Dougherty is business manager for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local Union 98 and chairman of the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia. He also serves as vice president of Philadelphia Mechanical Trades Council, Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council and Philadelphia Council of the AFL-CIO.
Appointed to the Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey (DRPA) by Governor Rendell in June 2004
