Executive Members

kbertran's picture
Kelly Bertrand
Director, Organizational Services, Library
+1-519-824-4120 x53359
kbertran@uoguelph.ca

PSA Chair and Employment Terms & Conditions Chair

I started with the University in 1997 and can honestly say it has been a pleasure to be part of this environment over the years. My first few positions were with Audit Services, then the Office of the CIO and now with the Library. I currently oversee teams that focus on administration, human resources, financial and facilities support for the Library. I have an undergraduate degree in business and obtained my accounting designation more than 20 years ago. Having taken a keen interest in financial planning, I have served on the Pension Committee of the Board of Governors since 2013 and look forward to contributing to the ongoing efforts to bring sustainability to our pension plans. This is my second stint on the PSA Executive and I look forward to the opportunity to advocate for the highly skilled and dedicated professional and managerial staff on campus.

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Leigh West
OAC Dean's Office
+1-519-824-4120 x52101
lewest@uoguelph.ca

PSA Vice Chair and Professional Development Committee Co-Chair

As a long time Guelphite and a soon to be 2 time alumna (BA - Sociology & Marketing and CBE Exec MBA – Food and Ag Business) I am passionate about the University of Guelph, the community of Guelph and the success of the students and my fellow colleagues.  I rejoined the University in January of 2010 after 12 years in the private sector where I last held the position of Director of Sales, Marketing and Corporate Contracts for a local R&D/manufacturing SME. 
Upon returning to the University, I held the position as Contracts Officer within the Office of Research.  During this time I was nominated as an executive member of the Steel Workers Union.  I participated on the Women’s Committee, the Pension Review Committee as well as the President's Exemplary Staff Awards Selection Committee in 2012.  Recently, I am honoured to have been elected to Senate for a three year term starting September 2015 where I am a member of the Senate Research Board as well as the Honours and Awards Committee.      
In 2013, I became a member of the Ontario Agricultural Colleges Dean’s Office team in my role as Manager, Research and Graduate Operations.  This position allows me to facilitate and support both the research enterprise as well as the graduate program within the College.  In addition, I am currently spearheading a Graduate Recruitment Initiative promoting UoG Graduate programs by providing information and support to senior level undergraduate students.
Above all else, however, I am a proud Mom of two very active boys, an equally active boxer and an insane “Fug” (aka fake pug = mostly pug with a little something else we’re not sure of mixed in) who all do their part to keep me on my toes.  
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Christopher Hewitt
Open Learning & Educational Support
+1-519-824-4120 x52959
chhewitt@uoguelph.ca

PSA Secretary

I have been with at the University since January of 2016 in my current role as Manager, Classroom Technical Infrastructure where I interact daily with faculty, researchers and administrators across the various disciplines. My team is responsible for an AV loan counter and the technical support that is required to make teaching and learning work within the classrooms.
Outside of work, I have 3 children and I currently sit on the Board of Directors for the Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk & Oxford counties Branch of St. John Ambulance. Having taken on the role of Community Services chairperson, I directed the strategy and wellbeing of 5 divisions that service those communities. Additionally, I am a Scout leader in the Guelph & Wellington Area with both Cubs and Scouts and as a Deputy Area Commissioner.
My natural passion is towards service and my natural ability to seek harmony allows me to work hard to deliver a great balance weighing the risks and challenges appropriately. My involvement in the Local JHSC, PSA Remuneration Committee, Convocation and Summerfest committees has allowed me to expand my area of influence outside of my immediate department and furthered my experience around the University.
For the past 2 years I’ve had time to look at the role of the Professional Staff Association and how it plays a significant role in the daily lives of professional staff around the University. I was looking for another way to contribute to the University community - I want to help make a difference!
mtorcole's picture
Mark Torcoletti
Engineering & Physical Science - Dean's Office
+1-519-824-4120 x53640
mtorcole@uoguelph.ca

PSA Treasurer

I am currently the Manager, Finance & Administration in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences and have worked at the University of Guelph since 2009 in a couple of different finance and management roles. Prior to this, I worked in accounting and finance at a large publicly-traded manufacturing company.
I am a graduate of the University of Guelph’s Bachelor of Commerce program and a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).
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Sameer Al-Abdul-Wahid
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Centre
+1-519-824-4120 x58914
s.wahid@uoguelph.ca

PSA Member at Large & External Committee Representative Liason

I joined the University of Guelph in 2016 as the manager of the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Centre. Alongside fellow NMR Centre staff, I work directly with students and faculty on a daily basis to support their research and teaching in the area of NMR. I have a graduate degree in chemistry, and enjoy collaborating/supporting research projects in my spare time. I am looking forward to being a part of the PSA and contributing in some small way to the great workplace we have here at the University of Guelph.

