Our talented staff

What are some of your responsibilities at the university?

My main responsibility is the training, mentoring and coaching of our personnel. My secondary responsibilities involve supervising our responses to a variety of events, as well as providing operational oversight on our evening shifts.

What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?

Overseeing training at such a young age and with a little over three years of experience, the biggest challenge I faced was having to train and coach agents who showed me the ropes or who held positions at a higher level when I first started. Often these agents were more experienced, and now I am one of their department administrators.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

Being able to contribute to making our department the best and most innovative university security service in the province, and eventually in the country.

Has your job changed you?

Having the opportunity to work directly for Concordia after working so many years at an external contracting agency has allowed me to really cement my career in security. It has even motivated me to return to school to obtain a bachelor’s degree to pursue new heights within our department.

What is one of your favourite Concordia memories?

I have so many positive memories of working with CSPS. One that stands out would be saving the life of a person in need of serious medical attention. Seeing someone doing well following your intervention is very heartwarming and fulfilling. I will always remember it.

What are some of your responsibilities at the university?

My role centres around communications and community engagement related to sustainability at Concordia. I’m responsible for recurring projects like our annual Campus Sustainability Month, Sustainability Champion Awards, Earth Day programming and orientation events.

What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?

There are a lot of sustainability initiatives at Concordia, from grassroots groups to research institutes, which presents a positive challenge. There’s no shortage of action around sustainability, and bringing all these diverse groups together to collaborate can be a massive undertaking.

What is the most rewarding part of the job?

Being able to connect one on one or in small groups with Concordia community members in grounded and honest ways has definitely been the most rewarding part of the job. We’re all looking to make an impact within a system that is currently unsustainable, and we’re able to find more complete solutions when we take the time to learn from one another.

Has your job changed you?

I have learned a lot of new skills on the job, especially since social media — and how to effectively harness it — changes so rapidly. Sustainability is a multi-faceted topic, and over the years I feel I have gotten better at succinctly communicating complex issues.

What is one of your favourite Concordia memories?

Some of the highlights for me have been hosting educational workshops on greenwashing and eco-art; it’s been really enriching to help people develop tools necessary to critically and creatively navigate the discourse on sustainable development and the climate crisis.

What are some of your responsibilities at the university?

As a project manager for Facilities Management, I manage construction projects on the two campuses to renovate and improve our building facilities. I meet clients and stakeholders from all departments to understand their needs and expectations, work with design professionals to prepare construction plans and specifications, and supervise construction contractors to deliver projects within the allowed time and allocated budget, while respecting clients’ needs.

What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?

Planning and coordinating construction activities while the buildings continue to operate, with classes and events running from 8 a.m. to 11p.m. every day of the week, and students and staff susceptible to noise and other disturbance.

What is the most rewarding part of the job?

Finding solutions to problems in collaboration with the design team and the clients; seeing the projects being implemented successfully and clients happy with the end results.

Has your job changed you?

Definitely. Concordia is a big community consisting of units and people with different visions and values. I get to see and learn different perspectives on every project I work on.

What is one of your favourite Concordia memories?

The Learning Square was being built when I first joined Concordia, and I got to watch the time-lapsed video of the modular classrooms being put together. It was fun and exciting to see how everything came together within a very short timeframe.

What are some of your responsibilities at the university?

I provide administrative and logistical assistance to the Human Resources department. I am heavily involved in preparing the long-service event we hold at the university in recognition of our faculty and staff who have reached specific milestones of 20 years or more. I issue invitations to over 200 honourees each year and participate in planning and preparing the logistics of the event.

What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?

I was going to say the pandemic. However, I think that was hard for everyone. Therefore, the biggest challenge workwise was when I started nine years ago. I came from a completely different type of career. I had to learn so many new things and prove to myself that I could do it. I am grateful I was given the chance.

What is the most rewarding part of the job?

That I can be of service. I enjoy being helpful. Also, the camaraderie of working at HR and with the community. The fun part of my job is that I interact with so many people from many different departments.

Has your job changed you?

I learned many new skills and have realized how resourceful and creative I can be at finding solutions when needed. I have become more confident.

What is one of your favourite Concordia memories?

I have been on the HR Sun Youth committee since 2017, and every year we have a food drive before Christmas. In 2020, the committee was discouraged as we had to find a way to put it all together during a pandemic. We had to figure out how to gather the donations safely while socially distancing, and we had to organize and store the donations in our homes. We were blown away by all the support from the Concordia community, our families and friends.

We still had a few donation boxes on campus. Security helped us. We had collected so many donations in our homes we needed help getting it to campus for the Sun Youth pickup. Distribution Services came through for us. They volunteered to collect and bring back the donations to Concordia.

That campaign exceeded expectations. It was the biggest one yet. It was heartwarming and wonderful. It was a beautiful way to end a difficult, challenging year. I am grateful to be part of such a great community.

What are some of your responsibilities at the university?

My responsibilities include organizing different safety trainings, inspecting safety equipment, implementing lockout/tagout procedures and performing other related tasks.

What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?

One of the main challenges I face involves adapting to the ongoing development in safety regulations and ensuring their application across the university. Staying constantly updated through regulatory review and ensuring effective implementation via coordination between departments, regular training and having clear policies and proactive measures are crucial.

All these steps help streamline the process to ensure that safety remains a top priority across the university. Examples include: implementing guardrails on the elevator-car tops and roofs of our buildings; reviewing the courses and updating any changes, and training employees; inspecting the safety harnesses for working at heights every year; and inspecting different sites and sending corrective actions when needed.

What is the most rewarding part of the job?

