Governance

• WLUFA Executive Committee, VP: Internal
• WLU Joint Liaison Committee, Co-Chair
• WLUFA Staff Relations Committee
• WLUFA Policy Review Sub-committee, Chair
• Wilfrid Laurier International College Bilateral Committee, Co-Chair
• Contract Faculty Representative Science Divisional Council
• Contract Faculty Representative, Mathematics Department-in-Council
• OCUFA Contract Faculty Committee, Chair

Previous service roles include:

• WLUFA: Negotiating Team for Contract Faculty (4 rounds, 2 as Co-Chief Negotiator); Executive Committee (Member-at-large, CF liaison, VP: Internal); Governance Committee (Chair); Communications Committee
• WLU: Joint Liaison Committee (Member, Co-Chair); Contract Faculty Bilateral Committee (Co-Chair); initial Freedom of Expression Task Force
• Mathematics Department: CF representative DiC; Calculus Audit Committee; Ethics Committee (Chair)
• Faculty of Science: CF representative
• OCUFA: Contract Faculty Committee; University Governance Committee

Subhendu Bhadra (BEng, MTech, PEng)

Vision:

It is my privilege to get nominated to the WLUFA Executive Committee for 2026-27. Currently, I am a member of WLUFA Climate Action Committee as well as WLUFA delegate to Waterloo Region Labour Council. Besides, I have been playing a key role in the Contract Faculty Mobilization Caucus (CFMC), an independent rank-and-file caucus focused on strengthening the bargaining position of Contract Faculty and pushing for greater union democracy and transparency. I shall strive to take our union to the next trajectory where it will strive to provide a conducive working environment where each and every member can work & play without any inhibition in their endeavour to successfully teach at WLU and to achieve their fullest potential as a professor both full-time or part-time.

Biography:

I have been a Contract Faculty teaching Computer Science. I have experience in teaching at other Canadian universities as well (e.g. UT, UW, MM). I have 2 decades of Software, Hardware, Research and Leadership experience with five Fortune 100 technology companies viz. Oracle Cloud, Cisco Research, IBM Software Lab, Intel Semiconductor and Motorola Mobility in Canada, India and the USA. I studied Computer Engineering in India and Germany. My research interests include Autonomous Vehicles, Cloud, Databases, Network & Application Security, Artificial Intelligence, etc.

Appeal:

With diverse and extensive experience (Professor, Senate Member, Faculty Association Secretary, Faculty Association Vice President, etc.) from various universities in Canada, I am conversant with their respective Constitutions, Bylaws and Collective Agreements.

Besides working closely with CUPE & OPSEU, the two largest unions in the university sector, I also have good working experience with umbrella organizations like CAUT (Canadian Association of University Teachers). With first-hand vast experience with academia in four countries across three continents, I earnestly believe that I can enable synergy of the global perspective with local insights. This broader knowledge and experience will be particularly relevant as we organize ourselves for a better academic environment at the campus and working conditions for our members. I would request every member to support my vision and mission to achieve Equal Pay for Equal Work and end Precarity of Employment here and everywhere!

Platform:

I would like to contest the WLUFA EC election with the mission that aligns with the CFMC vision to become a pole of attraction for rank-and-file members in WLUFA. We sincerely hope that our successful mobilization will motivate all worker groups at Laurier and across the university sector.

Kimberly Ellis-Hale

Contract Faculty – Department of Sociology

I am seeking re-election to the WLUFA Executive because I believe deeply in the importance of a union that is inclusive, representative, and responsive to the needs of all its members. At a time of ongoing change and pressure within the Ontario university sector, it is essential that we remain united, engaged, and prepared to advocate effectively.

In the coming year, key priorities include supporting the timely and effective implementation of the new Contract Faculty Collective Agreement and supporting Full-Time Faculty as they work towards negotiating a strong and fair agreement. At the same time, we must continue to address broader challenges facing our membership, including budget constraints, administrative overreach, contract faculty working conditions, and Faculty restructuring.

