I have been a leader with WOUFT, the faculty union at Western Oregon University since 2014, serving on the bargaining team, and on the Executive Council in the roles of VP of Membership, Secretary and currently as President. I began my career as a High School English teacher and Literacy Coach, and was an active member of the National Education Association while working in public schools. In 2012, I completed my doctorate at Utah State University in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Adolescent Literacy, continuing to teach high school throughout my doctoral program to retain my Union ties. Because of my positive experiences with Union advocacy as a teacher, I actively sought an academic position at a University with a Union. I was fortunate to find Western Oregon University and have been an active member of the Union since beginning there in 2013, joining the Executive Council and bargaining team my second year as an assistant professor. I currently prepare future teachers and encourage them to actively become involved in their own Unions when they are eligible, using my own experiences in Union leadership to provide them models of continual learning as a leader.

Through the experience of working with legislators on Public University Governance Reform over the last year, it became clear that working across Unions would provide more success than isolated advocacy at a single institution. Since 2021, I have worked to align my local with other Union leadership in locals across the state (AAUP, AOP, AAP) , our staff Union leadership (SEIU), our local school district Union leadership (OEA / CEA), and other AFT-Oregon leadership to highlight the variety of needs faced by differing Unions while maintaining the solidarity of a statewide advocacy organization.

In my experience building coalitions in our Union, while growing as a leader and witnessing the difference that can be made by members who seize the power and possibility of the Union, I have seen the ways that Unions can protect their members, influence and change management, and build a better workplace that values workers and their contributions. Our union, once sidelined and scapegoated by our administration, has changed its direction on our campus. I have worked hard the last two years to speak up for our members, highlight the value they bring to our campus, and call out administration and our Board of Trustees when they have oversimplified the complex issues we face on our campus. We’ve built a positive relationship and work together with administration and our legislators to advocate for more complex solutions to funding issues at our University and across the Regional Universities in our state. I believe that highlighting the positives of our members, building bridges and persistently advocating for better solutions has improved our culture and relationships with other Unions, our administration, and our legislators, leading to better advocacy for the unique needs of the differing kinds of institutions we all serve in.

My values are in collaboration, active participation, building bridges, extending persistent invitations, nuanced understanding, and creating a safe place for every voice to be heard. I am an experienced coalition builder, building empowered spaces with democratic agendas, and increased access to the tools and levers needed to make Union advocacy successful, even for those who don’t feel they have enough experience.

My goals as a Vice-President at Large are to:

• Understand the unique needs of the variety of locals and discover ways to build bridges across these differing needs for unified advocacy that can benefit all
• Build connections and shared purpose across Unions
• Advocate for tools and programs that empower members to actively participate in their Unions and strengthen their locals with strong support from AFT-Oregon
• Support the Executive Council of AFT-Oregon in its mission to be accessible to members, and its focus on being people powered, community centered, and committed to improving members’ lives