Rattan Gill
+1-519-824-4120 x58488
rattang@uoguelph.ca

PSA Member at Large

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Jacqueline Hamilton
College of Business and Economics
+1-519-824-4120 x52489
jhamil06@uoguelph.ca

PSA Member at Large and Membership & Communications Committee Chair

I am an alumni from the University of Guelph BASc. Adult Development program, and have been working full time at Guelph  in a couple of different roles since 2013. Currently I work as the Manager, Academic Programs in the College of Business and Economics. I also have my Masters of Education in Student Development and Student Services in Post-secondary Education from OISE, and a background in learning and curriculum development. With the PSA, I am the Chair of the Membership and Communications Committee and am in the first year of my first term. I look forward to helping improve the communication between the PSA and its members and please feel free to reach out if you every have any questions or suggestions.

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Kirk Sprague
Manager, Facilities Services, McLaughlin Library
+1-519-824-4120 x53602
ksprague@uoguelph.ca

PSA Member at Large

I have been a full-time member of the University of Guelph since September 1989.  Over this period, I have held non-managerial positions within Student Housing Services and Physical Resources.  In early 2004, I accepted a managerial position in the Library as Manager, Facilities Services as well as joining the PSA. It is an honour and privilege to serve the membership of the PSA and I am currently serving in my second term as a Member at large.  I am also currently participating as member of the Employment Terms and Conditions committee and have contributed in the renegotiation of our last three Memorandums of Agreement with the University.  

kthorne's picture
Kimberley Thorne
College of Arts
+1-519-824-4120 x52455
kthorne@uoguelph.ca

Member at Large

I have been an employee of the University of Guelph since 2009. I am currently the Manager, Facilities and Operations in the College of Arts. I have also held roles in academic administration (Administrative Officer, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development) and research administration (Project Manager of the International Institute in Critical Studies in Improvisation and finance/admin support for the ReVision Centre for Art and Social Justice). I am a member of the PSA Employee Terms and Conditions Committee and volunteer as a Diversity and Human Rights Resource Person. I have undergraduate and graduate experience at the University of Guelph, with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and a Masters of Business Administration.

I am excited to be joining the PSA Executive as a Member at Large and look forward to working with the PSA and its members on initiatives that positively impact all P&M staff.

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Sascha Tuuha
Animal Care Services
+1-519-824-4120 x52534
stuuha@uoguelph.ca

PSA Member at Large

I am currently the Program Manager for Animal Care Services at the University of Guelph, overseeing the appropriate use of animals in science through the administrative review process and compliance oversight. I have had the pleasure of serving on the Diversity and Human Rights Committee since February 2017, and more recently the Central Joint Health and Safety Committee. Prior to joining the U of G Community in 2016, I worked extensively with the Human Ethics, Animal Ethics, Radiation Safety and Biosafety Committees, as well as the public in my role as “Ombudsman”, as the Ethics and Compliance Officer, University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

I am honoured to be joining the executive this term. I am very impressed by what the University of Guelph offers its campus community, and I look forward to serving on the PSA as a member at large, sharing my passion for problem solving and helping to shape our “utopia”. I hold a BSc. in Neuroscience (University of Toronto), a BSc. In Nursing., RN. (Western University), Neonatal Intensive Care Certification (George Brown College), and soon a MHSc. in Health Informatics/Community Health (University of Ontario Institute of Technology) upon completion of my thesis.

Olya Yousefi
+1-519-824-4120 x53102
oyousefi@uoguelph.ca

PSA Member at Large

azachert's picture
Alicja Zachertowska
Enivronmental Health and Safety
+1-519-824-4120 x54270
azachert@uoguelph.ca

PSA Member at Large

Alicja Zachertowska is Laboratory Safety Officer who works with students, faculty, physical resources and U of G administration to support the University of Guelph campus safety in particular in research and teaching laboratories. After spending nearly a decade working in the research laboratories, Alicja knows what truly drives health and safety in the laboratory setups. It’s how well you connect with the people you’re trying to help; and how well you communicate your knowledge and understanding back to them.

Prior to joining Environmental Health and Safety unit on campus, Alicja worked in the biotech industry in Toronto, leading R&D research lab and humane vaccines bench-to-production scale-ups. She has also worked at the Animal Health Laboratory and Office of Research at U of G on multiple projects. Alicja has spent many years sharing her knowledge in science, health and safety through her daily coaching of the laboratory personnel and teaching WHMIS and Laboratory Safety.

Alicja holds master of Science in Engineering – Biotechnology from Agricultural University, Poznan, Poland; MSc in Biology from the University of Waterloo and PhD from the University of Guelph.