Hi Folks,

Please see the finalized slate of candidates for the 23-24 faculty elections.  We will be using an electronic ballot system again this year.  Please watch your college email on 2/13 for your ballots and be sure to vote by 5:00 p.m. on 2/21.    In the meantime, you can start mulling over the candidates who have put themselves forward to be included on the ballot.   If you do not receive a ballot on the 13th after 7:00 am, first check you junk/clutter, then please email us at bcahe@bache.org  so that we can get you a ballot.

2022-23 Faculty Elections Slate: w/ brief descriptions, candidates, and eligible voter groups for each race

All elections are for a one year term unless specified otherwise.   Voting eligibility for each race is dependent on group membership.   Groups: Full-Time Member (FTM), Adjunct Member (AM), Full-Time Non-Member (FTNM), and Adjunct Non-Member (ANM)

BCAHE President

• Sue Nightingale: The past three years have been quite challenging and I hope that I have served you as well as I could have. I have returned from my sabbatical rested and energetic. Navigating the post-pandemic campus and ‘breaking-in’ a new President will present significant challenges, not to mention the ongoing challenges with ctcLink and the State wide funding deficits that continue to impact the Community and Technical colleges. I hope that you still have confidence in my leadership and will consider voting for me to continue for one more year.
  • Eligible Voters (FTM, AM)

BCAHE Vice President

• Lindsay Haney: I have served on the EC since 2016 and as Vice President since 2021. I started as an adjunct in the English department in 2014, and though I now enjoy the privileges of tenure, I try keep contingent faculty needs at the center of my focus and I invite folks to tell me when I’m missing something. I’m really coming to enjoy the VP role—I particularly relish the opportunities to connect members to necessary resources or try to get something fixed before it goes irreversibly wrong. This has been a challenging few years, but as we look toward a new college president for next year and a full bargain for the year after, I like to hope that 2023-2024 will give us an opportunity to find a little solid ground and figure out how we need things to work for faculty and for a strong faculty union in the next phase of BC’s existence. Of course, if that doesn’t end up being the case, I’m here for that, too. Either way, I would appreciate your vote and your partnership moving forward.
  • Eligible Voters (FTM, AM)

Adjunct Affairs Officer

• Karrin Peterson: Dear Colleagues, I believe I have the experience and temperament to be a successful Adjunct Affairs Officer. I have worked as an adjunct continuously since my hiring in January 2001. During those 22 years, I participated in many roles in governance, culminating in my serving as Faculty Council chair for the past two years. I am currently well-versed in campus initiatives and concerns, and I have developed constructive working relationships with many upper-level campus administrators. I also bring the experiences of a former Navy reserve commander (retired), familiar with the workings of large government organizations, and I am a former litigation attorney of thirteen years with some prior legal experience in labor laws. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, I am deeply committed to helping my adjunct peers thrive within a system that creates different classes of professors. I have years of prior adjunct mentoring experience, both official and over a cup of coffee between classes. I rate highly in empathy on personality tests, and I see signs those tests are accurate in how I view my colleagues and students—I view them as part of my extended campus family. I have a sense of humor, the ability and desire to reduce conflict in tense situations, and a well-tested set of client advocacy strategies to draw upon from my years in litigation. I appreciate your vote; it will be my honor to serve you and our adjunct community.
  • Eligible Voters: (FTM, AM)

BCAHE Secretary/Treasurer

• Chace Stiehl: I’ve been serving as Secretary/Treasurer for the past few years and modernized our budget around our values.  I will continue to push for budget allocations to fund our BIPOC advancement grants and Peer Assistance Program, as well as ensure fiscal stability, liquidity, and responsibility in our finances.  This academic year our long time office manager has retired, so this next year is going to be a critical time of structural change for the union. I’d like to steer us through this time of transition and ensure that we are solid ground going forward.   I’d also like to keep working on our website.  It still has room to grow and improve.    As for my broader credentials, I am a Full Professor in Economics, past BCAHE President, past BCAHE Vice President, and played a critical role in bargaining into existence the funding/commitment for our current promotional structures for both adjunct and tenure-track faculty.
  • Eligible Voters: (FTM, AM)

