I am first and foremost an advocate.  In all facets of my life, I work to advocate for people's rights.  I have been an OSSTF representative for the staff at Elmira District Secondary School (EDSS) for 10 years. I work hard to build trusting relationships with all staff members at my site, and advocate strongly with administration on behalf of individual members and the staff as a whole to bring forward fair outcomes and positive change. As the Department Head of Special Education I advocate for the needs of students and the staff who support them.  This can be seen in environmental or workload accommodations, and can apply to all people in our school community: staff, students, parents, community members. Another layer of my advocacy through OSSTF is as part of the Bargaining Unit Administration Committee, meeting with senior admin at the board and with Human Resources in between bargaining cycles to find solutions to concerns from members, and as part of the Negotiation Prep Team where we are getting ready for the next round of bargaining.

In my role as District President, I am the chair of the District Executive, bringing together all the bargaining units in our district to create improved working and learning conditions in our schools and worksites. In this role I have taken on organizing representation of District 24 at community events such as the Labour Day Picnic, and speaking for teachers and education workers with local political leaders, like at the Youth Education Roundtable with Aislinn Clancy. It is my job to get all district committees up and running, and support the chairs of these committees throughout the year - District Human Rights Committee, District Political Action Committee, and District Status of Women Committee. One of the most important roles of the District President is to organize and support our delegation to AMPA in order to represent all members' voices when setting the direction of OSSTF at the provincial level. I also represent OSSTF District 24 at the Waterloo Region Labour Council. 

I have been an elected bargaining unit Executive Officer in the role of Recording Secretary for three years. This allows me to move our bargaining unit forward in a positive way while taking in multiple perspectives through debate and discussion. 

At a time when people are often feeling hopeless, union work is an outlet for hope and an actionable way to facilitate change. When we all feel like we are in our individual silos, seeing the concerns with the system and changes that are occurring individually, our union and union work brings us together with a common goal of saving and improving public education.

I am looking forward to advocating for teachers and organizing our members within our Bargaining Unit, District, and with workers in Waterloo Region as your Vice President. I will encourage participation in union life, committees and councils, community and social events. I will work to make these environments accessible and comfortable for all members. I will find a variety of entry points to participation so that we can benefit from all the unique perspectives that are held by our membership.  When we stand together for what we know is right, when we support each other even when things get hard, we let the decision makers know that we are here to win. My goal is to have all members feel heard and know that they are an important part of the fight for public education. Come along with me on this adventure next year as your Vice President!