The most rewarding part of my job is working with other Concordia employees in finding solutions to safety issues. I find it satisfying to know that I am contributing to a safer work environment.

Has your job changed you?

It’s changed the way I work and think in my day-to-day life. Whether it’s here at Concordia, working on my personal projects or performing household maintenance, safety considerations always come first. I take more time ensuring I use the proper tools and techniques to prevent any accidents.

For example, I ensure that my friends and I wear proper PPE when working on our project cars, and I take more seriously and focus more on using the right tools for any work at heights — like cleaning gutters. Not only do these steps enhance safety for me and others, but they also promote a more systematic and effective approach to completing tasks.

What is one of your favourite Concordia memories?

One of my favourite memories is when I was doing the inventory of the anchor points on our roofs. I was able to get some great views of the city and really explore each campus.

What are some of your responsibilities at the university?

I’m responsible for spreading the word about all the great things our student athletes are accomplishing throughout their time as Stingers. I manage our social media accounts, live webcasting of home games and photo and video production. But ultimately my main goal is to shine a light on the student athletes, coaches and teams that work so hard to be successful in their sport and in the classroom.

What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?

My biggest challenge is juggling all my responsibilities while trying to keep track of what’s going on with every varsity Stingers team. Once the season starts at the end of the summer, it’s a sprint until the season wraps up the following spring. But usually the busier I am, the better our teams are doing, which makes it that much more rewarding.

What is the most rewarding part of the job?

Definitely seeing the student athletes achieve their goals. I see the work and countless hours they put into training, practising and studying, so seeing them have success in their sport or in the classroom makes me really proud.

Has your job changed you?

I think it has. When my own athletic career came to an end, I found it hard to be around high-level sports because of the disappointment I felt about not being an elite athlete anymore. But coming back and working for the Stingers has made me realize that sports are a huge part of who I am, and there are ways to be involved without being in the spotlight.

Working behind the scenes can actually be a hugely rewarding and fun place to be. Working for the Stingers has reinvigorated my passion for all things sports.

What is one of your favourite Concordia memories?

I have so many, going back to when I was a kid and used to attend Stingers basketball and football games with my dad. I have such fond memories from my days as a Stinger, going on road trips or just hanging out with my teammates before and after practices and games.

My trip to Victoria for the nationals with our women’s rugby team back in 2016 and going to Saskatoon and seeing our women’s hockey team win the national championship last March are two memories that I’ll keep with me forever.

What are some of your responsibilities at the university?

I develop, plan and implement promotional and communication strategies for all branches of Business Services, including print services, DPrint, ID cards, parking, lockers and campus advertising. My responsibilities range from designing and writing content to updating web pages and planning digital advertising.

What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?

When I started, it was a new position on a team where some people had worked together for over 25 years. Despite the challenges, I had the opportunity to develop the marketing strategic plan from the ground up and met great people along the way.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

I love the creative process and participating in student events, from starting a project to creating design and content. Hearing feedback like “the how-to DPrint video was helpful” or “the ID card page answered my questions,” meeting students and giving out Business Services info and goodies is really rewarding.

Has your job changed you in any way?

Transitioning from the private sector to a university environment has made me more aware of student challenges, from stress and financial concerns to adjusting to life in Montreal and Quebec’s weather. Along the way, I’ve offered advice, answered questions, listened, learned — and even recommended a few places to get the right winter gear.

What was one of your favourite Concordia memories?

Many good moments stand out, like meeting colleagues who became friends and seeing so many ideas and projects come to life. However, the highlight was seeing my son Dylan graduate from Concordia in June 2023!

What are some of your responsibilities at the university?

I oversee the Service Desk, which handles calls and email requests, prioritizing prompt and efficient responses for our community. Our team of technicians provides support to faculty, staff and students for level 1 IT-related incidents and requests, ensuring they receive appropriate guidance and resolution.

Additionally, I manage a team of professionals who organize training sessions — for example, Moodle training for professors — to promote ongoing learning and enhance proficiency across our community each term.

What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?

When COVID-19 hit, we had to quickly devise a plan for remote work and ensure readiness to handle calls. The amount of effort and testing required was substantial and urgent. Since we had never undertaken such measures before, there was uncertainty about whether everything would function smoothly.

Fortunately, we had a great team that collaborated late into the night to ensure we were prepared to receive calls from home by Monday. We even delivered laptops to our agents overnight for testing purposes.

What is the most rewarding part of the job?

Seeing people with IT issues and resolving them, making them super happy, is incredibly rewarding to me. The smile on their face when things are working shows that you’ve made them happy and removed all the stress from not being able to work.

Additionally, encountering people in the corridors, elevators or during lunch in restaurants and taking time to chat is very rewarding because I feel like I’m making new friends.

Has your job changed you?

Technology evolves rapidly these days, demanding that we remain vigilant and adaptable. With the increase in phishing attempts and cyberattacks, preparedness is paramount. Additionally, providing support to a diverse user base using both PCs and Macs necessitates that we stay proactive to effectively serve our community.

I find that every day at work brings new challenges, with situations arising that I’ve never encountered before. This dynamic environment keeps me engaged and constantly learning. Artificial intelligence is also a big game-changer that we will have to adapt to.

What is one of your favourite Concordia memories?

I have too many special moments to single out just one. Having spent half of my 10 years at Loyola and the other half at Sir George Williams, my favourite memories revolve around meeting so many wonderful people on both campuses. The friendships I’ve forged are truly priceless.

Ultimately, it’s the people you work with who shape the best memories, and these are moments I will cherish for the rest of my life. There are also some memories that are extremely funny that I cannot really divulge here!