Find Out Who is Fighting on Your Behalf

Learn what each committee does, who’s involved, and how their work helps shape decisions that matter to faculty across campus.

MUNFA Committees

MUNFA Executive Committee (2026 - 2027)

President (2025-2026) Lisa Moores Student Wellness & Counselling Centre
Past President (2025-2026) Ashrafee Hossain Business Administration
Vice-President External(2025-2026) Erika Merschrod Chemistry
Vice-President Internal (2024-2026) Russell Williams Political Science
Secretary (2025-2027) Yolanda Wiersma Biology
Treasurer (2024-2026) Erin Alcock Q.E II Library
Member-at-Large, Grenfell Campus (2025-2027) Nathalie Pender French, Grenfall
Member-at-Large (2024-2026) Gerard Curtis Visual Arts, Grenfell
Member-at-Large (2025-2026) Janet Goosney Q.E. II Library
Member-at-Large (2025-2026) Heather McLeod Education
Member-at-Large (2025-2027) Sevtap Savas Medicine
Member-at-Large (2025-2026) Lisa-Jo van den Scott Sociology
Member-at-Large, Term-Appointed (2024-2025) Festus Ajayi Business

Executive Committee 2024 – 25

Ashrafee Hossain President Business Administration (2024-2025)
Sevtap Savas Past President Medicine (2024-2025)
Lisa Moores Vice-President External Student Counselling & Wellness Centre  (2024-2025)
Russell Williams Vice President Internal Political Science (2024-2026)
Erika Merschrod Secretary Chemistry (2023-2025)
Erin Alcock Treasurer QE II Library (2024-2026)
Gerard Curtis Member-at-Large Visual Arts, Grenfell (2024-2026)
Rachel Jekanowski Member-at-Large English Programme (2023-2025)
Chris Kozak Member-at-Large Chemistry (2024-2025)
Nathalie Pender Member-at-Large French, Grenfell (2024-2025)
Sarah Thorne Member-at-Large English (2024-2025)
Yolande Wiersma Member-at-Large Biology (2023-2025)
Vacant Term Appointed Member-at-Large (2024-2025)

Academic Freedom & Grievance Committee (Grenfell Campus) 2025 – 26

Johnathan Pope, English (Chair) (October 2026 Rachel Jekanowski English (Executive Liaison) (October 2027)
Rie Croll, Social/Cultural Studies (October 2027) Gerard Curtis Visual Arts (October 2025)
Vacant Nathalie Pender French (October 2027)
Andrew Testa, Visual Arts (October 2026) Bernard Wills Humanities (October 2027)
Amy Wadden (ex officio) (Labour Relations Officer) Dale Humphries (ex officio) (Labour Relations Coordinator)
When submitting a Grievance form, please ensure it is accompanied by a signed PIPEDA consent form.

Communications Committee Members 2025-26

Ash Hossain (Chair) Business Administration
Erika Merschrod Chemistry
Lisa Moores Student Wellness and Counselling Centre
Russell Williams Political Science
Sarah Thorne English

Academic Freedom & Grievance Committee (St. John’s Campus) 2025 – 26

Jon Church, Medicine (Co-Chair) (October 2025) Erika Merschrod, Chemistry (Co-Chair) (October 2025)
Laleh Alisaraie, Pharmacy (October 2027) Steve Butt, Engineering (October 2026)
Karen Dobbin-Williams, Nursing (October 2026) Patrick Gamsby, Library (October 2026)
Milord Nikolic, Classics (October 2026) Lourdes Peña-Castillo, Biology/Biochemistry (2025)
Nicole Power, Sociology (October 2027) John Sandlos, History (October 2027)
Cory Thorne, Folklore (October 2025) Yoland Wiersma, Biology (Executive Liaison) (October 2025)
Dale Humphries (Staff – MUNFA Labour Relations Coordinator) Amy Wadden (Staff – MUNFA Labour Relations Officer)
Nicole Snow, Nursing (October 2028)

An Introduction to the MUNFA Academic Freedom & Grievance Committee

If you would have any questions or comments for the AF&G Committee, you may forward your e-mail to: Amy Wadden in the MUNFA office.
When submitting a Grievance intake form, please ensure it is accompanied by a signed PIPEDA consent form. For an overview of the grievance process click here. St. John's AF&G Terms of Reference

*St. John's Campus committee. A parallel committee is appointed at Grenfell Campus.

