CUFA BC’s work is directed and undertaken by a rotating team of elected faculty members from our member associations, four elected officers, and two staff members.

CUFA BC’s highest level of governance is Council, which meets several times per year to discuss shared concerns, and set priorities for the organization. Day-to-day work is carried out under the direction of the Executive Director and the President, with support from the Executive Assistant.

Officers

Dr. Monica Prendergast, President
Curriculum and Instruction, University of Victoria

Dr. Kenneth Christie, Past President
Humanitarian Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Royal Roads University

Dr. Kenneth Christie is the Program Head and a Professor of the Human Security and Peacebuilding graduate program at Royal Roads University. Christie is a political scientist, author, editor and international academic who has taught and conducted research at universities in the U.S., Singapore, South Africa, Norway, the United Arab Emirates and Canada. Working all over the world has given him a unique perspective on peace, development and human security. His work has focused on issues of human rights, security and democratization. He is widely published as an author and editor with eleven books to his credit. His most recent book, co-edited with Marion Boulby, Migration, Refugees and Human Security in the Mediterranean and MENA was published by Palgrave MacMillan (2018). Today, he is working on issues of human security and its links to ethnic and state formation/failure in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Christie is also working on issues of de-radicalization, terrorism and human rights as well as populism (historical and contemporary) and corporate social responsibility. The work he produces is truly interdisciplinary and collaborative in nature. Dr. Christie is also a frequent commentator in the international and national media including television, radio and print on a wide variety of international affairs topics.

Karen Smith, Interim Secretary-Treasurer
Microbiology & Immunology, University of British Columbia

Karen Smith (she/her/hers) is a Lecturer at the University of British Columbia in the Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology. As an educator, she is primarily focused on the first year experience and conducted several scholarship of teaching and learning projects such as student wellbeing in the classroom, productive failure, and currently equity and diversity in learning activities. She is the secretary of the UBC Faculty Association and participated in the UBC FA bargaining committee in the 2019 round of contract negotiations.

Staff

Annabree Fairweather, Executive Director

Annabree has served as CUFA BC Executive Director since 2019. Annabree has worked in post-secondary academic labour relations union-side for over a decade in BC and Alberta. She has experience representing faculty rights in bargaining and labour disputes, as well as personal experience as a contract faculty member. Prior to her career in university labour, Annabree was a published researcher and a contract instructor at both the university and college level. She holds a Master of Science in experimental psychology and a double major Bachelor of Arts and Science in French and Psychology, as well as a Labour Relations-Management Certificate. Whenever she isn’t working, Annabree enjoys spending time with her wife and two children and distracting herself with hobbies, which include stone sculpture and playing piano. Email: [email protected]

Caroline Woo, Administrative Officer  

Caroline has recently joined CUFA BC as the Administrative Officer and brings extensive experience to the role with her business and education background. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Southern California and a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from the University of British Columbia. Her focus for her Master’s degree was Philosophy for Children. Prior to joining CUFA BC, she taught standardized university exams for educational companies and specialized in creative writing and reading analysis in her teaching. She also possesses experience in the hospitality and logistics sector. In her spare time, Caroline enjoys gourmet dining, jogging, and swimming in nature. Email: [email protected]