2026 AAPS Board Candidate Statements
We have an outstanding group of enthusiastic and qualified candidates who will volunteer their time to support AAPS members and our labour organization. We thank all of the candidates who have chosen to stand for election. We appreciate your commitment and dedication.
Please note that it can be challenging to stand for election amongst your peers. We encourage you to give each candidate the courtesy of reviewing their statements and communicating respectfully should you decide to reach out to them.
Get Ready to Vote!
Review all of the candidate statements.
Read over the voting instructions below.
Follow the elections link and log in using your CWL credentials.
This election is run by UBC Elections. if you have trouble voting, please contact elections.information@ubc.ca.
How to Vote
*Go to Simply Voting at https://ubc.simplyvoting.com/
Click "Login to Vote" to login with your CWL credentials
Vote for your preferred candidates (up to 3, depending on the position) by clicking on the box next to the candidate’s name
Click “Continue” then click “Confirm” to confirm your votes before logging out
*Polls close on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at 23:59:00. If you have trouble voting, please contact elections.information@ubc.ca.
Candidate Lists
The candidate lists below have been randomized. The UBC elections system will also randomize the list when you log in, so the order of the names as they appear below may not be the same as on the ballot.
1. You will be voting for one (1) 1st Vice President position (2-year term) on the AAPS Board of Directors:
- You will need to cast a ballot for 1 out of the 2 nominees
- Please read all of the candidate statements carefully.
2. You will be voting for three (3) Member at Large positions (2-year term) on the AAPS Board of Directors:
- You will need to cast a ballot for 3 out of the 7 nominees
- Please read all of the candidate statements carefully.
Election Results
The 2026/2027 AAPS Board of Directors will be introduced at the AAPS Annual General Meeting on Friday, October 30, 2026. Please save the date.
2026 Candidate Statements for the AAPS Board of Directors: 1st Vice President (2-year term)
Louis Zheng
louis.zheng@ubc.ca
he/him
Career and Skills Development, Environmental Responsibility, Fair Treatment
I am eager to serve on the AAPS Board because I want to contribute to AAPS in a meaningful way and help ensure that the voices, concerns, and experiences of our members are heard, respected, and represented. I recognize that members’ experiences across UBC can be very different, and I believe strong representation begins with listening, understanding different perspectives, and advocating thoughtfully for members’ interests.
Over my nearly five years at UBC, I have developed extensive experience in leadership, people management, stakeholder engagement, and navigating complex organizational environments. I have led teams, supported colleagues through change, managed competing priorities, and worked collaboratively with people across diverse roles and backgrounds. These experiences have strengthened my ability to communicate, build trust, navigate challenging conversations, and find practical solutions to complex issues.
I would bring this experience and, most importantly, my commitment as an AAPS member to the Board. I want to be an approachable and thoughtful representative who listens to members, understands the issues that matter to them, and advocates for fair, respectful, and supportive workplaces. I am ready to ask difficult questions, engage in constructive dialogue, and work collaboratively to bring members and the broader AAPS community together.
Anthony Dodds
anthony.dodds@ubc.ca
he/him
Career and Skills Development, Fair Treatment, Job Security
Hello! I’m Anthony Dodds, and I’m seeking re-election to the AAPS Board of Directors to continue advocating for a strong, inclusive, and responsive association.
Since joining UBC in 2008, I’ve built my career on the traditional lands of the Syilx Okanagan People. As an Okanagan-based Board member, I have worked to bring that perspective to AAPS while advocating for members across all UBC workplaces and locations.
My experience on the Board, as 1st Vice President, and on the AAPS Bargaining Committee has given me a strong understanding of both the challenges facing our members and the opportunities we have to make a difference.
If re-elected, my priorities remain clear: strengthen AAPS’s presence in the Okanagan, champion inclusive and equitable policies, reduce barriers to professional and personal development, and ensure members’ perspectives are reflected in the decisions that affect them.
Experience matters, but so does listening. I will continue to bring both to the Board, and I would be honoured to have your support.
Pavlo Bereas
pavlo.bereas@ubc.ca
he/him
Environmental Responsibility, Fair Treatment, Job Flexibility
I am seeking a second term on the AAPS Board to continue advocating for our members and building on the work we have accomplished together. I have worked at UBC for eleven years and have been an AAPS member for ten. Over the past two years, I have had the privilege of serving on the AAPS Board of Directors, including as a member of the bargaining committee during negotiations for our new collective agreement. This experience reinforced for me the importance of strong representation, collective advocacy, and ensuring members’ voices are heard.
As an Accessibility Advisor at the Centre for Accessibility and a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, I bring a perspective grounded in inclusion, accessibility, and creating workplaces where everyone is treated with dignity, respect, and fairness.