I bring extensive experience and a long-standing commitment to this work: 28 years of teaching at Laurier across in-person, synchronous, and asynchronous formats; over a decade on the WLUFA Executive, including service as Vice-President External and Waterloo Campus Contract Faculty Liaison Officer; four years as Chair of OCUFA’s Contract Faculty Committee, advocating at the provincial level; and three years as an OCUFA Member-at-Large.

I remain committed to listening, advocating, and working collaboratively to ensure that your concerns are heard and addressed.

Thank you for your support.

Jim Gerlach

Contract Faculty (Chemistry & Biochemistry)

Candidate Statement for WLUFA Executive Committee

WLUFA continues to face significant challenges. The Administration’s ongoing insistence that faculty do more with less threatens our working conditions and, ultimately, our students’ learning experiences. At the same time, constrained institutional funding and increasingly adversarial labour relations have driven up legal costs, reflecting the growing need to defend Members through grievances and arbitrations. These pressures demand strong financial oversight and principled advocacy. If re-elected, I will continue to advocate vigorously for all faculty at Laurier.

As Treasurer, I remain firmly committed to ensuring that Members’ dues are managed responsibly, transparently, and with long-term sustainability in mind. In an era of ongoing budgetary uncertainty, careful stewardship of WLUFA’s resources is essential to maintaining our capacity to represent and support Members effectively.

My Experience and Commitment

Since joining Laurier in 2006, I have been deeply involved in WLUFA’s efforts to protect and advance faculty interests. My engagement began during the 2007 bargaining for Contract Faculty, where I served on the Strategy Committee. During the 2008 strike, I worked in the strike office, coordinating picketing duties and administering strike pay; experience that underscored the importance of strong organization and financial preparedness.

Over the years, I have served on the negotiating teams for six Contract Faculty collective agreements, twice as Chief Negotiator and most recently as Co‑Chief Negotiator. I was first elected to the WLUFA Executive Committee in 2011 and have since served as Treasurer. In this role, I have prioritized fiscal discipline, transparency, and accountability, ensuring that WLUFA’s financial resources are used efficiently and strategically. As demands on our Association’s budget continue to grow, I will work to balance cost containment with the need to provide robust representation and services to Members.

Beyond Laurier, I believe that strong alliances with faculty associations across Ontario and Canada are essential, particularly in the face of sector‑wide funding pressures. I have served on the CAUT Executive as Chair of the Contract Academic Staff Committee and have consistently advocated for collaboration with other labour organizations at the local, provincial, and national levels. These relationships strengthen our collective ability to respond to shared challenges, including chronic underfunding and precarity.

A Vision for a United Faculty

I remain firmly committed to improving working conditions for all faculty at Laurier. Achieving meaningful progress, particularly in a constrained budget environment, requires a united faculty that stands together to defend our rights and advocate for fair and sustainable working conditions. If re-elected, I will continue to work to ensure that all members of WLUFA are represented and that all voices are heard.

I appreciate your support and look forward to continuing to serve you.

Jeff Heydon

I have been a contract faculty instructor at Laurier for 13 years. I have served as a contract faculty representative for the Communication Studies Department Council and for the Arts Divisional Council since 2016. I have been a member of the WLUFA Governance Committee since 2024. For the Cultural Studies Association, I was co-chair of the New Media and Digital Cultures Working Group between 2017 and 2024 and a member of the Governing Board between 2021 and 2024.

As a member of the executive committee I plan to push for involvement and inclusion of rank-and-file union members throughout the year as well as more democratic bargaining and decision making processes. I want to see more compulsory communication between the union executive and members. Union members need to feel like they have a say in the way the union functions and the way it negotiates and interacts with the administration. This will be my primary objective when serving on the WLUFA Executive Committee.

Mary Kelly

Dr. Mary Kelly is Professor of Finance and Chair in Insurance at the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University, where she has been a faculty member since 1999. She is also the Assurance of Learning Coordinator and has served on numerous curriculum and ad hoc committees within the Lazaridis School.

Dr. Kelly has extensive experience in university governance and is currently serving her fifth term on Senate. She previously served as Laurier’s Academic Colleague to the Council of Ontario Universities, chaired the Senate Governance Committee, and served on the Board of Governors and its Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee. She has also participated in more than a dozen senior-level search committees.

