Maura Drumm
City and State: Washington, DC.
Current Company and Position: International Brotherhood of Teamsters Media Coordinator & Communications Project Manager.
Family: Parents: Christopher and Maureen; sisters: Bridget, Caitlin, and Erin.
First Job: Camp Counselor at my local recreation center in Northeast Philadelphia.
What it taught me: This job taught me the importance of community. I was 16 working with many of my friends and siblings of my friends while taking care of our neighbors' children for the entire summer for four years. It introduced me to my community members of all different ages and helped me form long-lasting bonds with those in the neighborhood I grew up in.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Gov. Pritzker once said, “The kindest person in the room is often the smartest,” and I couldn’t agree more. Being kind is an invaluable quality in life, but it is often undervalued in the workplace. In my experience, working on teams with many kind people has always led to a more positive work environment, stronger teamwork, and better outcomes - results that were not replicated as smoothly in offices where kindness was not valued. So, my advice is to be that kind person. Be the person who helps set the standard for kindness on your team, and watch the hard work and success follow.
Who is your hero and why? My hero is my great-grandfather, Felix Heaney. My great-grandfather immigrated from County Derry to Philadelphia and worked at Schmidt's Brewery - first taking care of the delivery horses and then as a truck driver, always as a proud Teamster. Through his career as a Teamster, despite having only a grade school education himself, he was able to send three of his five children to college. This focus on education was passed down to me and my sisters, who have seen firsthand the impact that a career in labor can have on a family. I'm not sure if the young man from Maghera, who proudly worked as a rank-and-file member for decades, would have imagined that his great-granddaughter would one day be working in DC at the International, but I hope I have made him proud.
Biography: Maura is a proud third-generation Teamster, with her dad and great-grandfather both having been members before her, and she comes from a family with a long history of union membership.
Maura previously spent time at the Department of Agriculture and the Biden White House. During her time in the Biden Administration, she served in both the Press Office and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). While at CEQ, Maura and her team worked to support President Biden’s goal of ensuring that the federal government’s transition to clean energy and sustainable operations created and supported good-paying union jobs.
Maura received her bachelor’s degree from Catholic University and her master’s degree from American University. She grew up in Northeast Philadelphia with her parents and three sisters.
