The 2025 UBC Faculty Pension Plan Election includes:
- An election of two (2) trustees, to be elected by and from the membership of the UBC Faculty Pension Plan, to serve on the Board of Trustees for a four-year period from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2029.
Voting instructions and candidate statements appear below.
Voting Instructions
There are two ways you can vote: online or by paper ballot. Members with a Campus-Wide Login (CWL) username and password can vote online through the Simply Voting system. Those who do not have a CWL are asked to submit paper ballots. Please follow the instructions below.
Vote Online
To vote online you must have a Campus-Wide Login (CWL) at UBC. If you do not have a CWL, please use the paper ballot method outlined below. If you have forgotten your CWL username or password, please go to: https://www.myaccount.ubc.ca/myAccount/
- Go to Simply Voting at ubc.simplyvoting.com
- Select “Login” to login with your CWL credentials
- Vote for up to two (2) candidates by selecting the box next to each candidate’s name
- Select “Continue” and then select “Confirm” to confirm your votes before logging out
Vote by Paper Ballot
Paper ballots were mailed or emailed to members of the UBC Faculty Pension Plan with their election package the week of Monday, October 20, 2025. If you do not have CWL credentials, you can fill out the ballots that were mailed to you and return them to UBC Elections as directed on the ballots. You can also download a copy of the election ballot.
Due to recent and ongoing Canada Post service interruptions, you are encouraged to return your paper ballot as soon as possible to account for any potential postal service delays. Only those ballots received by the voting deadline are counted.
Deadline
All paper ballots must be received by UBC Elections, Enrolment Services by 4 pm on Tuesday, November 18, 2025 in order to be valid. Online voting will also close at this time.
Candidate Statements
Joy Begley
I am an Emeritus Associate Professor of Accounting in the Sauder School of Business, having retired in January 2022. I have had the pleasure of serving as an elected member of the Board of Trustees for the UBC Faculty Pension Plan since 2007 and I am running for re-election for a further four-year term. As a participant in the Pension Plan I know how important it is to feel that your retirement savings are being carefully invested in order to receive a good return, without taking on excessive risk and without paying unreasonable fees. If I am re-elected to the Board of Trustees I will continue to work hard to monitor the investment policies of the Pension Plan, making sure that all investments are in the best interest of plan members.
My background and interests make me well suited for this position. I have a BCom in Accounting and Finance from the University of Otago in New Zealand, a Master’s Degree in Applied Economics and a Ph.D in Accounting and Finance, both from the University of Rochester. In addition, I am a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). My teaching in Sauder School of Business was in the area of financial statement analysis and valuation. My research extended into the areas of bankruptcy prediction, pensions, corporate debt contracts and stock valuation, all of which help to inform my views as a FPP trustee. I would be honoured if you would re-elect me for a further four-year term.
Jonathan Berk
I am the A.P. Giannini Professor of Finance at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. One of my areas of specialty within financial economics is delegated capital management. My research contributions in this field are widely recognized as being transformative in our economic understanding of the industry.
I have extensive practical knowledge of the capital management. I have co-taught with industry leaders, and over my 40-year career in finance, have interacted repeatedly with the most successful managers in the world. My research contributions in the area have been honored with prestigious academic awards. In recognition of my influence on the practice of finance, my articles have received the top practitioner awards in the industry. I am also co-author of the two leading textbooks in Financial Economics at the masters (MBA) and undergraduate level.
As I near retirement, I find myself with the time to give back to the communities that have helped shape my career and enabled me to become a successful academic. My formative years at UBC were instrumental in this journey—the research environment and exceptional faculty provided the foundation for my development as both a researcher and educator. I would like to give something back to the university community that played such a pivotal role in my academic career.
I believe that my specialized knowledge of financial economics and money management can bring valuable insight to the plan, its beneficiaries, and the community. I can help ensure the financial stability of the plan. From the perspective of a trustee, one of the most important questions is how to assess performance. Measuring performance correctly and thereby increasing expected returns by even just a few basis points can make a significant difference when capital is invested over a lifetime.
Lorenzo Garlappi
I am a Professor of Finance at the University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business, currently serving as a Senior Associate Dean of Research. I have had the privilege of serving as an elected member of the Board of Trustees of the UBC Faculty Pension Plan since May 2015. During this time, I have actively participated in key investment and governance decisions, including the selection of managers for our global equity and fossil-fuel-free stock and bond portfolios.
One of my current research interests is the design of resilient pension systems. A key part of this work focuses on decumulation strategies—approaches that help individuals approaching retirement convert their accumulated savings into stable, lifelong income. This research is directly relevant to the needs of our plan members, ensuring that the retirement system remains both sustainable and supportive of financial security.
I consider it an honour to contribute my expertise in support of the UBC Faculty Pension Plan. If re-elected, I am committed to continuing to dedicate my time and energy to the prudent stewardship of the plan on behalf of its members.
Prior to joining UBC, I was an Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Texas at Austin in the McCombs School of Business. I hold a bachelor's degree in Economics (with honours) from Bocconi University, Milan, Italy, a doctorate in Mathematical Economics from the University of Trieste, Italy, and a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. My academic research areas are varied and include: investments and capital markets, corporate finance, asset pricing, and portfolio choice. At Sauder, I have been teaching courses in Asset Pricing Theory (Ph.D. level), Risk Management and Financial Engineering, both at the undergraduate and master's levels.
Katrina Plamondon
Dr. Katrina Plamondon, RN is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health & Social Development--School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, situated on unceded syilx territory. Her program of research aims to overcome inertia in reducing health inequities and promote equity across social ecosystems through coherent, planned action. As a licensed Registered Nurse, with more than 20 years of combined clinical practice and health systems leadership, her scholarly work is grounded in systems learning, dialogic approaches, consensus-building, relational accountability and ethics, and collaborative solutions-seeking. Notably, her work examines relationships between determinants of equity (e.g., funding policies, forces of political economy, notions of justice), and the health and well-being of populations and our planet. Her leadership demonstrates local, national, and international contributions through positions of public trust, including service on Boards of Directors for a local private school and a national not-for-profit organization, as well as serving as a nominated and vetted member of a national scientific advisory council and stakeholder on United Nations governance processes (via the World Health Organization). Dr. Plamondon would bring a balance of professionalism, under-represented perspectives, practice leadership, relevant scholarship, and service leadership to the role of Trustee for our Faculty Pension Plan, with a specific emphasis on promoting ethics, transparency, and enhancing options for faculty to have choice in the allocation of their contributions.
Questions
If you have any questions about this election, please contact UBC Elections at elections.information@ubc.ca.