Her WLUFA service includes two years on the Executive Committee, five years on the University Governance Committee, which she currently chairs, and ongoing service as the Lazaridis representative on the Representative Working Group.

Beyond Laurier, Dr. Kelly has held leadership positions in the Southern Risk and Insurance Association and the American Risk and Insurance Association. She recently completed the Institute of Corporate Directors’ Directors Education Program and holds the ICD.D designation. She is Co-Editor of the Journal of Insurance Issues, serves on the board of Heartland Farm Mutual Insurance Company  and Chair of its Risk and Audit Committee, and is an Academic Advisor to the Insurance Institute of Canada.

Dr. Kelly has provided policy advice to governments and insurance organizations across Canada and is an active contributor to public and industry discussions on risk, governance, and insurance.

Rob Kristofferson

Rob Kristofferson is Professor in the History Program and Department of Indigenous Studies, Law & Social Justice at Wilfrid Laurier’s Brantford Campus. Prior to his 2006 appointment at Laurier he taught extensively in the Labour Studies Program at York University. He is a specialist in labour and working-class history, labour studies, workers’ public history, academic labour and the history of capitalism.

At Laurier he has provided continuous service to the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA) in a variety of capacities, including:  President (2014-2015, 2021-2025), Vice-President, Past-President, Executive Member, Grievance Officer, Chair of the Joint Liaison Committee, Brantford Campus Liaison Officer, bargaining side table committees, Strategy Committee, Constitutional Review Committee, Legal Review Committee, Tenure Mentorship Committee, COVID-19 Faculty Workload Working Group, New Faculty Orientation, Policy Review Committee, Contract Faculty Compensation Committee, Bilateral Workload Committee, chief negotiator for WLUFA with CUPE 1281, and much more.

At the provincial level he currently serves as President of Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). Additionally, he has served for several years on the OCUFA Executive and Board as well as on various OCUFA subcommittees including, Contract Faculty, University Finance, Activity-Based Budgeting, Program Prioritization, and Mobilization. At the national level he has served as the WLUFA Representative on the Council of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) for six years. He also served as a Trustee of the CAUT Defense Fund for three years.

In the labour movement more generally he has served as a delegate to the Ontario Federation of Labour and for many years a delegate to the Brantford & District Labour Council. In his hometown of Hamilton, his labour activism has taken the form of over two decades of association with the Workers’ Arts & Heritage Centre as well as many, many community and union campaigns over decades.

James Popham

James Popham is Associate Professor and current Chair of the Department of Criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford campus, located on the shared traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples. He has been a member of the Laurier community since 2014. He first held a term position as a Knowledge Mobilization Officer, then joined the Department of Criminology as a Contract Teaching Faculty member. After several years in a limited-term appointment, he received a tenure-track position in 2017. In addition to his departmental leadership role, James serves as a member and Vice-Chair of the University Senate and sits on a number of faculty- and university-level committees. His research focuses primarily on community-based scholarship, with particular attention to building community justice and redress through engagement.

STATEMENT

I understand the institution to be a place of community, both within the geographic locations it serves and among the individuals who form its structure. My objective as a member of the Executive Committee will be to champion collegiality, transparency, meaningful consultation, and fair representation in decisions affecting WLUFA membership. I will also advocate for measures that support the mental health, wellbeing, and safety of members, and that strengthen the conditions in which they work.

Dr. Laurie Manwell

As an Executive Committee member, Laurie will be an advocate for Members from both bargaining units and promises to focus on shared issues to foster solidarity across regular and contract faculty members. She will advocate for shared governance across the two bargaining units, equitable pay and working conditions, stronger conversion pathways to full-time jobs, more opportunities for research support, and recognition of contributions to the University. As a precariously employed Member herself, Laurie understands firsthand the need for all faculty members to able to focus on teaching and research without the constant need to self-censor to protect their employment. She will advocate for the protection of Members’ academic freedom especially in times of contentious political and governmental regulation, serious administrative overreach, and conflicts arising from legitimate differences in classroom content and assessment. Having previously served on the Contract Faculty Negotiating Team, Bargaining Advisory Committee, and the Representative Workers Group, Laurie is a strong advocate for union transparency and open bargaining. With her research dedicated to mechanisms of learning, she will also advocate for union-administration partnerships that more effectively address contemporary challenges in the classroom arising from excessive screentime and generative AI that interfere with student success and increase faculty workload.  Laurie is a member of several independent groups on campus and is open to working on many different issues that are important to Members.

