As an experienced labor and employment attorney, Andrea Terrillion represented clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to large, non-profit organizations and municipalities prior to coming to Cornell ILR. After years of practice, Andrea recognized that she was best at distilling the 'legal' to its basic components and helping people in the field comply with legal constraints while getting the job done. It was that realization that led her to her current position as Director of Labor Relations and Legal Studies at Cornell.

Andrea's real-world experience at the bargaining table, in the courtroom, and providing legal counsel to management clients ensures a practical, relevant learning experience for participants. She has enhanced Cornell’s historically strong Labor Relations and Legal Studies programs by incorporating effective training techniques, technological advances, and adult learning tenets. "Very few labor relations and legal workshops blend the substantive knowledge and instructional design elements as well as we do here at Cornell," says Andrea, adding that her efforts are making a difference in the workplace.

"Participants see immediate value in the knowledge and skills they glean from our workshops. Members of a bargaining team rework their proposals or negotiating strategy based on their experiences in our collective bargaining simulations. Managers now have a more complete understanding of the legal risks associated with their personnel decisions, and aspects of their job that were once viewed as secondary are now properly recognized as essential. HR professionals realize they are ‘risk managers’ for their organizations and more effectively partner with their business units and legal departments because they have a better understanding of workplace laws."

While her love of teaching was anticipated, her personal educational journey since joining ILR has been a treasured surprise. She has found herself in the "back of the house" of a world-famous casino, navigating a maze of cubicles at federal agency headquarters, discussing the challenges of running a 24/7 operation while mesmerized by the precision of a manufacturing line, and teaching the rules of contract interpretation while taking in an ocean view. She has learned about gas, electric, and nuclear power sources, and the basics of running a retail business. Andrea has brainstormed solutions to the nursing shortage, discovered how a piece of cherry candy actually tastes like cherry, and become familiar with labor relations challenges in Canada, Bermuda, Indonesia, and Panama.

Routinely described by participants as "extremely knowledgeable," "dynamic," and "quite humorous," Andrea also confesses, "I am a bit of a 'ham,' so I really enjoy my time in the classroom." It is her desire to simplify the complex for working professionals that keeps her there.

For more information, please contact:
Andrea M. Basile Terrillion, Esq.
Director, Labor Relations
Cornell ILR
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
212-340-2883
amt43@cornell.edu

- Andrea Terrillion
Director, Labor Relations and Legal Studies Programs