Eileen Lawrence brings highly regarded management skills to her position as treasurer of the Association of BellTell Retirees, Inc., a 128,000-member association of retired Verizon, Bell Atlantic, NYNEX, GTE, MCI and Idearc employees that works to secure increased healthcare and pension benefits.

Working out of the member-supported organization’s headquarters in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, on Long Island, Ms. Lawrence handles human resources and personnel matters and also oversees budgeting and financial functions.

As a former Verizon employee, Ms. Lawrence knows the industry inside and out. She started her 37-year career with the telecommunications provider as a secretary and later transitioned into roles in public relations and management. Ms. Lawrence cofounded the Association of BellTell Retires in 1996 with president C. William Jones to restore inflationary cost-of-living pension increases and fight against industry efforts to erode and, in some cases, cancel pensions.

Ms. Lawrence has advanced training, including an associate’s degree in business from Adelphi University in New York. She attributes her success to her work ethic and her interpersonal skills, and her future plans involve continuing to work with the association’s lobbying arm, ProtectSeniors.org, to influence Congress to pass nationwide pension-protection bills.