Staff

• 

  Michael Conlon

  • Executive Director
  • Michael joined the FSA in August 2020. Michael’s unique blend of experience from the post-secondary and faculty association sectors within BC and across Canada brings a wealth of knowledge to our FSA office.

    Michael’s career includes a variety of roles over 15 years in post-secondary labour relations. His time as the Executive Director for the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia (CUFA BC) representing five faculty associations is reflected in the depth of his understanding of BC’s post-secondary environment. Michael was also the Executive Director of the Association of Administrative and Professional Staff (AAPS) at UBC. On a national level, Michael served as the Research & Policy Officer at the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), to which we are affiliated. Most recently, Michael expanded his national scope by serving as the Executive Director for the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), representing their 17,000 members.

    In his spare time Michael is a year round cyclist and is looking forward to getting back up into the North Shore mountains.

  • Phone
    604.432.8696
  • Email
    mconlon@bcit.ca
• 

  Maria Angerilli

  • Operations & Human Resources Director
  • Maria joined the FSA in October 2011 as the Executive Assistant and has advanced over the years into the Operations Director position and then into her current role as the Operations & Human Resources Director. Her role is critical in leading the business and personnel operations of the FSA office. Maria served as an Interim Co-Executive Director from June 2019 - Aug 2020..

    Maria works closely with the FSA Board of Directors, the President, and Executive Director assisting them with the overall operations of the FSA office and providing resources and support to ensure effective and efficient governance. Over her career, Maria has experience supporting senior level executive teams in commercial real estate and retail industries and has contributed to the improvement of the FSA’s internal systems and administrative practices. Maria draws upon her professional photography and design experience and knowledge to support the FSA’s brand identity and communications work. As a long-standing employee at the FSA, Maria brings extensive organization history to her work.

  • Phone
    604.432.8356
  • Email
    mangerilli@bcit.ca
• 

  Kyla Epstein

  • Member Engagement Officer
  
  
  • Kyla joined the BCIT Faculty & Staff Association in 2013 in the newly created position of Member Engagement Officer and served as an Interim Co-Executive Director from June 2019 - Aug 2020. Building on her degree in Political Science and International Development Kyla has worked for social justice in both Canada and Guatemala. With almost two decades of experience in non-profit administration, governance, fundraising, engagement and communications, Kyla is an active volunteer having served on many boards and most recently was a member of the City of Vancouver Civic Asset Naming Committee, a Director with the BC Library Trustees Association (BCLTA), and is a past Chair of the Vancouver Public Library. Kyla currently serves on the board of the Laurier Institution, the board of the Vancouver Writers Festival, is an active member of the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) of her child's school, and in 2017 Kyla was selected to attend the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference.
  
  
  • Phone
    604.432.8569
  
  
  • Email
    kepstein@bcit.ca

   
• 

  George Talbott

  • Senior Labour Relations Representative
  
  
  • George earned a law degree from the University of Alberta, receiving the Alberta Labour Relations Board prize, and was called to the bar of Ontario. Previously, he earned a B.Sc. (Hons.) in physics from the same university.

    While articling for a boutique labour and employment law firm, George was an activist with the Council of Canadian’s Ottawa chapter, and later became the Council’s head of human resources. In the past, George has written freelance articles, mostly in the area of labour law and labour relations, for publishers such as Canada Law Book, Lancaster House, and Workforce magazine. As a result of his experiences, he became a founding member of the C.E.P.’s Canadian Freelance Union, now part of Unifor.

    Advising organizations in the non-profit, private, and public sectors, George’s repertoire includes collective agreement interpretation, conflict resolution, training, collective bargaining, legal drafting and research. He is a member of the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources, BC & Yukon and of the Law Society of Ontario.

  • Phone
    604-432-8568
  
  
  • Email
    gtalbott@bcit.ca

   
• 

  Kristie Starr

  • Labour Relations Representative
  
  
  • Kristie was born and raised in southern Colorado and graduated with a B.A. in history and russian studies from Colorado College. She spent the next ten years at Yale University, pursuing a graduate education in history and learning valuable lessons in social justice activism. While enrolled in a Ph.D. program, she joined the effort to organize the first teaching assistants union at a private university in the U.S., partnering with the other unions on campus and in the city of New Haven. This experience inspired her to become a union representative and organizer in cities across Connecticut, California, Florida, Colorado, and, finally, brought her to work with a local in B.C. Her passion for social justice then led her to work in Vancouver’s non-profit community, in the roles of outreach or operations coordinator at Megaphone Magazine, Green Jobs for BC, Next Up, and Organize BC. With sixteen years of experience in the labour movement, Kristie has developed expertise in servicing union contracts, member engagement, and grassroots organizing. In her spare time, you can find her delving into a good historical fiction novel, knitting yet another toque, or marveling at the beauty of this province on its many woodland and seaside trails.
  