Laurie currently holds a joint Lecturer appointment in Psychology and Criminology and brings more than 30 years of professional experience across public and private educational and research institutions in Canada and the United States. Throughout her career, she has won $1 million in academic and research funding at over 10 institutions and has worked to build partnerships and collaborative programs within local and international communities, using research to improve societal conditions and mentoring the next generation to become thoughtful, independent, and engaged members of society. Those successful partnerships include co-founding a not-for-profit online adult education centre and as a co-applicant on a $500,000 New Frontiers in Research Fund grant focusing on post-pandemic recovery research, particularly for vulnerable populations facing significant educational, health, and financial hardships. As an Executive Committee member, Laurie offers to transfer these skills to advocate for better employment, health, and economic conditions, while working to strengthen the foundations of education and research in our shared University community.

David Meurer

I have been contract faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University since 2017. I have taught primarily in the Faculty of Liberal Arts’ Digital Media and Journalism and other programs, as well as in the Faculty of Arts for the History Department’s Digital Humanities courses. My contributions to service include acting as Contract Teaching Faculty Representative to the Faculty of Liberal Arts Divisional Council over five academic years, participating on WLUFA’s Bargaining Advisory Committee in 2024, and serving as a member of the Negotiating Team for Contract Teaching Faculty in 2025. I have an active research program focused on participatory digital narratives and over twenty years of professional experience in web development and user experience design.

Statement

Post-secondary institutions in Ontario are assessing strategies for leveraging AI and emerging technologies. The decisions they make may affect faculty ratios, increase class sizes, and shift more classes online as a means of coping with Ontario’s chronic underfunding of post-secondary institutions. As the university administration contends with current funding levels, contract and full-time faculty share a common interest in upholding principles of academic integrity and improving teaching and learning conditions. Our bargaining units can and should work together to ensure that the integration of emerging technologies does not undermine our intellectual property rights, compromise our privacy, or degrade our labour conditions. With a background in web technologies, I can contribute to WLUFA’s strategic response to the challenges of AI and emerging technologies.

My current and past teaching experiences add insights to my perspective on academic labour. I currently teach on Brantford and Waterloo campuses, which gives me visibility into how the university’s resources are distributed across campuses in ways that are both beneficial and detrimental to faculty. I have also held positions as a course director at York University and sessional lecturer at University of Toronto and therefore have firsthand knowledge of key differences between collective agreements at the different institutions. Those experiences inform my commitment to securing the best possible collectively bargained rights and benefits for WLUFA members.

Nabeela Sheikh

I began my career at Laurier in 2013 as a Contract Faculty member in English at the Brantford campus. In 2016, I moved to the English Department in Waterloo, and since 2023, I’ve been teaching Writing in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics.

I’ve taught face-to-face, online, remote, hybrid, and hyflex courses at many universities and colleges (Michigan State, Northern Michigan, U of Toronto at St. George and Mississauga, Guelph, McMaster, Concordia, Toronto Metropolitan, Windsor, Sheridan, and WLIC). This gives me a good background with respect to differences amongst students, departments and institutions, and modes of teaching.

As a WLUFA Executive member last year, I helped to ensure that our workplace agreements were upheld and that members’ concerns were heard. In addition, I was your Brantford Contract Faculty Liaison; in that role, I endeavoured to connect with Full-Time and Contract Faculty to respond to concerns and facilitate a stronger, more collegial community. In the past, I also served as the CF Representative on English’s DIC and contributed to the Faculty of Arts 2018 Strategic Plan.

If elected to WLUFA’s Executive Committee again, I will continue to advocate for positive change by ensuring your voices are heard and prioritized.

