I believe the collective skills and experience of UBC staff are among the University’s greatest assets and that staff are vital to the functioning of UBC. I think it’s critical that your new staff representative to the Board of Governors have an understanding of issues and concerns UBC staff face. Having served as the President of the Association of Administrative and Professional Staff (AAPS) for the past 4 years (and on the Board since 2011), I’ve had the unique opportunity to learn from our 4000+ members as well as from our CUPE and other union colleagues. Through these experiences, I’ve developed a good understanding of the diverse perspectives and concerns of UBC staff, the misconceptions university leadership holds about staff and our experiences, and an understanding of how staff concerns relate to the University’s mandate, goals, objectives, and operations.
I currently work as one of the Associate Directors in the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, where I’m honoured to work with an amazing team of professionals who support faculty and academic units as they seek to develop engaging and impactful learning experiences at UBC. I have a PhD in Educational Administration and over 20 years of experience providing educational technology and curriculum development support in higher education.
As my final term as AAPS President will be ending in 2020, I look forward to the opportunity to serve on behalf of all UBC Vancouver staff as their representative on the Board of Governors.