Seven members were nominated for the director positions on the Board. As there are only four vacant positions, we're holding an election.
Read each candidate's biography and pick four of them to represent you on the Board of Directors. Voting ends July 17.
Jeff Bryer
Systems Consultant II, IT Services
I joined IT Services in 1999 and have spent all 20 years of my SFU career here. I have been involved in APSA for 18 years. I currently serve as vice-president of APSA, and the chair of the Pension Advisory Committee.
In my past roles within APSA, I have helped to establish APSA Central, update our by-laws (multiple times) and changes to the office staff including full-time positions and the APSA communications coordinator. I believe the work APSA does is very important to our members and I am very appreciative of the opportunity to contribute back to the association.
I look forward to continuing working with APSA in the future as a director, if elected.
Rachel Dawson
Associate Director, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
I came to SFU in 2008, after several years working in a non-profit organization that funded students pursuing graduate degrees. Although I originally joined SFU’s Graduate Studies Office with a simple desire to help students I soon discovered I had more to give. Over the past ten years, I have gone from managing a large scholarship portfolio to overseeing scholarships and training, professional development and finance. I have worked with program faculty and staff, project teams and technical professionals for many of our Graduate and Postdoctoral systems and projects.
I have been very fortunate to have been a part of many new and exciting initiatives and collaborations. This institution is ever-growing and ever-changing and I would like to join the board, not only to broaden my knowledge and make new connections but to contribute in a meaningful way to the changes and issues facing SFU and our APSA members.
Thank you for your consideration. I would be honoured to serve as a dedicated representative on the APSA Board of Directors.
Keith Horne, P.Eng.
Superintendent Mechanical, Facilities Services, Operations and Maintenance
9 years at SFU – Previous in K-12 and private industry (MacMillan Bloedel)
The mechanical department I manage is responsible for all campus mechanical equipment - building ventilation, central heating plant, cooling, plumbing etc., and utilities (including campus water)
Working in the Facilities Department gives me the opportunity to be involved with issues and meet people throughout the entire campus. Meeting with people in various and diverse departments - working towards solutions to problems and concerns is the most rewarding part of my job. I believe this analytical background and approach could be a valuable addition to the APSA Board.
Stephanie Stewart
Communications Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer
Stephanie has been employed at SFU since 2015. She began as a Business Analyst in IT Services and has been in her current role, Communications Officer for the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), since 2016. She has earned the reputation as the culture center of IT by being a champion of SFU’s three campuses and the IT staff who work at each. Her mission to lift the digital curtain and humanize IT is woven throughout her interactions with everyone in the SFU community. Throughout her career in communications, she has worked in a variety of sectors, but it is higher education, and SFU, that feels like home. This can be partly attributed to the connections she has made with fellow APSA members.
Her previous board experience includes being the first Canadian to be named to the Independent Book Publisher’s Association’s Board of Directors (2009-2012) and holding one term on the board of the Frank Theatre Company (2013). She is currently the co-chair of the CUCCIO Communications special interest group (SIG), SFU’s EDUCAUSE Ambassador, and an EDUCAUSE IT Communications Community Group cabinet member.
Stephanie was the chair of the CANHEIT-TECC 2018 planning committee, Canada’s premier conference for higher education IT leaders and advanced research computing (ARC) experts, hosted at the Burnaby campus in June 2018. In this role, she brought together staff from over ten departments within SFU to plan and execute the conference over an 18-month period. A key driver for the planning committee was ensuring sustainability and inclusivity were reflected in the conference as a whole. As a member of the ASPA Board of Directors, Stephanie will bring this philosophy to the table to support her fellow APSA members.
Jasper Stoodley
IT Professional, Faculty of Health Sciences
I joined SFU in the year 2000 and have been fortunate to have occupied multiple technical and management roles, in both academic (Health Sciences, Geography) and administrative units (IT Services). These roles provided me with varied experiences in different areas of the university, opportunities to work with committees, and a good knowledge of APSA policies and procedures.
I am a proud APSA member and believe that the association has done an excellent job of making SFU a great place to work. I would welcome the opportunity to continue the efforts of current and past directors, by strengthening engagement with our membership and fostering a strong relationship with the University.
The university environment is facing numerous disruptive external pressures - declining enrollments, the democratization of education, and the transformational impact of technology. SFU is changing and our association needs to be engaged to help shape our future. If elected, I would work hard with my fellow directors to address these challenges (and opportunities) to ensure that SFU remains a rewarding place to work as it evolves.
Justin Wong
Manager, Communications and Public Relations at SFU’s Beedie School of Business
I’ve been an APSA employee at SFU since 2015. As a proud SFU communication graduate, I’ve worked as a communicator for various departments at the University including the Centre for Dialogue, Communications and Marketing, and now the Beedie School of Business.
I enjoy building connections with people and learning to better understand how we can work together.
I am interested in joining the APSA Board of Directors so that I can continue to build new connections to assist the association in better serving APSA members as well as advancing members’ interests. If selected I will use my knowledge and skills to ensure the efforts by the board are better known and understood by its members, as well as contribute to discussions in a meaningful way with you, our members, in mind.
It would be a great honour to serve on the APSA Board of Directors. Thank you for your consideration.
Vince Wong
Senior Director, Advancement Services
Even though my working life at SFU began in February 2018, I have a long-standing connection with SFU having spent 6 wonderful years here towards my Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) degree back in the 1980s.
I bring 26 years of leadership experience and diverse background as both an SFU undergraduate and UBC graduate student, an SFU and UBC staff member, a temporary employee and permanent staff, a salaried professional and a volunteer, and in private industries and public institutions, all of which should serve APSA members well.
I returned to SFU to give back to the institution that means a lot to me. This is why I volunteered for the APSA Salary and Benefits committee and why I feel I can best represent your interests. My specific and extensive background in human resources, labour agreement administration, financial management, and contract negotiations will add to the collective strength of the Board.
If elected to join the APSA Board of Directors, I will use my career skills and experience, as well as my motivation, to give back. I strongly believe advocating for and improving the work conditions for our APSA members will enhance our recruitment and retention of the best professional and management staff who will lead SFU towards future success. Thank you for your consideration.