  
  • Phone
    604.451.7161
  
  
  • Email
    kstarr3@bcit.ca
• 

  Michael Thompson

  • Labour Relations Representative
  • Michael Thompson’s interest in labour activism began at the age of seven when he joined his dad on the picket line. That early experience of his father’s union taking a stand for workers’ rights forged his passion for social justice. He went on to study Economics and Business at SFU, rounding out his skillset to service the membership. His formal work with unions began in the early nineties where he served at the local level, holding various elected and appointed committee positions. During this time Michael also volunteered for several years with the Vancouver Police department. There, he received training in conflict resolution and gained other valuable experiences that greatly enhanced his ability to help members in need. In 2006 he was elected as a full-time Business Agent and went on to become the National Secretary-Treasurer of his union, responsible for staff and seven offices from Burnaby to Montreal. Michael most recently worked as a representative for an interprovincial construction union prior to arriving at the FSA. His experience includes collective agreement interpretation, membership training, legal research and pension plans.
  • Phone
    604.432.8349
  • Email
    mthompson117@bcit.ca
• 

  Steve Kwon

  • Junior Labour Relations Representative
  
  
  • Steve’s journey into unions and labour relations started soon after he finished his university education in 2011. As an undergraduate student at SFU studying International Studies, Steve worked extensively around the campus, from SFU’s residences to providing research support to work as a teaching assistant. He spent a semester during his undergraduate studies over in Africa at the University of Cape Town. Upon completing his undergraduate studies, Steve moved to the United Kingdom and completed his masters degree at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences in the International Relations and International History program.

    Soon after completing his education, he started working for one of the largest private sector unions in BC where he specialized in collective bargaining agreements, negotiations, and grievances. He was eventually elected as the unit president of the bargaining unit at the union and he worked diligently to represent his colleagues’ interests and rights in the workplace.

    Steve is very excited to be back in the post-secondary environment and to be working with his FSA colleagues towards strong representation of the interests and rights of FSA members.

  
  
  • Phone
    604.456.8051
  
  
  • Email
    skwon35@bcit.ca
• 

  Pierre Cassidy

  • Information Officer
  
  
  • Pierre Cassidy has extensive experience in the post-secondary sector, notably on matters of policy, process, and privacy, as well as managing, processing, and securing corporate records. He teaches a variety of courses on ethics and critical thinking, reading, and writing. He has volunteered in the labour movement as an executive committee member, bargaining committee member, and as a shop steward. This experience is supported by robust and broad educational foundation in the liberal arts, business analytics, database administration and design, business process mapping and improvement, and personal information protection.
  
  
  • Phone
    604.432.8859
  
  
  • Email
    pcassidy4@bcit.ca

   
• 

  Debbie Kinequon

  • Operations Assistant
  
  
  • Debbie joined the FSA in October 2017. Debbie has 13 years of experience working in high level administrative roles from which she acquired a very diverse set of office skills. Debbie’s past experience and knowledge will be an asset as she assists with the day to day operations in the FSA office.
  
  
  • Phone
    604.412.7408
  
  
  • Email
    dkinequon1@bcit.ca

• Staff

• 

  Michael Conlon

  Executive Director

  mconlon@bcit.ca
  604.432.8696
• 

  Maria Angerilli

  Operations & HR Director

  mangerilli@bcit.ca
  604.432.8356
• 

  Kyla Epstein

  Member Engagement Officer

  kepstein@bcit.ca
  604.432.8569
• 

  George Talbott

  Senior Labour Relations Representative

  gtalbott@bcit.ca
  604.432.8568
• 

  Kristie Starr

  Labour Relations Representative

  kstarr3@bcit.ca
  604.451.7161
• 

  Michael Thompson

  Labour Relations Representative

  mthompson117@bcit.ca
  604.432.8349
• 

  Steve Kwon

  Junior Labour Relations Representative

  skwon35@bcit.ca
  604.456.8051
• 

  Pierre Cassidy

  Information Officer

  pcassidy4@bcit.ca
  604.432.8859
• 

  Debbie Kinequon

  Operations Assistant

  dkinequon1@bcit.ca
  604.412.7408

Staff On Leave

The following staff are currently on leave:

• Christine Nagy, Labour Relations Representative
• Tess Rebbitt, Labour Relations Representative