Nominations and Elections for Executive 2022/2023

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Anne-Marie Allison, PhD  

Contract Faculty 

Department of Mathematics, Waterloo 

Current service roles: Contract Faculty Rep. Mathematics Department-in-Council and Science Divisional Council  

WLUFA: · Executive Committee (VP: Internal)  

· Joint Liaison Committee (meets with University Administration)  

· Governance Committee  

· Contract Faculty Bilateral Committee  

· Co-Chief Negotiator for Contract Faculty Negotiations 

OCUFA: Ad hoc Committee on University Governance 

A dedicated and passionate instructor for more than 15 years at Laurier, Anne-Marie has observed that faculty face many obstacles in their efforts to achieve excellence in their teaching, research, and service. These obstacles have been particularly daunting during the ongoing pandemic. 

Collaborative and communicative in her working style, Anne-Marie holds herself and others to a high level of accountability and integrity. Principled, she continues to ask questions and raise discussion in order to best serve her colleagues and students. She has been a Contract Faculty Representative for the Mathematics Department-in-Council and for the Science Divisional Council for most of her time at WLU. Her WLUFA service started in 2013 as a member of the Strategy Committee for Contract Faculty negotiations, and expanded to include the Communications Committee (2015–2017), the Negotiating Team for Contract Faculty (2016, 2019, 2022), the Joint Liaison Committee (2017–present), and the Executive Committee (2016–present). She has served as chair of WLUFA’s Governance Committee and as a liaison to WLUFA’s Diversity and Equity Committee, and serves as a liaison to WLUFA’s Climate Action Committee. She was the sole Contract Faculty member on WLU’s Freedom of Expression Task Force in 2018. And she has been serving as the sole Contract Faculty member on OCUFA’s ad hoc Committee on University Governance for the past four years.  

Anne-Marie’s varied service has been informative work, enabling her to see the numerous ways that WLUFA can proactively and positively serve its diverse membership. Her WLUFA and OCUFA experiences have provided deeper insight into how decisions made by University Administration impact students, faculty, librarians, and staff. That work has also reinforced how vital it is for faculty and librarians to work together in the relentless climate of funding and governance challenges.  

Anne-Marie seeks to preserve the integrity of academic programs and to improve the environment in which faculty and librarians conduct their duties and responsibilities, while holding central the importance of students and their learning conditions. She welcomes the opportunity to continue serving on the Executive Committee, tackling issues faced by faculty and librarians. 

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Kimbely Ellis-Hale 

Contract Faculty 

Department of Sociology, Waterloo 

I have been teaching in Laurier’s Sociology Department since 1998 and working on your behalf in various capacities with WLUFA since 2013 (Communications Chair, Contract Faculty Action Committee Chair, VP-External and Contract Faculty Liaison). In addition, I chair an OCUFA committee and am a member of the executive.  

This experience is important because it allows me to better serve you in a year that is shaping up to be very challenging. In addition to one of the most important Contract Faculty negotiations in years, there is Milton, the possible move to the UPP, declining faculty complement, increasing faculty workload, the highflex teaching push, pandemic recovery, Bill 124 (1% compensation cap), a provincial election and preparation for an equally important round of Full-Time negotiations – and this is only what we are aware of. 

You have returned me to the WLUFA executive in the past, I ask that you do it again so that I can bring my experience and commitment to bear on these issues and the ones yet to present themselves.  

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Scott Gallimore 

Full-time Faculty 

Department of Archaeology, Waterloo 

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Archaeology & Heritage Studies and have been at Laurier for 11 years. Currently, I also serve as the Associate Dean of Arts: Student Affairs & Learning. During my time at Laurier I have served on a number of committees and was a member of Senate from 2016/2017 to 2018/2019. While on Senate, I was a member of the Senate Student Appeals Committee and the Senate By-Laws & Regulations Committee (now Governance Committee). I served as Chair of the By-Laws Committee for two years. 

Since 2018 I have also been a member of the WLUFA Governance Committee. I’m interested in working more closely with members of the WLUFA Executive to discuss issues of key interest to faculty and librarians, and to the rest of the university community. We have faced an incredibly difficult period over the past two years. The need for collegial governance, careful discussion of important issues, short-term and long-term planning, and community building are more important than ever. WLUFA plays a vital role in all of these endeavors. We will continue to face challenges moving forward and I hope to have the opportunity to contribute to addressing those challenges.  

