Donna Rey, EdD

Donna Rey is the Executive Director of the 1199SEIU Benefit and Pension Funds and CEO of Funds Administrative Operations. The Funds provide comprehensive self-insured, self-administered healthcare and retirement benefits to members and retirees of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, New York’s largest union representing healthcare workers, and their dependents. The four Benefit Funds cover more than 450,000 lives and spend more than $2.5 billion annually on health benefits, and the three Pension Funds manage $15.5 billion in assets. As Executive Director, Dr. Rey brings extensive leadership experience, including more than 30 years of implementing organizational change and more than 15 years as an executive at the Funds. In 2022, she launched a “Healthy Living” initiative to support 1199SEIU members in achieving better health outcomes through innovative partnerships and lifestyle programs that empower members wherever they are on their health journey.

Prior to her role as Executive Director and CEO, Dr. Rey was Associate Executive Director of the Funds, responsible for the operations of the Benefit and Pension Funds, as well as joint administrative services for the Training and Employment and Child Care Funds—including Finance, Information Technology, Security Risk Management, Eligibility, Legal Operations, Facilities and Human Resources. In that capacity, Dr. Rey was responsible for the management of $3.5 billion in administrative and benefit-related costs; contributions from nearly 650 employers; and benefits and services to more than 450,000 covered lives.

Before joining the Funds in 2006, Dr. Rey served as Chief Executive Officer for the Regional Operations Center at the NYC Department of Education, Assistant Vice President for Human Resources–Management and Organizational Services at Columbia University, Chief of Staff/Associate Director for Administration at the Office of Victim Services and Assistant Commissioner for Administration at the NYC Department of Finance. She has served as an advisory board member and process consultant to several community-based organizations and was an adjunct professor at New York University and Columbia University. Dr. Rey currently serves on the boards of directors of Healthix, the largest public health information exchange in the U.S., and the Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH).

Dr. Rey received a Bachelor of Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a Master of Science from the W. Averell Harriman School for Management and Public Policy and a Doctorate in Education from Columbia University.