I want to continue working with AAPS members to advocate for fair compensation, supportive working conditions, flexible work arrangements, and a healthy work-life balance. I also believe our workplace can demonstrate leadership in environmental responsibility and sustainability.
I would be honoured to continue serving on the Board and contributing my experience, perspective, and commitment to advancing the interests of AAPS members and building a stronger, more equitable workplace at UBC.
Natalie Chambers
n.chambers@ubc.ca
she/her
Career and Skills Development, Fair Compensation, Job Security
Natalie is an MBA-prepared Registered Nurse leader and Certified Health Executive (CCHL) with 18 years of acute care nursing experience and 8 years in leadership roles. She has managed the Clinical Practice Placement Unit at UBC’s MacIsaac School of Nursing for the past 6 years, where she leads strategic partnerships and placement initiatives that support high-quality student learning, practice standards, and provincial workforce priorities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she successfully adapted clinical placement processes in response to directives from the Provincial Health Officer, ensuring the sustainability of student learning and workforce readiness.
Natalie is dedicated to service, leadership, and innovation. She played a key role in establishing UBC Nursing’s Anti-Racism Committee, contributing to efforts that led to her being awarded a UBC President’s Staff Award in 2022. As the former Co-Chair of the Regional Nurse Inter-School Committee, she collaborated with provincial health leaders, negotiated clinical placement solutions, and authored the committee’s inaugural Terms of Reference. Guided by CCHL's LEADS framework, Natalie is passionate about tackling complex health system challenges through effective communication, collaboration, and consensus building. She possesses a track record of advocacy, governance, and student leadership experience and is enthusiastic about contributing her insights to AAPS' Board of Directors.
Shadi Mehrabi
shadi.mehrabi@ubc.ca
she/her
Fair Compensation, Fair Treatment, Social Justice
I'm running for Member at Large because I want AAPS members to feel heard, respected, and supported at work. Management and Professional staff bring a wide range of expertise to UBC, but our experiences are not all the same. I want to listen across those differences and bring members’ concerns into the Board's conversations.
As an immigrant woman of colour, I know how much it matters to have someone notice whose experiences may be missing from a discussion. I would work to make space for IBPOC members' perspectives while representing the broader AAPS membership with care and fairness.
I've worked at UBC since 2019, building programs and working with colleagues across departments. My background in educational leadership, organizational coaching, and change management has strengthened my ability to listen closely, work through complex issues, and help people move toward practical solutions. I would bring those skills and perspectives to the Board. I would take the responsibility seriously, ask questions when something needs closer attention, and stay accountable to the members I hope to represent.
My name is Angela Lam, and I have worked at UBC for 23 years and am proud to be both an alumna and long-serving employee of the university. In my current role as Senior Manager, Arts Instructional Support and Information Technology, I work with faculty, staff, and leadership to support teaching and learning across the Faculty of Arts. Having spent most of my career within the same department and served as an AAPS Member-at-Large for the past four years, I have developed a deep appreciation for the people, collaboration, and sense of community that make UBC a remarkable place to learn, work, and grow.
Through my service with AAPS, I have advocated for members and contributed to important initiatives. I have participated in the AAPS Strategic Plan Working Group and currently serve as one of AAPS's representatives on the Disability Benefit Plan Committee.
I am seeking another term as an AAPS Member-at-Large because I remain committed to supporting AAPS members and helping ensure UBC continues to be an inclusive, supportive, and rewarding workplace. My priorities are career and skills development, job security, and fair compensation. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our members and would welcome the chance to continue giving back to the University that has played such an important role in my academic and professional journey.
Jun Sian Lee
junsian@cerc.ubc.ca
he/him
Career and Skills Development, Environmental Responsibility, Fair Compensation
I have been part of the UBC community for 17 years, and an AAPS member for the past three. During this time, I have experienced UBC as a student, a post‑graduate researcher, and now as a facility officer in UBC Clean Energy Research Centre. These roles have given me a deep appreciation for the many perspectives, challenges, and aspirations that shape our workplace.
I would like to join the AAPS Board to represent colleagues who come from varied backgrounds and different experiences. As someone who approaches problems with curiosity and practicality, I hope to contribute evidence‑oriented ideas that support members and strengthen our community.
Serving on the AAPS Board would be a privilege. I am committed to listening, collaborating, and helping advance initiatives that make our work environment a more supportive and inclusive one.
Ratan Chandrashekaraiah
ratan.chandrashekaraiah@ubc.ca
he/him
Fair Compensation, Job Flexibility, Job Security
Ratan Chandrashekaraiah is seeking to serve as a Member at Large on the AAPS Board of Directors because he believes effective representation starts with listening to members, understanding realities of their work, and working constructively to address issues that affect careers and workplace experience.