Legal Support Fund Investment Advisory Committee 2025-26

Erin Alcock QE II Library (ex-officio) (2026) Yolanda Wiersma, Biology (October 2026)
If you have any questions or comments for this Committee, please forward your e-mail to: munfa@mun.ca

MUNFA Nominating and Balloting Committee (2026-2027)

Kirk Anderson Professor Education
Janet Goosney Librarian IV Q.E. II Library
Sébastien Rossignol Associate Professor History
Michelle Swab Librarian III Health Sciences Library

MUNFA Economic Benefits Committee 2025-26

Anne Graham, MLLC (October 2027) (Chair) Sean Cadigan, History (October 2027)
Ash Hossain, Business (October 2027) (Exec. Rep) Chinelo Ezenwa, English (October2027)
Rebecca Law, Pharmacy (October 2027) Heather McLoed, Education (October 2027)
Hamid Usefi, Math & Stats (October 2027) Amy Wadden, MUNFA Labour Relations Officer
If you have any questions or comments for the Economic Benefits Committee, please forward your e-mail to: munfa@mun.ca

MUNFA Pension Committee 2025-26

Ash Hossain, Business (October 2026) (Chair) Alec Brooks, Gender Studies (October 2026)
Kathy Gillett, Nursing (October 2025) Hong Wang, Math & Stats (October 2026)
Russell Williams, Political Science (October 2026) Erin Alcock, Q.E. II Library (October 2027)
Vernon Curran, Medicine (October 2027) Peggy Rauman, Nursing (October 2025)
Vacant Hong Wang, Math & Stats (October 2026)
Vacant Hamid Usefi, Math & Stats (October 2026)
Vacant Amy Wadden, MUNFA Labour Relations Officer
If you have any questions or comments for the Pension Committee, please forward your e-mail to: munfa@mun.ca

MUNFA Scholarship Committee 2025-26

Erin Alcock QE II Library (ex-officio) (2025) Vacant

In 1973, MUNFA established a scholarship trust fund for the promotion and encouragement of education at Memorial University of Newfoundland. When the capital of the Trust Fund reached a total amount of $250,000, all capital in excess of that amount, minus costs for management of the Trust Fund, is to be used for scholarships for MUN students. The MUNFA scholarships are available to full time or part time undergraduate students who demonstrate a high academic standard together with need of financial assistance.

Since 1973, many Academic Staff Members and staff of Memorial University have graciously donated to the MUNFA Scholarship Trust Fund. During the years of the Memorial University Opportunities Fund, when donations for scholarships to MUN were matched by Government, MUNFA made provision for the MUNFA scholarships to be included, designating that these matching funds also be used for scholarships. Many MUN students benefited. In the early days, the MUNFA scholarships were for an amount of $300.00; this was later raised to $600.00. These amounts reflected the tuition costs of the day. With changing times, and increased costs of university tuition, each MUNFA scholarship awarded today is valued at $2,500.00.

Should MUNFA members wish to increase their current contribution, begin contributing to the MUNFA Scholarship Endowment Trust Fund, or simply to send a contribution, please complete the contribution form and return this to the MUNFA Office. A tax receipt will be issued at year end, or if you wish to receive your receipt immediately, please indicate this with your contribution.

Joint Committees

Joint Association/University Relations Committee (St. John’s Campus) 2021-2022

Josh Lepawsky Co-Chair Geography (2021-2022)
Jon Church Medicine (2021-2022)
Ashrafee Hossain Business (2021-2022)
*St. John's Campus committee. A parallel committee is appointed at Grenfell Campus.

Joint Employment Equity Committee 2024-25

Erika Merschrod, Chemistry (October 2025) Carolyn Walsh, Psychology (October 2025)
Helene Volkoff (October 2025)
For more information on the Joint Equity Committee, please visit the University's Website or review Article 30 of the MUN/MUNFA Collective Agreement.

University Benefits Committee 2021 – 2022

Rebecca Law Pharmacy (Chair)
Xiuha Chen Medicine
Anne Graham MLLC
Krista King Nursing
Eduardo Martinez-Pedroza Math & Stats
William Schipper English
Ken Snelgrove Engineering
Amy Wadden MUNFA Labour Relations Officer
vacant

University Pensions Committee 2020 – 2021

Erin Alcock Library (alternate)
Stephen Butt Engineering
Veeresh Gadag Community Health
Don Gamble Modern Languages, Literatures & Cultures
George Jenner, Earth Sciences (Retired)
William Midodzi Medicine
Erin Oldford Business Administration
Sudhir Saha Business Administration (Retired)
Ken Snelgrove Engineering
Guang Sun Medicine
Hong Wang Mathematics & Statistics

Sexual Harassment Board 2021 – 2022

St. John’s Campus Board Members
Vicki Hallett Gender Studies (2023)
Paul DeDecker Linguistics (2023)
Grenfell Campus Board Members
Jennifer Broadbent Counselling and Psychological Services (2023)
Vacant

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