BCAHE Executive Council — Adjunct Members  (Vote for three; all members vote for both Adjunct and FT members, three in each race)

• Sue Cox: As a long-time adjunct at Bellevue College, I have been seen many changes and developments here.  I value the opportunities I have to work with others toward meaningful change at the college such as Positive Policies for Adjuncts Committee (currently) and Faculty Council (previously), and have been impressed with the work, and the results, I see from BCAHE.  Therefore, I would appreciate the opportunity to work more closely with BCAHE to continue building a strong and positive community at Bellevue College.
• Cara Diaconoff: Cara Diaconoff has been an adjunct in the English department since 2017, teaching creative writing, literature, and English composition and, currently, serving as English faculty coordinator for the College in the High School program. She previously served on the BCAHE executive council from 2018 to 2021 and has also been active in climate justice/sustainability efforts on campus; she is currently a member of the Sustainability Curriculum committee and will be a presenter in this year’s SBCTC-sponsored climate education project. As a union and executive council member, she has participated in lobbying days in Olympia and regularly attended meetings of the statewide WEA/AFT Adjunct Issues group. She also continues to work with the BCAHE-EC’s communications committee, helping to edit Hoo’s News and writing the regular “New Member Spotlight” feature. She is dedicated to advocating for all faculty, especially fellow adjuncts, and is especially interested in making sure that faculty have an equitable chance to contribute their talents to the community through co-curricular and extracurricular activities as well as through teaching.
• Carol Leffall : Carol Whittaker Leffall is a Senior Adjunct Professor in the Institute for Business and Information Technology division where she has been since 2011. She maintains a passion for teaching and greatly values the opportunity of learning from her students and advocating their success as well as her colleagues. Carol has served on several committees across the BC campus, facilitated workshops, and is a current Executive Council Member of Bellevue College Association of Higher Education (BCAHE). Carol is devoted to contributing to the work of creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus and the varying perspectives of faculty. Carol will serve an instrumental role in furthering this work as a member of BCAHE as well as other efforts and representing the voices of faculty.
• Tim Wellman: As a new member of the BCAHE Executive Council this year, serving has been a great learning experience. There is a lot more to learn about how everything works, which I hope you would allow me to do by voting for me to continue being a member of this council. I will continue to represent our members, especially adjunct faculty, and encourage our work toward furthering faculty safety as we transition to a post-pandemic campus. A little about me: I am an Associate Adjunct Faculty member in Basic and Transitional Studies, teaching in the ESL program. Thanks for your consideration!
  • Eligible Voters (FTM, AM)

BCAHE Executive Council — Full-Time Members  (Vote for three; all members vote for both Adjunct and FT members, three in each race)

