Candidates for the Board of Directors

Thursday, March 13, 2025

The UWSA is holding a special meeting on March 20 to fill two seats on the UWSA Board of Directors. All members received an invitation to attend the meeting, and all members in attendance are eligible to vote.

The Board provides governance, financial, and long-term strategic oversight for the Association. Directors and officers have specific obligations under the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA). Directors are essentially legally responsible for the association's financial stability and all of its operations, even though they don't participate in day-to-day operations directly.

Summary

  • Two Board seats will be filled at the special meeting on March 20 to restore quorum on the Board.
  • There are four candidates for these seats.
  • The remaining vacancies will be filled separately once the Board is quorate.

What do directors do?

The key responsibilities of the board are to:

  • Set and monitor strategic priorities and annual work plans.
  • Establish policies and ensure compliance with by-laws, policies, and laws.
  • Facilitate communication between directors and members.
  • Provide financial oversight and ensure adequate revenues.

Some of the current and upcoming projects of the board include:

  • Assessing and planning for the long-term financial health of the corporation.
  • Updating the UWSA by-law and articles of incorporation.
  • Reviewing all UWSA governing policies with an equity lens.
  • Updating and assessing progress on the UWSA strategic plan.

Advocating for staff

Some directors advocate for staff interests at the Staff Relations Committee (SRC) or Provost's Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation (PACSC). Serving on these committees is demanding but incredibly important work over and above the regular duties of a director.

What are the qualifications?

It’s important that the board as a whole has members with skills in meeting facilitation, financial acumen, organization, advocacy, project management, relationship development, leadership, and communication, but no individual director needs to have all these skills.

Some of the most important qualities in a director include:

  • An ability to think strategically and focus on long-term goals.
  • An interest in contributing to the UWSA’s strategic direction and policy development.
  • A commitment and capacity to engage in collaborative work.
  • A willingness to share their opinions and lived experiences while holding space for the perspectives and experiences of others.

Experience with not-for-profit governance, strategic planning, and policy development is helpful, but is not required. 

​​​​​​​Candidate statements

Candidates were asked to provide a statement describing why they want to join the UWSA Board of Directors and the skills or experience they have that would enable them to make valuable contributions as a director. Candidates are presented in alphabetical order by first name.

Angela Rooke

Current role: Manager, Academic Success and Retention - Student Success Office

The next few years will be challenging for staff. Contract staff have already been negatively affected by budget cuts. Permanent staff layoffs will follow. Many are already voicing their concerns about workload and burnout.

I believe it is especially crucial during these stressful times to have an effective UWSA Board focused on good governance, advancing strategic priorities, and advocating for equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism in all spaces where the UWSA has a voice. If elected, I will also advocate for:

  • Transparency (sharing with members what the Board knows and can share)
  • Frequent communication with members on the activities and workings of the Board
  • Staff representation/consultation in decision-making processes pertaining to budget cuts

I have been involved in the UWSA for five years, as an Area Rep for GSPA and then SSO. I bring to the role a range of experience on university-wide committees and working groups, as well as 3 years of non-profit experience.

From 2021 to 2023, I was a director of the Graduate and Postdoctoral Development Network, a higher education non-profit. I served as vice president, president and past-president, led the Network through the final stages of incorporation with Corporations Canada, and worked with the Board to secure the incorporation’s insurance coverage, accountant, and bank account. I am committed to good governance and have taken advantage of opportunities to further expand my knowledge in this area, by completing workshops on Board Foundations and University of Waterloo Governance.

I would be honoured to apply my skills in non-profit governance, strategic planning, advocacy and collaboration to a role as Director on the UWSA Board, and I am prepared to serve a longer term to ensure a level of stability on the board during these challenging times.

Visit Angela's LinkedIn profile.

Mifrah Abid

My name is Mifrah Abid, and I am the Anti-Racism Specialist at EDI-RO, which is the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti Racism Office. I have many years of experience working with grassroots advocacy with victims of hate and engaging with different community stakeholders to create systemic change. I believe strongly in engaging our systems. I am passionate about social justice and believe that if we strip away all the buzzwords, what we essentially need is kindness for each other.

As for my background, I taught English at University level for several years in India before moving to Canada 7 years ago. I call myself a ‘Hyphenated Canadian’: I am more than the sum of my different identities. I have a quirky sense of humour (or as my teenaged offspring would put it: I have lame mom jokes!)

I love being creative: I hosted and produced my own podcast called Across Her Table and I occasionally write Op-Eds in the Waterloo Chronicle and Waterloo Record.

I am what you would call a ‘Peoples Person’. I love listening to people’s stories. I am good at mediation and facilitating difficult conversations. I am also a solution focused person – when I see a problem I like to explore what tangible solutions to resolve it. I am also pragmatic – I know that change doesn’t come overnight and sometimes change can be very small, but I focus on the wins and try hard not to be complacent.

Visit Mifrah's LinkedIn profile.

Sarah Landy

Hello, my name is Sarah Landy and I am the Administrative Officer in Systems Design Engineering. It is an honour for me to be considered by my colleagues to serve on the UWSA Board of Directors. I am a long serving staff member of the University of Waterloo with over 15 years of experience. I have had many volunteer service roles including supporting the UWSA as an Area Rep, a member of the Dispute Resolution Pool, and a Parking Advisory Committee Rep.  I am experienced in policy development, communications, financial matters, and fostering a positive and productive work environment. I am very familiar with the university's governance structures and have experience in crafting and executing organizational strategies, as well as setting long-term goals. Outside of work, I have served on the board of directors for a local not-for-profit organization and am familiar with provincial NFP policies.

I would like to serve as a Director in the UWSA to advocate for the changes I and my colleagues want to see and be a representative voice for the staff. We are entering times of uncertainty, and a strong board of directors is essential to maintaining a positive and productive UWSA. Sharing opinions and lived experiences while holding space for others' perspectives is crucial for a director. I will contribute my insights and respectfully consider others' viewpoints to achieve well-rounded decisions and policies. I hope to offer a fresh perspective on issues facing staff and help build a better and stronger Staff Association that represents the needs and wants of UW staff.

Visit Sarah's LinkedIn profile.

Tim Ireland

My name is Tim Ireland, and I currently an Academic Librarian here at the University of Waterloo. My connection to this institution runs deep, having first arrived as a student in 1988, and I've been part of the University ever since. Over the years, I have taken on various roles, including serving a full term as a UWSA Board member. During my tenure, I contributed to the Staff Relations Committee (SRC), the Provost Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation (PACSC), and several other committees within the UWSA.

Following my term as Director, I was invited to become a UWSA staff representative on the Policy 14 – Pregnancy and Parental Leaves (including Adoption) and Return to Work drafting committee. In this capacity, I played a key role in negotiating improvements for staff benefits and advocating for equality among all working groups at UWaterloo. My work involved a thorough review of relevant by-laws, policies, and legislation to ensure compliance and an exhaustive comparison with the policies of compositor employers (both academic and non-academic). The process of revising Policy 14 took over five years, and I was one of the original members who remained committed to seeing it through to a successful conclusion.

I possess strong people skills and have extensive experience working collaboratively within teams to achieve strategic objectives. As we navigate increasingly challenging times, I am a long-term strategic thinker, and I am confident that I can be a strong voice to guide the UWSA through these complex moments.

Thank you for considering supporting me so I can support you!