Kevin Swinden

I am an Associate Professor of Music Theory in the Faculty of Music who started at Laurier in 2002. I served the Faculty of Music as an Associate Dean from 2011–19 and 2020–24; in 2017 I served six months as Acting Dean of the Faculty. During my 23 years at Laurier I have served on a number of university committees including Teaching & Learning, Senate, Senate Executive, Senate Academic Planning, the Program Review Subcommittee and various senior-level search committees. I served as Secretary on the WLUFA executive in 2025-26 as well as its Policy Committee, and am seeking to renew for second term. I am highly detail-oriented and have been deeply involved with the Collective Agreement and its interpretation under three deans for many years, particularly in matters related to hiring and workload. I am committed to supporting the association through the critical years ahead, especially with the impending challenges of the Full-time Collective Agreement negotiations. In a climate of chaos and uncertainty, the association must continue stand up for the kind of security and stability that the institution and its members need in order to thrive.

Dr. Xu (Sunny) Wang

Dr. Xu (Sunny) Wang is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and has contributed greatly to the university, professional community, and broader public. She has served on numerous faculty and university committees, including the Senate Academic Planning Committee (SAPC) and its Program Review Sub-committee, the University Library Council, and the Faculty of Science Strategy Committee on Experiential Teaching. Currently, Dr. Wang is one of WinS (Laurier Centre for Women in Science) Scientific Committee members, and serves as the graduate coordinator, and the deputy director of Operations and Advancement for MS2Discovery Institute.

Dr. Wang was appointed as the EDI faculty colleague for both Waterloo and Brantford campuses during academic year 2021-2022 and successfully launched Sunny’s Café series to provide an open and friendly environment for Laurier colleagues to share their thoughts on EDI issues.

A strong advocate for community engagement and outreach, Dr. Wang served as Program Director of the Shad Laurier Program (2019–2024), where he established and led the campus program that brings talented high school students from across Canada to Laurier for a STEAM-focused leadership and innovation experience. She continues to promote mathematics and data science education through outreach activities such as Math Kangaroo competitions and school engagement initiatives.

Dr. Wang has played an important role in academic program development and innovation. She was the inaugural coordinator of Laurier’s Data Science program, one of the first undergraduate programs of its kind in Canada, helping to establish its curriculum, industry connections, and student engagement activities.

Dr. Wang’s leadership extends nationally and internationally through professional service. She has served in leadership roles within the Statistical Society of Canada, including President of the Statistical Education Section, where she helped establish national teaching awards and initiate the Canadian Teaching in Statistics and Data Science Conference (CANCOTS).

Dr. Wang’s contributions have been recognized through several honours, including the more recent University Faculty Award for Service Excellence and Community Engagement (2026).

If elected as a WLUFA Executive member, Dr. Wang hopes to bring her experience in university governance, academic program leadership, and community engagement to support faculty across the institution. She is committed to fostering open communication, strengthening collaboration across campuses, and advocating for initiatives that support faculty well-being, academic excellence, and a vibrant scholarly community at Laurier.

Zilin Wang

Full Time Faculty – Associate Professor – Department of Mathematics

I joined the Department of Mathematics at Laurier in 2004 and actively participated in various department and university committees. My WLUFA experience began in 2005, when I became the Department of Mathematics Full-time Bargaining Liaison. In 2015 and 2016, I served on the Bilateral Committee for Full-time Faculty Salary Anomalies and Pay Equity. I served on the WLUFA Executive Committee from 2017 to 2018 and from 2024 to 2026. I was the WLUFA representative of the Systemic Gender Equity Committee. Between 2022 and 2024, I acted as an EDI faculty colleague. Since 2024, I have been on the Bilateral Committee on Pay Equity.

Throughout my 22 years at Laurier, I have received tremendous help and support from the university community at my important personal and professional milestones. As a way of giving back, I would like to join the WLUFA executive committee to assist my colleagues and contribute to the University community. I am confident that my extensive experience will be valuable in fostering and maintaining inclusive cultures at Laurier.

Nomination and Elections Committee 2026/27

• Jenn Root
• Loren King
• Tristan Long