• Alicia DeHart: I have been at BC as a full-time mathematics instructor since 2019. Before that, I taught full-time for three years at a two-year college in Texas and served as Faculty Senate president for one year. Here at BC, I am an active member of the mathematics department, currently working in a team to develop corequisite curriculum for statistics and serving as Math Lab Chair. In the past, I have also served on the Faculty Professional Development Day committee and the ATD Faculty Professional Development workgroup. I believe our union brings our diverse faculty knowledge and experiences together to foster a strong campus community. I would be happy to serve on the Executive Council.
• Elena Maans-Lorincz: I am running for BCAHE because it is something I believe in and it would be a service to my fellow faculty that I can stand behind.  In my role as Outreach Librarian I have been called a “conduit” on campus, someone who knows many folks, and connects people to resources and knowledge. This position would be a perfect fit for me and my skills, I would be connecting faculty members and concerns to the Executive Council and communicating back to my fellow faculty. A two way street of communication and trust would be my goal in this position. I strive to be someone who helps to build community, and as many of you know the BCAHE is a community that is ever growing, changing, and moving forward in the service to us all.  As one of the non-instructional faculty as well, I can help to provide insight and perspective that is unique to the librarians and counselors.   In the Spring of 2022 I served on the impact bargaining team, and found that a rewarding experience.  Please help me to further my service to the faculty of Bellevue College by voting for me.
• Ty Saxon:  I’m currently serving my third year as a member of the Faculty Council and my second year as a member of the Positive Policies for Adjuncts (PPA) subcommittee of the Faculty Council. My primary motivation for joining the BCAHE Executive Council is to do the crucial work of faculty organizing: recruiting more non-members to join the BCAHE and to help existing members get more active and involved in the union. I believe that emphasizing adjunct faculty in our union work will not only make the BCAHE more equitable, it will also help organize and mobilize the majority of our faculty, which builds the strength of the whole union. The greatest potential power of our union comes from our strength in numbers and a rank-and-file membership who feel empowered and have a sense of ownership in their union. If we keep working to make the BCAHE more equitable, democratic, and participatory, we have the opportunity to make some really great changes at our school. I look forward to working with you all in these efforts!
• J. Engel Szwaja Franken – I have been at BC as a full-time Spanish instructor since 2014. Before then, I taught Spanish and English composition as an adjunct at other institutions, and I sometimes teach in the English department here too. I have served on the Executive Council for the past four years. As part of that work, I have worked on the bargaining team, labor management, Faculty Commons Council, and bylaws revision process for our union. If elected, I would be happy to continue to work on such initiatives.
• Diane Walser: Diane Walser is an Assistant Professor in the Information Technology department and is also the department chair of the BAS Cybersecurity program. Diane has been teaching in the Washington CTC system since 2009, with the previous 2 plus years being primarily at Bellevue College. She is passionate about innovative and inclusive teaching practices, welcoming more women and people of color into the technology field, and finding the money to support those goals. In 2022, Diane was awarded over $1 million to increase FTE in IT and Cybersecurity with emphasis on improving diversity in the field. Diane is currently working towards a master’s degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance. She would like to spend time becoming more involved with union functions. The importance of appropriate work-life balance and proper compensation cannot be understated.
  • Eligible Voters (FTM, AM)

BCAHE Political Action Committee  (Vote for three, 2 year term)

• Ethan Anderson: Hi folks, I am Senior Associate Professor and Lead Faculty in the English Language Institute (ELI).  In my 13 years at the college, some of my proudest accomplishments include working collaboratively with BCAHE on ELI faculty parity in 2017-18, helping align outcomes of pre-college English classes with credit-bearing ones, representing A&H as Faculty Council chair, helping bring “Food Truck Day” to Bellevue College and co-creating the music/English IDS-style class “Rock your Grammar World”. In my spare time, I enjoy playing bass guitar, singing and spending time with my wife and my two kids, who both, incidentally, spent time on campus at the BC Early Learning Center.
  • Eligible Voters (FTM, AM)

WEA-Representative Assembly Delegate (Vote for five)

• Tony Akhlaghi: I have been with the college since 1992, as a tutor in the Math Lab, 1997 as an adjunct faculty, and full-time in the math department since 2000.  Over the years, I have served on many committees. I have been a member of the Tenured Faculty Promotion Committee since its inception and would like to serve one more term to share the history with the new members.  I have also been a member of the bargaining team for a few years and believe I will be better prepared for the work if I served on the Executive Council at the same time.  I am also a member of BIPOC steering committee and diversity, equity, and inclusions have been a focus of mine in the work I do for the college.
• Ethan Anderson: (see above)
• Shadi Kanan: Shadi Kanan joined Bellevue College in 2020 as full-time faculty in the HSEWI Division / Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN). Shadi joined Bellevue College directly after he got his doctorate degree in Nursing from Kent State University, Kent, Ohio in the Summer of 2020. Shadi started his nursing career after he got his bachelor’s degree in nursing BSN from Jordan University of Science & Technology/ Jordan in 2001. He also went on to receive his Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Nursing from the same university in 2005. Shadi’s nursing career began on a cath-Lab unit, but the majority of his experience has been spent in nursing education in several Universities and colleges. Shadi believes that delivering nursing care to a person is an honor and teaching future nurses of tomorrow is a blessing. He is excited to apply this principle to his teaching role to help shape the next generation of Bellevue College nurses.
• Carol Leffall: (see above)
• Sue Nightingale
  • Eligible Voters (FTM, AM)

