President
John Dimas, a design engineer, started his SPEEA involvement as a Council Rep because he wanted to better understand how the union worked and what it meant to be a member.
He discovered that and more. “It was pretty eye opening how both SPEEA and Boeing worked,” Dimas said. “I didn’t expect to learn about Boeing.”
Dimas saw what makes SPEEA so valuable in his opinion. “I learned how important it is to speak up with your employer - how important it is to have different channels of communication with the company.”
He earned a degree in electrical engineering technology from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb and came to Boeing via a job fair interview in 2005. He currently works on the 777 Electrical Corrective Action Team (ECAT).
Dimas credits Everett Council Rep Tami Reichersamer in the factory for his decision to run for Council Rep in 2015. “Without her encouragement, I would have shied away from it.”
Since then, he has joined SPEEA committees, including SPEEA and NW Legislative and Public Affairs, Governing Documents, SPEEA Organizational Planning and NW Labor Delegates, and he’s served on Joint Workforce Committee with SPEEA and Boeing leaders. He’s vice chair of NW L&PA and NW Labor Delegates.
In his spare time, he serves on the board of directors for Quilceda Community Services, a local non-profit, which provides recreational and residential programs for developmentally disabled adults in Snohomish County.
Volunteering and community service are important to Dimas. He has written several successful grants for fundraising, troubleshooted audio-visual equipment, repaired walls and hired staff, all in service of the non-profit. Dimas lives in Marysville with his wife and family.
Treasurer
Dan Nowlin, an equipment tool tech designer, started his Boeing career as a SPEEA Tech in 2008. Prior, he worked as a Boeing contractor as well as a journeyman machinist at Boeing suppliers. He also worked in international trade.
His journey to Northwest regional vice president started with former SPEEA President Jennifer MacKay. At the time, she was Nowlin’s Council Rep in the factory and recruited him to become an Area Rep.
Since then, he’s served in multiple SPEEA roles, including Council Rep, SPEEA-Boeing Partnership Leadership Team and numerous SPEEA committees. He was also elected to the 2016 Tech Negotiation Team. He’s a member of the Joint Workforce Committee. He’s also a member of SPEEA Organizational Planning and chair of the SPEEA Legislative and Public Affairs committee.
“I wanted to run for another term on the Executive Board because I have enough knowledge of how SPEEA works to be valuable in this position,” he said. “The institution has been good to me, and I have the time to give back.”
At first, he hesitated to get involved in SPEEA. “I was afraid I would have a target on my back,” he said about becoming an Area Rep. Instead, he saw how much SPEEA helped at work.
“We bring stability to the workplace with processes in our contract,” said Nowlin. “It gives us a clear way to do business.”
Nowlin and his wife, Bonnie, have six children and grandchildren. He has been a passionate supporter of students involved in robotics competitions and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Secretary
Ryan Rule, a former Council Rep, was elected to the Council in 2008, then to the Executive Board in 2009. He initially served as Northwest regional vice president for two and a half terms. Then, he served as SPEEA president from 2014 to 2018 and 2020 to 2024. He also served as SPEEA secretary from 2018 to 2020.
Rule, an Associate Technical Fellow (ATF) in the network systems group of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), recommends members get involved.
“Whenever something doesn’t make sense or you don’t like the way things are going, find a way to fix it or a committee to join that can make decisions which will have an impact on your issue or concern,” he said.
“By becoming a Council Rep, I gained exposure to what’s going on in the union and was better able to provide useful information to the members with whom I work on a daily basis.”
His goals for SPEEA include getting more members involved, particularly newer employees. He also wants to keep waste and excess to a minimum. “I want to make sure members get high value for their dues.”
Since starting at Boeing in 2001, Rule worked in many areas, including Phantom Works, Connexion by Boeing and Defense prior to moving to BCA.
Rule earned three Bachelor of Science degrees from Missouri University of Science and Technology; Physics, Applied Mathematics, and Computer Science. He holds two Master of Science degrees from the University of Washington; Computer Science and Engineering as well as Physics, both of which he earned while working at Boeing.
He serves as an area vice president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) and represents statewide organized labor on the Board of Directors for the Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI). In addition, he is also president of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Council, at the district level.
He was born and raised in California’s central valley. For hobbies, Rule enjoys traveling and scuba diving. His wife, Carrie, is a former SPEEA NW Council officer. They have a son and three daughters.
