ANGELO MINGARELLI

President

Angelo is Professor of Mathematics in the School of Mathematics and Statistics, where he’s been on the faculty for 29 years. As a  CUASA member he’s been a member of almost every committee in the association and president of the association for a fourth term this year. He has published more than 110 papers and is the author of six books.

BRENDA VELLINO

Vice President

Brenda Vellino has served as an associate professor of literature and human rights for both the English Department and the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies for the past 27 years. Since Idle No More in 2012, her research and teaching seeks ethical responsiveness to what it means to live and work on unceded Algonquin territory as guided by Indigenous laws, stories, and land defence actions. She teaches courses in Indigenous literatures and theatre, Indigenous human rights, and the Environmental Humanities. Brenda brings experience serving as CUASA council rep for a number of years to her role as VP. Her commitment is to engage more members in the work of CUASA, and to foster an inclusive, participatory culture that can handle contention without being divisive. A proud mom of two queer young adults, 2 cats, and a dog, Brenda also strives for something like a work/life balance.

ROOT GORELICK

Past President

Root is an anarchist who cares deeply about equity, inclusion, integrity, and due process. His guiding principles are “do no harm” and “leave things better than you found them”. He has training and work experience in biology, mathematics, economics, and physics.

CHANTAL DION

Chair, Collective Bargaining & Chief Negotiator

Education is Chantal’s passion. Fair democracy is her main objective. With this in mind, it probably helps she has written a PhD dissertation on Humor and Laughter in learning and teaching a second language (Université de Montréal, 2007). Chantal believes in negotiations, as long as all parties are respectful and fair. Over time, her involvement with CUASA has been natural: Council representative, Instructor representative, President, and Chair of the Collective Bargaining Committee/Chief Negotiator. She believes in the strength of the whole, and she has faith in intelligent and positive participation. In Chantal’s opinion, there is no greater power than the power of solidarity exercised with no-nonsense diplomacy.

CHRISTAL CÔTÉ

Director / Senior Grievance & Arbitration Officer

Christal is the in-house legal services professional responsible for representing the Association, and its members, at all stages of the grievance process and before various boards, administrative tribunals and arbitrators. Under the oversight of the Grievance Policy and Administration Committee and in collaboration with the President, Christal is also responsible for coordinating legal projects, developing grievance education and overseeing the Association’s grievance handling and representation services. She also serves as CUASA’s Director.

Christal is licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) and holds a P1 license; has a BA from the University of Manitoba; is a Mediator with a certificate in Advanced Negotiations; and graduated with honours from the LSUC accredited licensed paralegal program at Algonquin Careers Academy. Christal is currently a graduate student in the Master of Ethics and Legal Studies, Labour and Industrial Relations program at Charles Stuart University.

DEBORAH JACKSON

Office Manager

In addition to the day to day running of the CUASA Office, Deborah is responsible for CUASA’s finances, administering the mailing and membership lists, running CUASA elections and the loan of CUASA materials to members. Deborah has been with CUASA since 1999.

JOSH HORTON

Member Services and Communications Officer

Josh’s primary responsibilities are member development, mobilization and organization, day-to-day services to members, committee support, and both internal and external communications on behalf of the Association, including the CUASA website and social media feeds.

Josh holds a Master of Arts in Communication from Carleton University, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Communication from Cape Breton University in his hometown of Sydney, NS. He is currently enrolled in a Professional Writing Certificate specializing in Marketing and Public Relations from the University of Calgary.

ALEX AUCOIN

Grievance Support Services Assistant

Alex provides dedicated assistance and support in the provision of legal services to CUASA.

Alex holds a P1 licence from the Law Society of Ontario, and graduated with honours from the LSO accredited paralegal program at Algonquin Careers Academy.

HANAN MANKAL

Grievance Support Services Assistant

Hanan grew up in Ottawa and moved to the Middle East for a number of years with her family. She comes from a diversified professional background working in the medical field, retail, and the legal field.

Hanan holds a P1 licence from the Law Society of Ontario, and graduated with excellence from the LSO accredited paralegal program at Algonquin Careers Academy. She is passionate about helping people and is looking forward to a new chapter in her career.

LIALA SWAYTY

Administrative Assistant

Liala first joined CUASA’s team in 2015 as the Records and Space Management Coordinator and is now the Administrative Assistant to the Director and Senior Grievance and Arbitration Officer positions. Liala helps contribute to the overall effective operation of CUASA services by providing executive administrative support, taking minutes, scheduling meetings, preparing various material, and organizing and filing association documents.

Liala has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Bachelor of Commerce degree, both from the University of Ottawa.