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Jim Gerlach 

Contract Faculty  

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Waterloo 

Two years ago, the COVID-19 lockdown at Laurier began. Since that time, I and all members of the Executive have worked to ensure the safety and well-being of our members. We negotiated agreements with the university administration on protocols for remote instruction, not only to protect members from COVID-19, but also to protect their academic freedoms. We also made sure that agreements offered protections to Contract Faculty, who are especially vulnerable at this time due to the precarious nature of their employment. Now we are facing the challenges brought by the return to in-person instruction, one of the these being potential increases in workload. If re-elected, I promise to represent all faculty at Laurier during this transition period. And, as Treasurer, to work to ensure that your dues are being used in a fiscally responsible manner. 

Now, a little bit about me. After joining Laurier in the fall of 2006, I became involved with WLUFA during bargaining for Contract Faculty in 2007-2008. Initially I was a member of the Strategy Committee and then, during the ensuing strike, worked in the strike office. I have served on the negotiating teams for the last five Contract Faculty collective agreements and was privileged to serve as the Chief Negotiator for the last two rounds of bargaining and am currently Co-chief Negotiator for the upcoming round. 

I was first elected to the WLUFA Executive Committee in 2011 and since then have served as association Treasurer. As Treasurer I have endeavoured to provide fiscal responsibility with full transparency to our members. The demands on the financial resources of WLUFA have increased steadily and this represents an ongoing challenge to your Executive. If re-elected, I will work to ensure that WLUFA continues to provide its members with the services they need. 

I believe it is imperative that as a faculty association we form strong alliances with our colleagues in Ontario and across Canada. I have also served on the CAUT Executive as Chair of the Contract Academic Staff committee. We must continue to form partnerships to ensure our voices are heard. As a member of the Executive, I have emphasized the need to form bonds with other labour groups at the national, provincial and local levels. If re-elected, I will work to strengthen WLUFA’s ties with existing groups and to forge new alliances. 

I remain firmly committed to improving working conditions for all faculty at Laurier. I believe this can only be accomplished by a united Laurier faculty, one that fights for the rights of both its continuing and contract members. If re-elected, I will continue working to represent ALL members of WLUFA and to ensure ALL voices are heard. 

Cristina Gheorghiu 

Contract Faculty 

Departments of Biology & Health Science, Waterloo 

Through my training and professional experience as a veterinarian and committed academic lecturer, I have enthusiastically shared my knowledge and research experience with both Biology and Health Science students at Laurier for over a decade. Engaging with students in learning environments has been one of the most rewarding and valuable experiences of my career. I have discovered that teaching is one of my greatest passions and I deeply treasure the teaching opportunities that I have been given.  

To better understand and serve my student’s needs, I have been actively interacting and collaborating with my fellow faculty members. In doing so, I started becoming increasingly more aware of certain issues that seem to interfere with our collective efforts to successfully perform our day-to-day tasks. Therefore, I decided to actively involve myself in community service in 2011 at both the departmental and faculty levels. This includes being a CAS/CTF representative for both Biology and Health Science (Department-In-Council) and the Divisional Council, Faculty of Science. In the process, I have been humbled to voice my fellow CTF peers’ concerns and feedback in all of these working groups. I have learned that it is not always easy to find a middle ground. Still, even though at times this involvement has been challenging, it has indeed been and continues to be a deeply enlightening and enriching experience.  

This past year especially I have tried as much as possible to immerse myself even more in community activities, as I am keen on working to accomplish the community’s shared goals. One such example includes becoming a member of The Joint Health and Safety Committee which I am very honored to be a part of. As a member, I contribute to all collaborative efforts made in order to continue nourishing a better and safer working environment in our institution. This is even more relevant with all the recent endeavors being made to return safely to in-person activities on our campuses.  

I would be equally as motivated and honored to join WLUFA’s Executive Committee so that together we could strive towards improving working conditions at Laurier for every fellow faculty member. 

