Courtenay Eichhorst was appointed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Economic Advisory Council on Jan. 1, 2026. Eichhorst is a respected labor leader and workforce development advocate in New Mexico, serving as Business Manager of UA Local 412, representing more than 2,000 plumbers, pipefitters, and HVAC professionals across New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. Since 2014, he has led the union’s efforts in apprenticeship training, job placement, industry partnerships, and community outreach, strengthening pathways into the skilled trades while supporting the contractors and communities the union serves.
In addition to his leadership at Local 412, Eichhorst serves as President of the New Mexico Building & Construction Trades Council, where he represents the collective voice of the state’s skilled trade unions. His expertise in workforce policy and labor standards has led to appointments on key state advisory bodies, including Chairman of the New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council and member of the Apprenticeship Technical Advisory Council.
A strong national advocate for apprenticeship, Eichhorst testified before the U.S. Joint Economic Committee in 2023 on the critical role union apprenticeship programs play in preparing the workforce for the clean energy transition and modern infrastructure demands.
Eichhorst is a graduate of New Mexico State University with a degree in Agricultural Economics/Business and a graduate of Cibola High School. He entered the plumbing and pipefitting trade as an apprentice in 2001, later serving as Training Director before being elected Business Manager. His leadership is rooted in both hands-on trade experience and a lifelong commitment to public service, a value reflected in his family background, his father, Bob Eichhorst, served as a Corrales Village Councilor.
He is also widely recognized for leading Local 412’s community service initiatives, including the “412 Days of Christmas” program, which provides critical home safety and heating assistance to seniors and families in need.