Executive Board Members 2020-2021
- President: Megan Strickfaden
- President Elect: vacant
- Past President: Jeff Preston
- Secretary: Alexis De Villa
- Treasurer: Erika Katzman
- Student Representative: Miggy Esteban
- Website Coordinator: Adam Chaboryk
- Local Arrangements Coordinator: Joshua St Pierre
- Assistant Local Arrangements Coordinator: Danika Jorgensen Skakum
- Congress Coordinators: Megan Strickfaden and Joshua St Pierre
- Congress Coordination Committee: Joshua St Pierre, Patrick Devlieger, Danika Jorgensen Skakum, Heunjung Lee, Megan Strickfaden, Janice Rieger, Gregor Wolbring
- Canadian Centre on Disability Studies Liaison Officer: Kate Grisim
- Communications Officer: Billie Anderson
- Francophone Representative: vacant
- Translation Coordinator: Aymeric Vildieu
- Equity Officer: Lily Kim
View past board members.
How to join the Executive Board
CDSA-ACÉH is extremely grateful for the invaluable service of each of its current and previous Executive Board members.
Vacant board positions are typically filled during our Annual General Meeting (AGM) at our annual conference at Congress. Board positions are voluntary and open to all members of CDSA-ACÉH in a given year, including students, faculty, and community members. Excepting the President and Outgoing Treasurer positions, joining the CDSA-ACÉH Executive Board requires no prior board experience.
Nominations for Executive Board positions can be made electronically, prior to an AGM, by e-mailing cdsa.aceh@gmail.com or during an AGM at Congress, and require only stating that you are interested in a given position as well as providing your name and contact information. However if multiple people nominate themselves for the same position at the AGM (a very rare occurrence), you may be required to speak briefly about why you are interested in, and qualified for, that position.
Along with designated duties specific to a given position, board members are asked to attend approximately one virtual meeting per month, and to vote electronically on various matters as they come up. Please contact us at cdsa.aceh@gmail.com with any questions about being an Executive Board member; to connect with current board members; or to signal your interest in joining the board yourself!
Position Descriptions
President 1 Year Term
The President shall preside at all meetings of the General Assembly and at all meetings of the Executive Board, and shall see that all orders and resolutions of the General Assembly are carried into effect. They or the President-Elect, with other officers appointed by the Executive for the purpose, shall sign all documents requiring the signature of the officers of CDSA-ACÉH. The president shall serve as the primary liaison between the CDSA-ACÉH and the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. The President shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to them by the Executive or by the General Assembly. Other duties include: to establish and disseminate a call for papers; set the program of papers and performances; invite plenary speakers; and arrange for social gatherings or other special events connected to the conference.
President Elect 1 Year Term
The President-Elect shall, in the absence or incapacitation of the President, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President and shall perform such other duties as shall be assigned to them by the Executive or by the General Assembly. The President-Elect is acclaimed to the role of President.
Past President Non Voting 1 Year Term
The Past-President shall, in the absence or incapacitation of both the President and President-Elect, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President and shall perform such other duties as shall be assigned to them by the Executive or by the General Assembly.
Secretary 2 Year Term
The Secretary shall take, distribute, and correct minutes for all meetings of the Executive and the General Assembly. The Secretary shall perform such other duties as shall be assigned to them by the Executive or by the General Assembly.
Treasurer 2 Year Term
The Treasurer shall maintain accurate records and books of all CDSA-ACÉH finances and correspondence pertaining to finances (e.g: sponsorships). They shall receive, record, and deposit any income generated from membership dues or any fund-generating event held by the CDSA-ACÉH. They shall oversee all online banking, and they shall report online banking activities to the Board on a monthly basis. The Treasurer shall maintain a current Membership List and shall oversee registrations and receive registration fees for all CDSA-ACÉH conferences during their term. Upon the election of a Treasurer Elect, the Treasurer shall mentor the incumbent in their first year in the role.