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Andrew Herman 

Full-time Faculty 

Department of Communication Studies, Waterloo 

Andrew Herman received his B.A. in Government from Georgetown University and his PhD in  

Sociology from Boston College.  American by birth and Canadian by choice, Dr. Herman taught at Boston College, Drake University and College of the Holy Cross before joining the Communication Studies department at Laurier in 2004. H has written widely in the field of social theory, media and culture and his work has appeared in scholarly journals such as Cultural Studies, Critical Studies in Media Communication, South Atlantic Quarterly, and Anthropological Quarterly. Among his many publications is his book, The “Better Angels of Capitalism: Rhetoric, Narrative and Moral Identity Among Men of the American Upper Class (Westview, 1999) and his edited collections, Mapping the Beat: Popular Music and Contemporary Cultural Theory (Blackwell, 1997), The World Wide Web and Contemporary Cultural Theory (Routledge, 2000). His most recent book is Theories of the Mobile Internet: Materialities and Imaginaries (Routledge, 2015).  He also has considerable experience in labour-management relations, having worked with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (US), the United Auto Workers (US), and the International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers (US-Canada).  I have also served WLUFA directly in the following capacities: the Joint WLUFA/CTIE/Office of the VPA and Provost Committees on Online Learning, 2015 to the present; the WLUFA Bargaining Committee for the 2017-2020 Contract Negotiations; WLUFA representative to the Joint Liaison Committee for 2017-2019; and as a member of the WLUFA executive 2018-2019. I had to step down from my seat on the executive because I was on medical leave from September 2019 to January 2021, but was reelected to it for 2021-2022 and would like to continue my service through 2022-2023. 

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Geoff Horsman 

Full-Time Faculty 

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Waterloo 

I joined Laurier as a faculty member in 2011 and am currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. Research in my lab focuses on understanding how microbes make small molecules like antibiotics, and using these insights to find new molecules. 

I am new to union work so have much to learn. However, I can offer my perspective as a full-time faculty member running a research laboratory in the Faculty of Science; a perspective that has perhaps been historically underrepresented on the WLUFA Executive Committee. I am also committed to academic freedom and the importance of viewpoint diversity in the service of sound decision making. 

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Sobia Iqbal 

Contract Faculty 

Department of Biology, Waterloo 

Sobia Iqbal has been a Contract Teaching Faculty in the Faculty of Science at Wilfrid Laurier University since 2015.  Her community involvement in the university extends from the department level, to faculty, and even the university at large.  She is a member of the Community Health Department in Council, CTF Bargaining Negotiation Team, CTF Indigenous Community of Practice, WULFA’s Diversity and Equity committee, and has previously been involved with the Strategic Planning Committee Member for Equity, Inclusion & Diversity.  She hopes to continue to support the university by being elected into the position of WULFA’s Executive Committee.  

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Robert Mathieu 

Full-time Faculty 

Lazaridis School, Waterloo 

I have been a faculty member in the Accounting Area of the Lazaridis School since 1998 and am currently a full Professor. During that time, I have served on many search committees and I have been a regular member of BDAP. In addition, I have been Area Coordinator for about nine years and I have been the Chair of the Business Department for two years. 

All these service positions have given me insight into the issues surrounding hiring, working and creating policy at Laurier and the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion. Transparency in the decision process is very important to me. Creating a supportive environment that is also collegial is key to make a solid work environment. I am currently FCPA, FCA and FCMA. To obtain my accounting designations, I have practised as an accountant, which should allow me to advice WLUFA on financial and accounting matters. 

Cameron McKenzie 

Full-time Faculty 

Faculty of Social Work, Brantford 

Cameron McKenzie (he/him) has been an assistant professor in the Faculty of Social Work since July 2018. His research has examined the contribution of political and social structures to social and health inequities in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, with an emphasis on the social determinants of health. He is particularly interested in how social and labour movements influence social policy development. He was a member of the Senate Academic Planning Committee and currently is the Research Theme Ambassador for psychological and social determinants of health and well-being. He is excited to bring his progressive voice as a WLUFA executive committee member! 

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Joanne Oud 

Full-time Librarian  

Library, Waterloo 

I’ve worked at the Laurier Library since 1999, and have been active in the faculty association in various ways since 2002. I have been a member of WLUFA Executive for two years (2014-16), as well as a member of the Joint Liaison Committee for 10 years and a member of the Full-time Collective Bargaining Team for 5 negotiations. WLUFA has a diverse membership and I have tried to be conscious of that diversity in my faculty association work. I am also concerned about issues of equity and inclusion at Laurier and have been involved in equity work, especially around disability. I have been a member of the WLUFA Diversity and Equity Committee, and the Bilateral Committee on Equity in Hiring.  

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