AFA Executive Council Candidates - CONTRACT FACULTY

Spring 2017 Elections

Fall 2017 thru Summer 2019 Term

VOTING PROCEDURE

     The election will be conducted online. Voting instructions will be sent via email to santarosa.edu accounts beginning Sunday, February 12. The deadline for casting a vote will be noon, Tuesday, February 21. Only current AFA members are eligible to vote in the election. Contract faculty members vote for the contract faculty representatives, and adjunct faculty members vote for the adjunct faculty representatives. Election results will be announced on the AFA website and via email. The Council will elect AFA officers and negotiators for the 2017-18 year at the Council meeting on March 8, 2017.

Alphabetical listing of candidates below.  Random listing will appear on ballots.

Six (6) Open Seats — Seven (7) Candidates    

	FILOMENA AVILA, Counseling      I have served on AFA now for 4 years and continue to feel the need to be actively engaged in the collective bargaining process. Given all the changes at the local, state and federal level, it is important to be involved. Four years ago, I could not have appreciated, as much as I do now, the persistence and importance of our local union. In my role as an allied counseling faculty member, I represent a group (allied faculty) that doesn’t always look like and function like the instructional faculty role. The involvement of others before me has provided an opportunity for allied faculty language to be represented in the contract and I desire to continue that advocacy. Given that we are an “all faculty association”, it is critical that we involve ourselves and not expect others to do all the work for us. Nothing is ever as easy as it seems and logic doesn’t always prevail, but it doesn’t mean that we stop advocating and pushing for what we feel is essential to our roles. I have watched our negotiators fight good fights in advocating for all faculty. I hope for the opportunity to continue serving on AFA.
	SHAWN BRUMBAUGH, Life Sciences     SRJC has a long tradition of academic excellence, in large part due to the commitment and professionalism of the faculty. I have been a faculty member in the Life Sciences Department for 12 years, the past four years of which I have been on the AFA Executive Council.     During this time, I have sat on several campus-wide committees including the 2030 Plan Steering Committee, the Teaching Fellows Steering Committee and the Professional Development Committee, and the combination of these activities has given me a fuller view of the diversity and complexity of faculty-related issues at SRJC.     While on the AFA Executive Council, I have enjoyed advocating for the fair compensation of faculty work and expertise, and for policies that promote the interests that unite all faculty as SRJC adapts to future challenges. I would be honored to continue to serve in this capacity for another term.
	KAREN FRINDELL TEUSCHER, Chemistry & Physics     It would be an honor to continue serving my faculty colleagues as a member of the AFA Executive Council. During the past eight years, I have been a member of the Executive Council and an AFA appointee to various shared governance committees. I have held the position of Conciliation/Grievance officer, and I am currently the AFA President and a member of the negotiations team. I wish to continue to advocate for fair and respectful treatment, competitive salary and benefits, and improved working conditions for all faculty members.     My past experience serving as Department Chair and Interim Dean of STEM, and teaching at the Santa Rosa and Petaluma campuses has given me a perspective for understanding the needs of faculty from many departments, disciplines, and locations. In these roles, I have been able to form a good working relationship with administration, and I intend to continue to put that to use in service of AFA. Going forward, I would like to strengthen union membership, continue to defend faculty rights, and make sure the voice of the faculty is heard in what promises to be a very challenging time. Now is the time for faculty to come together, and I want to help coordinate that effort.
	SEAN MARTIN, Philosophy     I’ve been an AFA member since 1999. I’m currently serving as AFA Treasurer and Vice President for Santa Rosa. I have also served as AFA President and on the negotiation team. I’m just completing my fourth elected term on the Executive Council. I’ve also served as a department chair and on several standing committees. In short, I believe my experience working in the district has prepared me to effectively serve faculty interests.     I believe in the power of a unified faculty. We are living through difficult times. There are significant pressures facing faculty and unions generally. To meet these challenges effectively we’ll need to strengthen our unity at the local, state, and federal levels. In the coming months we are anticipating concerted legal efforts aimed at weakening unions’ ability raise the funds needed to effectively represent members’ interests on issues such as academic freedom, tenure, benefits, pensions, and professional status. It is essential we be deliberate and prepared, rather than reactive. There’s much to be done, and a unified faculty is a necessary starting point.     Given the realities of lower enrollments along with an uncertain state funding, it is crucial we demand the district consider faculty compensation to be a top priority. But our interests extend beyond compensation. As the implementation of state legislation and misguided reform efforts command much of the attention of our district, we must stand ready to contest unwarranted increases to our already overburdened workload and reassert faculty’s role in the college governance. My sleeves are rolled up.
	CORINNA MCCLURE, Health Sciences     I am interested in serving on the All Faculty Association Executive Council in order to actively participate in the support and representation of all faculty of Santa Rosa Junior College. I have just completed the tenure review process and as I listened and learned along the way about the many things that makes SRJC an amazing institution to work for, I found that quite often my interests fell within the purview of the AFA.     Drawing on my experience as a coordinator in my discipline I am aware of the value of communication, professionalism, fair practice and clear policies. I believe that if you have an opinion, suggestion or critique on issues such as current practice and policies, especially pertaining to workplace environment and professional growth, it is a professional responsibility to step up and participate in the development, modification, and maintenance of those conditions.     While there is much to learn regarding the policies and procedures of the AFA, I feel this avenue provides me with the best place to offer my support and skills to represent our faculty at large.
	MIKE STARKEY, Digital Media/Computer Studies     I am very interested in rejoining the AFA council to further support both contract and adjunct faculty. I am currently completing 19 years (15 adjunct, 4 contract) as a faculty member here at SRJC. I have served with AFA in various roles, from 2005-12, and was a member of the FACCC Board of Governors in Sacramento in my final two years of that service. I would like to remind everyone to become a FACCC member, if you’re not already. FACCC and Jonathan Lightman are literally on the front lines in our state’s Capital, looking out for CCC faculty across the state of California. The faculty at SRJC have one of the few remaining independent unions in the CCC system.     It is important for all of us to pay attention, and be involved in the process of how decisions are made that affect us directly. I ask you to support me to continue that process for All Faculty at SRJC. I am also currently serving on the Academic Senate. I believe that the connection and communication between the Senate and AFA are vitally important to All Faculty at SRJC, in terms of both contract details and academic freedom.     Thank you for your support, I look forward to working with all of you and representing all of us fairly.
	ALBERT YU, Business Administration     I began my career at SRJC in August 2013 as an instructor and hospitality program coordinator in the Business Administration Department. I started teaching in January 2008 as an adjunct faculty in the Hospitality Management Department at Mission College in Santa Clara. Before starting my full-time teaching career, I worked in the hotel industry for over 10 years in Sales and Marketing. In the hotel industry, I have worked as a member of a union and have also been a manager overseeing union workers.     I have served on the Institutional Planning Committee and have actively participated in departmental and college-wide service including being on the AFA Executive Council since fall 2016. I have also taught at the Petaluma campus for two semesters. I feel my background and experience will help me represent the faculty and their interests. I have negotiation skills from my sales career, I am fiscally responsible due to my business background, and my hospitality industry experience allows me to connect with people from diverse backgrounds. I feel I would be a good representative for the CTE faculty at SRJC.     It would be an honor to continue to serve as an AFA Executive Council Member and I humbly ask for your support.