Sabbatical Leave Committee (Vote for two, 2 year term)

• Anthony Tessandori
• Engel Szwaja-Franken: I have been a full-time Spanish instructor at BC since 2014, and have been World Languages Chair since 2021. I received a two quarter sabbatical in 2021 and then was on the bargaining team which negotiated the changes to the process starting this year, so I am familiar with how the process has worked as well as recent changes.
  • Eligible Voters (FTM, FTNM)

Tenure Review Committee  (Vote for two, 3 year term) Continuing members are from A&H, HSEWI, iBIT, and Social Science. By contract, no more than two members from the same division can sit on the committee at the same time.

• Marilu Bumgardner: I am an alumni of Bellevue College, having attended BC when I changed careers over a dozen years ago and became a Registered Nurse. Bellevue College has a stellar reputation, and I’ve been proud to be part of this institution, working with amazing people. I have been with Bellevue College since 2018, starting as adjunct faculty in HSEWI Nursing as a clinical instructor.  I accepted a tenure track position in HSEWI Nursing in 2019, and received tenure in the 2021/22 academic year.   The tenure process was challenging!  All the more so as I was new to academia, and learning to change gears multiple times as we all adjusted to teaching through Covid-19.  Yet with all trials and tribulations, I found the tenure track process was tremendously helpful to my own growth as an instructor,  and how I could, to the best of my abilities, meet students’ diverse learning needs.  While I know I have much to learn, it would be an honor to serve on the TRC.
• Aron Segal: I have been an instructor in Business Administration Transfer since 2011. Over those years I have participated in collegiate governance through a variety of roles, from policy matters through many terms on the All College Council and, later, the Resources and Planning Council, to employee support through service on two TES committees and the TRC.  I currently serve on the Addressing Anti-Blackness Taskforce, co-lead the Evaluation Revisioning Team, and am wrapping up my second term on the TRC.   The work of the TRC is vital to the future of our institution and I’ve seen too many tenure candidates struggle due to systemic issues.  It has been an honor to work on addressing these systemic problems while supporting our tenure candidates, and I hope to continue doing so with another term on the committee.
  • Eligible Voters (FTM, FTNM)

Dismissal Review Committee (Vote for one, 3 year term)

• Cynthia Weintraub: As a seventeen-year faculty member for the English Language Institute, I have seen the spectrum of what could be perceived as both just and unjust rulings for faculty. I would very much like to help serve with compassion, insight, and judiciousness in collectively assessing these determinations. Many thanks for your consideration.
  • Eligible Voters (FTM, FTNM)

Tenured Faculty Promotion Review Committee (Vote for two, 3 year term). Continuing members are from Social Science, A&H, and Connected Learning.  By contract, preference will be given to nominated divisional representation first, then rank when determining winners.

