades people and was an organizer and negotiator for the Film Editor’s Guild in Los Angeles.

“That’s the job that really recommended him to us,” said Willenborg, noting that organizing freelancers is particularly hard.

For the past nine years, Chaudron has been a litigator in Sacramento, where his wife works. The family will be joining Chaudron at the end of the school year.

Willenborg, meanwhile, will work on transitioning till the first week of May, then she’ll work two days a week for a year, doing “whatever my new boss tells me to do.”