MW Regional VP
Chris Streckfus started his Wichita aerospace career at Boeing in 1987, then transitioned to Spirit AeroSystems when Boeing sold the Wichita plant in 2005. In 35-plus years, he worked various roles on the 777, 787, 737, 737 MAX and several non-commercial projects. His latest assignment is Engineering Tools & Processes to help implement Spirit 3Dx.
Growing up in Bryan, Texas, Streckfus attended Texas A&M University, earning a degree in aerospace engineering. Following graduation, he went to work as a Systems Integration engineer at Boeing Defense, Space & Security in Wichita.
In 2015, Streckfus was encouraged to run for a Wichita Engineering Unit (WEU) Council Representative seat on the Midwest SPEEA Council and was subsequently elected. He became more interested in the budget-allocation process as layoffs were occurring at both Spirit and Boeing. He was elected MW Council treasurer in 2018, a position he held for four years. In 2021, he was elected MW regional vice president.
“As a Council Rep and an officer, I feel a responsibility to the members we serve, to ask the tough questions, to be prudent and accountable in our financial decisions,” Streckfus said. He’s also a strong advocate for the rights of members. “I focus on maintaining members’ interests, including fair treatment, personal protection and safety.”
In addition to his degree in aerospace engineering, Streckfus has a master’s in management and a master’s in business administration.
Streckfus and his wife, Carol, keep busy tackling home projects together, gardening and supporting various community causes. In addition to his SPEEA involvement, he provides volunteer support for the Kansas youth hunter safety program and also supports Kansas BEST (Boosting Engineering Science and Technology) at Kapaun-Mt. Carmel High School.
NW Regional VP
To come
NW Regional VP
When Mike Arrington became a member of SPEEA in 2011, he knew nothing about unions. Since then, he’s been an Area Rep, Council Rep, Council officer and Executive Board member as well as serving on multiple SPEEA and Northwest committees. “I like to learn,” he said.
Based on his own experience, Arrington hopes others realize how easy it is to learn about SPEEA through lunchtime meetings, committees and other opportunities such as Area Rep. “Show up. You’re going to be listened to – everyone is valued.”
Arrington, a Boeing industrial engineer, worked in computer programming as a high school intern, then earned a vocational associate degree in machining, followed by a bachelor’s in industrial engineering.
While working and going to school, he served in the U.S. Marine Reserve, becoming a staff sergeant in maintenance management and logistics.
After serving briefly as an Area Rep, Arrington became a Council Rep to fill a vacancy in Renton in 2013. Not knowing a lot about SPEEA, he often reached out to his contract administrator and other Council Reps.
Arrington appreciates what he’s learned about his union. “As SPEEA-represented employees, we’re not on our own. Anything we need, there is lots of help,” Arrington said. “Now, I’m transferring from asking questions to answering them more often. It’s so important to know who to talk to – nobody has to know everything. If you don’t know the answer, find someone.”
Arrington and his wife, Jamie, own MJ Entertainment, managing video games at 16 locations in two states. They have three daughters, Esther, Quinn and Alison. He enjoys camping, traveling and video games, especially Golden Tee virtual golf.
NW Regional VP
Northwest Regional Vice President David Garrett joined SPEEA right away when he started at Boeing in 2007. Although he liked getting SPEEA emails, he didn’t get involved in the union until those emails stopped coming.
That’s when Garrett, a structural design engineer on the 777-8 freighter, ran for Everett Council Rep (CR) in 2017. When he lost the CR election to John Dimas (currently serving as SPEEA president), Dimas recruited Garrett to be his Area Rep. That was the start of many roles Garrett has since served.
Dimas also encouraged Garrett to join the Tellers committee, which oversees union elections and Council Rep redistricting. That became one of Garrett’s most rewarding union experiences. Garrett served as a Council Rep from 2019 until his election to the VP role in 2024. As a Council Rep, he appreciated helping his co-workers get answers to questions. “I felt like the gateway, pointing members to the right person.” He’s served on several SPEEA and Northwest committees as a member and officer. He currently belongs to the SPEEA and NW L&PA committees, Labor Delegates and Organizational
Planning.
He credits the support from friends he’s made, including President Dimas and Teller Jimmie Mathis, a former Executive Board officer. Garrett also values the friendships with coworkers in his former Council district. “It’s been an honor to get to know them and work with them.”
Garrett believes the value of SPEEA is solidarity. “We are stronger when we stand together.” The best part is the sense of family that comes from this. “We come together for the same reason. It’s the members.”
Garrett is a graduate of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, Arizona. He is married and has an elementary school daughter who loves to dance competitively. She is also a Girl Scout and a Cub Scout. |