• Tony Akhlaghi (see above)
• Teaessa Chism
• Sara Farag – I am a tenured Faculty member completing my 6th year at Bellevue College. I teach in the BS of Computer Science and serve on the e-learning committee. I am also actively engaged with Faculty Commons programs since joining BC. Before joining BC, I lived in multiple countries and worked in various organizations and universities. This enriched my experience; skill set and provided me with exposure to diverse academic and industrial perspectives. The BS of CS program at Bellevue College is one of the fastest-growing Bachelor programs at BC with its extraordinary uniqueness. I hope that through the opportunity to serve on the TFPRC committee, I will bring all of that to the committee and grow my impact on the college’s governance.
• Chelsea Fast – Born and raised in the Seattle area, Chelsea is a Registered Dietitian and teaches Nutrition courses in the Life Sciences Program. In her spare time, Chelsea is passionate about all things gardening or cooking, and is a member of BC’s own Bee Club! Currently Chelsea is serving her second year on the FTPRC, and would love to continue to support her colleagues through the promotional process.
• Gina Fiorini: Thank you for a chance to serve on the Tenured Faculty Promotion Review Committee. I hope to learn more about the exciting things faculty are doing in their work across campus while collaborating on a team that gets to do some rewarding work on promotions for our colleagues! I have been teaching chemistry here at the college for 14 years. I was granted tenure in 2012 and was promoted to Full Professor in 2018. I have served on the Faculty Commons Council (chair for three years), the Sabbatical Leave Committee (chair for two years), and I was Head Judge for the Central Sound Regional Science and Engineering Fair for eight years – in my last year supervising over 100 science and engineering professionals in their evaluation of over 170+ student projects. Over the years I have also served on several (and chaired a couple) TES committees for candidates outside of my own division.
  • Eligible Voters (FTM, FTNM)

Tenured Faculty Promotion Review Committee, Replacement through Fall 2024 (Replacement Position, Vote for one, one year term).  Continuing members are from Social Science, A&H, and Connected Learning.  By contract, preference will be given to nominated divisional representation first, then rank when determining winners.

• Kurt Friedrich: I have been teaching computer programming classes in IBIT for 12 years. Before starting at BC, I worked 42 years at several large and small computer companies, including Microsoft and HP. Despite being well past a reasonable retirement age, I continue teaching primarily as it gives me great pleasure helping students gain entry into what I feel is an excellent career path. I was core team member of the Guided Pathways Committee from when it got started as I am passionate about student success.
  • Eligible Voters (FTM, FTNM)

Chair – Student Academic Grievance Committee (Vote for one)

• Li Liu: – Li Liu is a full-time tenured faculty member from Communication Studies department. She is also BC’s WCCCSA Study Abroad Coordinator. She is interested in knowing more about student-centered curriculum design and ways to support students success.
  • Eligible Voters (FTM,FTNM,AM,ANM)

Program Review Committee – Seat 3 (Vote for one, 3 year term) By agreement this seat will be exclusively filled by a faculty member from A&H, Library, or Counseling)

• Lisa Tedeschi:  Dr. Tedeschi began her nursing career in academia as a part-time clinical instructor for Highline Community College in 1997. She became a full-time instructor at Bellevue College 2001 and have been a faculty member for the Bellevue College Nursing program for the last 21 years.  She was program chair for the ADN program for 5 years (2008-2013) and has been the program chair for the RN-BSN, RN Refresher Program and CNA program since 2020 after finishing her DNP. Dr. Tedeschi has over 24 years’ experience at the bedside as a med-surgical and as a cardiovascular ICU nurse.  She holds the position of a Commission of Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA) site evaluator and has extensive experience in working with the evaluation of nursing curriculum. After receiving her master’s degree, she has held positions as a Cardiovascular Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) at St Paul Hospital in Dallas and Clinical Educator for Overlake Hospital Medical Center (OHMC). Dr. Tedeschi is also a member of Sigma Theta Tau National Nursing Honor Society.  Dr. Tedeschi academic and clinical experience is evident in her commitment to the education of future nurses. Dr. Tedeschi is driven to educate nurse to be change agents and nurse leaders in a constantly changing and demanding nursing profession.
  • Eligible Voters (FTM,FTNM,AM,ANM)

Continuing Ed-AACC (Vote for one)

• • Eligible Voters (FTM,FTNM,AM,ANM)