Student Representative 1 Year Term
The Student Representative shall represent the interests and activities of students in Disability Studies and related disciplines in the association. A key responsibility for the Student Representative is the Annual Student Paper Competition. The Student Representative will be responsible for selecting a committee to establish and disseminate a call for student papers; vet the proposals; and submit the names of the award recipients to the Executive.
Congress Coordinator 1 Year Term
The Congress Coordinator shall be based at the host institution for the upcoming Congress. The Congress Coordinator shall serve as a liaison between the CDSA-ACÉH and the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences regarding all matters related to the upcoming year’s Congress, with a particular emphasis on enacting and advocating for accessibility across Congress. The Congress Coordinator shall perform such other duties as shall be assigned to them by the Board of Directors or by the General Assembly.
Website Coordinator 2 Year Term
The primary responsibility of the Website Coordinator is the association’s website. The Website Coordinator shall design, maintain, and organize the website which includes obtaining and maintaining the website host and domain name registrations/renewals, and keeping the website updated regularly with association news and communications. Ability to code/edit websites (HTML, CSS, etc.) is a necessity.
Local Arrangements Coordinator 1 Year Term
The Local Arrangements Coordinator shall be based at the host institution for the upcoming year’s Congress. They shall serve as a liaison between the CDSA-ACÉH and the host institution for the upcoming year’s Congress. Duties include: attending Federation planning meetings; coordinating room bookings, media bookings, accessibility, catering, and conference volunteers; and researching accessible accommodations and ground transportation.
Assistant Local Arrangements Coordinator 1 Year Term
The Assistant Local Arrangements Coordinator shall, in the absence or incapacitation of the Local Arrangements Coordinator, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the Local Arrangements Coordinator. The Assistant Local Arrangements Coordinator shall actively assist the Local Arrangements Coordinator in the execution of their various duties.
Canadian Centre on Disability Studies Liaison Officer 2 Year Term
The CCDS Liaison Officer shall function as a full Executive Board Member and as such, will be elected/acclaimed at the AGM as are all other Executive Members. They shall maintain communication and cooperation between the two organizations (CCDS and CDSA-ACÉH).
Communications Officer 2 Year Term
The Communications Officer must be proficient in English or French. The primary responsibility of the Communications Officer is to communicate with the membership via e-mail and/or online newsletters, and to solicit content for these from the Executive Board and/or membership as needed. The Communications Officer shall also write and distribute all media releases.The Communications Officers must have the ability to use word processing programs and PDF formatting.The Communications Officer shall also maintain the association’s social media platforms and shall work with the Executive Board to promote the CDSA-ACÉH and Disability Studies online more broadly. The Communications Officer will establish and maintain a discussion list for members.
Francophone Representative 2 Year Term
The Francophone Representative will ensure communication with the Francophone community in Disability Studies and related fields, and search out resources to facilitate communication throughout the association, including in relation to conference programmes, the website, and newsletters.
Translation Coordinator 2 Year Term
The Translation Coordinator shall translate all content (from French to English or English to French) for any and all CDSA-ACÉH communications, including calls for papers, conference programs, press releases, award calls, and website content, whether distributed electronically or by mail.
Equity Officer 2 Year Term
The Equity Officer shall work with CDSA-ACÉH to understand and administer strategies that reflect the association’s commitment to identifying and rectifying inequities within the association. The Equity Officer shall work in collaboration with CDSA-ACÉH to provide education and training to the Executive Board, and to raise awareness of equity, disability, and human rights issues as they relate to engagement within CDSA-ACÉH as an association promoting Disability Studies scholarship within post-secondary institutions. The Equity Officer will convene an Equity Committee to work in collaboration with the Executive Board to develop policies to guide the association’s work to respond to current human rights and equity issues to ensure greater inclusion and representation of scholars who are black, Indigenous, and/or persons of colour within Disability Studies and related fields.