Ratan brings experience in Human Resources, employee and client relations, workforce management, and project management.
Ratan's three areas of focus are:
Job Flexibility: The way people work has changed significantly and flexibility is an issue raised by many members. Ratan wants to support practical, consistent and transparent approaches to workplace flexibility considering both members' needs and the University's operational requirements.
Job Security: Ratan wants to support constructive discussion around how AAPS can continue to represent members when there are changes to roles, organizational restructuring, employment circumstances and the broader economic uncertainity.
Fair Compensation: AAPS' recent bargaining work has addressed compensation, including pay equity for lower-paid members and clearer progression towards market rate. Ratan wants to contribute to continued attention to equitable, transparent and competitive compensation across the AAPS membership.
As a member at Large, Ratan would bring a practical, collaborative and member-focused perspective to the Board and contribute constructively to AAPS' work on behalf of its membership.
Lucia Quesada-Ramirez
luciaq@msl.ubc.ca
she/they
Fair Compensation, Family Support, Social Justice
My name is Lucía and I work as a Science Education Laboratory Manager at the Michael Smith Laboratories. I want to join the AAPS Board of Directors, so that voices that have historically not been prioritized in this Association, and during negotiations are heard and centered. Inhabiting multiple intersections of marginalization makes me passionate about listening and uplifting the voices and concerns of other marginalized members, including racialized, queer, disabled, Indigenous, and im(migrant) members, as well as members who are parents, and those who are not in senior leadership positions. As a disabled person I want to bring the concerns of other disabled/chronically ill members to the table, especially when it comes to sick leave. I believe we should center the voices of members with lived experience in the different topics we tackle during collective bargaining. I want to effect change that is meaningful to everyone, without leaving anyone behind.
My qualifications include public outreach and communication skills, experience liaising with multiple UBC departments and offices and navigating the University landscape, designing and facilitating workshops, serving as the Co-chair of the EDI committee at the Michael Smith Laboratories, and being a member of the Disability Affinity Group. I believe these will aid me in serving you and in advancing our community interests.
By Acclaim:
President
Lauren (Ilaanaay) Casey
lauren.casey@ubc.ca
any pronouns
Fair Compensation, Job Flexibility, Social Justice
Elected first as a Member at Large in 2020, then 1st Vice President in 2023, I have served on the AAPS Board for 6 years having assumed Acting President in January of 2024 and elected in October. In my eight years at UBC, I have previously worked at the Sauder School of Business and the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office. I am now an Educational Consultant, Anti-Racism & Indigenous Initiatives with the Centre for Teaching, Learning & Technology.
I am registered with the Skidegate Band of the Haida Nation through my father, and Cree Metis from the Red River Valley via southern Alberta through my mother. As a queer, disabled, Indigenous person, my lived experience has deeply informed how I show up in the work, ensuring that the voices and perspectives of members who live at the intersections of equity-deserving identities are heard by our association and the university.
During my time on the Board, I have engaged in the development of two AAPS strategic plans, overseen the expansion of the AAPS team to meet member needs especially as we take on pivotal issues like remote work, and I have served as a member of the Bargaining Committee in 2023 and as Chair of the Bargaining Committee in 2026. I am very proud of the agreement that was just passed as it gained several new benefits for members, more money towards existing benefits, and ensured our lowest paid members saw raises that addressed the growing pay gaps by redistributing funds. Additionally, I attended all of our member consultations before bargaining - hearing directly from you what matters - and all of our information sessions post bargaining to explain the new agreement in a more accessible fashion.
I have been proud to serve on the AAPS Board for six years, and hope to continue serving as your President for another term to represent to the best of my ability our members from all university sites across BC.
Secretary
Michael Ferrazzi
michael.ferrazzi@ubc.ca
he/him
Fair Compensation, Fair Treatment, Job Security
As an AAPS member for the past 15 years, I am committed to giving back to our community. I currently serve as AAPS Board Secretary and have four years of experience on the Board advocating for members and helping strengthen our association.
Last year, I participated in bargaining efforts that helped secure enhancements to member wages and benefits. I remain focused on advancing fair compensation, job security, flexibility, and respectful workplaces for all AAPS members.
With a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Arts in Economics from UBC, I bring experience in governance, compensation, and organizational decision-making. As a Department Administrator, I collaborate with colleagues across HR, Finance, Facilities, IT, Communications, and Student Services, giving me a broad understanding of the diverse roles and challenges facing AAPS members across the University.
I actively seek input from members and work to ensure their concerns are heard and represented on the Board agenda. I am passionate about helping make UBC an outstanding place to work and would be honoured to continue serving as your AAPS Board Secretary.
