Welcome to the new employees who have joined us in August. And congratulations to some current employees that have moved into new positions. We are very excited to have you join the UFV team.
EMPLOYEES NEW TO UFV
August, 2025
- Cody Tolmie, Assistant Professor, Visual Arts
- Fei Jia, Assistant Professor, Communications
- Katherine Godfrey, Assistant Professor, History
- Jatinder Mann, Director, South Asian Studies Institute
- Grant Valentine, Assistant Professor, Criminology & Criminal Justice
- Karine Descormiers, Assistant Professor, Criminology & Criminal Justice
- Jing Wang, Assistant Professor, Agriculture
- Alexander Pho, Assistant Professor, Philosophy
- Joshua Starr, Assistant Professor, Psychology
Introducing:
- Alanna Kropp, Assistant Professor, Registered Nursing
Hello! I am Alanna, a new Assistant Professor in Health Sciences, Nursing.
I am eager to join the UFV team of educators this fall. I completed my Nursing Degree in Kelowna, and worked in the Okanagan area for my first couple years. I found myself wanting to continue my self-development and as I moved down to the Fraser Valley I pursued a Leadership Certificate, and eventual Masters in Leadership. Much of my professional reflections have been on the impact leadership has on work cultures, and while my nursing career had me working in several units (Emergency Rooms, Surgical Wards, Rural Hospitals as a Travel Nurse, and Oncology units), I found myself drawn to front-line leadership positions. I have appreciated both the challenge and reward as I have worked to develop high functioning, highly collaborative teams.
As I heard about the opportunities of teaching at UFV, I was intrigued by the prospect of developing nurses and their team culture earlier in their careers. I’ve appreciated the warm welcome from the UFV Health Sciences Faculty, and look forward to course creation and developing deeper learning opportunities for students.
When not at work, I lean into the joys of living in Chilliwack, on the land of the Sto:lo people. You’ll often find me trail running, biking, or wandering by the river with my husband and my dog. I look forward to meeting many of you in and around campus!
- Mandeep Kang, Assistant Professor, Registered Nursing
- Sameeha Jhetam, Assistant Professor, Agriculture
- John Acharibasam, Assistant Professor, Planning, Geography & Environment
- Sukhjot Thiara, Assistant Professor, Registered Nursing
- Majid Babaei, Assistant Professor, Computing
- Luis Del Rio, Laboratory Instructor, Chemistry
- Amanda Spooner, Assistant Professor, Teacher Education
- Sarine Sadhra, Assistant Professor, Teacher Education
- Nicholas Sirski, Director, Athletics & Campus Recreation
- Rosemarie Cerezo, Senior Project Manager, Campus Planning & Facilities Management
- Gunita Gupta, Coordinator, Field Experience
- Don Mayder, Assistant Professor, Chemistry
- Ronald Adjekum, Grant Facilitator
- Heather Williams, Coordinator, Partnership Development & Practicum
- Kari Gustafson, Assistant Professor, Teaching Education
- Diane Muthaura, Coordinator, Wellness Promotion & Education
- Sharon Miller, Assistant Professor, Information Studies
TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES AWARDED PERMANENT POSITIONS
- Shelagh Walker, Assistant Professor, Health Care Assistant
- Andrea Sator, Assistant Professor Applied Business Technology
- Natalie Vanderleest, Assistant, Research Office
- Ron Sweeney, Assistant Professor, English
- Sebastian Huebel, Assistant Professor, History
- Ryan Higgins, Administrative Assistant, Office of the Chief Information Officer
- Kamyar Razavi, Assistant Professor, Communications
- Gurpreet Gill, Assistant Professor, Registered Nursing
- Gabriela Birnfeld Kurtz, Assistant Professor, Communications
- Sharnelle Matthew, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work & Human Services
- Hannah Sanvido, Assistant Professor, Upgrading & University Preparation
- Amanpreet Sidhu, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology
- Haley Hallam, Custodian
PERMANENT EMPLOYEES TRANSFERED INTO NEW POSITIONS
- Bryanna Anderson, Director, Student Wellness & Development
- Stacie Dixon, Coordinator, Health, Disability & Wellness