Become a Board Member

In this year’s election, the FSA welcomed Board nominations for one (1) President and one (1) Vice President to serve 2026-28 terms. 

Nomination Details

• Nominations were accepted from March 6, 2025, until March 25, 2026. 
• We received one (1) nomination to fill one (1) FSA President position. 
• We received one (1) nomination to fill one (1) FSA Vice President position. 
• Both candidates have been elected by acclamation.
• Questions can be directed to the Chief Returning Officer, Denise Calvert through [email protected].
• Candidate statements below (unedited) are those of the individuals and do not represent official FSA positions.

ACCLAIMED

President

Colin Jones

Hello colleagues and friends,

I am putting my name forward to continue serving as your FSA President for the 2026-2028 term. It has been an honour to lead our association for more than six years. My journey in union leadership began in 2005, and over the past two decades, I have transformed into a steadfast advocate for our members.

Throughout my 28-year career at BCIT, I have seen many areas where the FSA and BCIT work incredibly well, both internally and externally. I’ve also seen just how many opportunities remain! FSA board members have a responsibility to bring forward issues identified by our members and work with BCIT to see improvements. I relish those conversations.

My first passion remains collective bargaining. Since 2010, I have served on our Bargaining Team, and as your Chief Negotiator since 2018, I have led multiple rounds of successful negotiations. At the national level, I currently serve as the Treasurer for NUCAUT and a director on the CAUT Defence Fund. This work has shown me that real solidarity is built on the ground through shared action.

Should I have the pleasure of serving two more years as President of our association, I look forward to supporting our staff as they defend the longstanding tenets of academic freedom and shared governance that are the cornerstones on which BCIT was established. These, alongside Departmental and member rights, are paramount to our union. I strive to find opportunities for BCIT and the FSA to communicate more, not less, as we continue to work together to solve the complex problems we all face – tackling them as partners, not adversaries.

You've probably heard me say it in person - I bleed BCIT blue. I will never forget the first time I arrived on campus for an infosession.  BCIT was amazing to that 17-year-old kid. From starting as a Computing student, to a summer job as a student employee, to a career of more than 28 years, BCIT has been good to me and my family. But my most rewarding time has been serving as your President and Chief Negotiator. It has given me the opportunity to see the incredible work that is done by FSA members each day - the work that makes BCIT work.

If elected, I will continue to amplify your voices and advocate for the improvements we all need to do our jobs even better.

Cheers, Colin

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Vice President

Shannion Kelly

It’s truly an honour to serve you as FSA Vice President.

I have been faculty at BCIT since 2002. While I have experienced periods of our collective stress as FSA members, including participating in strike action, never have I experienced the level of existential stress colleagues and departments are facing right now. The post-secondary sector in BC and across Canada is in turmoil and some institutions are laying off large numbers of our counterparts.
 
While not minimizing the stress and worry FSA members are experiencing, including direct impacts on our working conditions and workload, I do take some comfort in the knowledge that BCIT FSA members are more protected from these shocks compared to our counterparts at other institutions. This underscores for me the undeniable strength of our collective agreement, including best-in-class Department Rights language along with exceptional Layoff Avoidance language (which itself is linked to Department Rights in several key ways). 

Along with making sure these collective agreement rights are recognized and respected, your FSA Board and staff have stepped up our government relations activities and ramped up our communications with BCIT managers on these important topics. Department Rights are a passion of mine, and visiting your departments to discuss these rights has been one of my key activities for several years. I am privileged to support departments in understanding, exercising, and safeguarding your rights.

BCIT pushes through a constant stream of policy changes which impact FSA members, sometimes with what feels like rushed or limited consultation about our members’ priorities. On topics such as credit-count reductions and program reviews I helped the FSA bring members’ concerns forward and advocated for our members’ needs, including on the most recent changes to student attendance policy. 

As a program head in the Communication Department for many years, I work with many of you directly or indirectly across numerous programs, departments, and Schools. I feel the impact of increased cheating and I recognize the increasing challenges (and opportunities) of AI for our students and our work. We need to ensure that BCIT provides suitable resources to respond to AI and other technological changes, while also respecting our priorities as educators and subject matter experts. This includes providing proper support to our Part-Time Studies (PTS) instructors.

Solidarity is key.

We have strength in numbers and our solidarity as a union comes from the fact that we bring together educators and subject matter experts in many different roles, including faculty, specialized faculty, IT services, advisors, counsellors, librarians, assistant instructors, PTS instructors, researchers, tech staff, lab staff, and student employees. With a united front, we continue to accomplish amazing things, even in the face of our current challenges. 

Since 2014 I have been involved with your FSA Board, advocating for your priorities and rights. I hope to win your support to carry on for another two years as your Veep. 

Thank you.