Introducing the 2025 WUFA Negotiating Team

March 4, 2025

Meris Bray,
Library

Meris Bray is the current VP Internal for WUFA, serving on the Executive Committee and WUFA Faculty Council. Meris is also involved in the Bill 124 negotiations, and is a member of the Contract Committee, which is tasked to develop the bargaining proposals for 2025 contract negotiations.

Meris has been involved with WUFA for many years. As VP Internal,  Meris has been a strong voice for member issues at Senate, and regularly engages with other unions across campus.

John Deukmedjian, Co-Chief Negotiator
Sociology and Criminology

John has been teaching at the University of Windsor for twenty-one years as a full-time professor, sixteen years tenured.  He was a national director for the RCMP evaluation of alternative dispute resolution.  He served on Senate and understands the challenges professors and instructors face. He is currently the Department Head of Sociology and Criminology.

He walked the picket lines in 2008 as a picket captain, served on the 2021 WUFA Negotiating Team, and would like to make a difference in 2025 as part of the team that will fight for equity, intellectual rights and freedoms and equitable pay. His interest in becoming a member of the Negotiating Team has largely been propelled by the multitude of issues facing faculty members. 

Ofelia Jianu, Co-Chief Negotiator,
Mechanical, Automotive & Materials Engineering

Dr. Ofelia A. Jianu, P.Eng. joined University of Windsor in July 2017 as Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering. She obtained her tenure and promotion to Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering in 2021. Her area of expertise is in heat, mass and momentum transport with application to alternative fuels and energy conversion systems. The unique feature of Dr. Jianu’s research is that she applies the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics to identify losses within the systems and generates solutions to minimize the losses. She has over 40 publications in reputable journal and conference papers in the subject. She is the recipient of the Canadian Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leader’s Fund; the first University of Windsor recipient of the NSERC Alliance International; and many Mitacs grants. Dr. Jianu received many awards for her contributions. In 2021 she was awarded the Outstanding Faculty Research Award at the University of Windsor, and in 2022 she was presented with the Medal of Excellence in Research from the University of Windsor. She also received the Medal of Excellence in Teaching in 2021, Medal of Excellence in Online Teaching in 2022, and Outstanding Scholar Mentor Award in 2024. Dr. Jianu has been contributing to the progress of the Faculty of Engineering and the University by being involved in committees and with the community at large. She has been active within the Faculty of Engineering in departmental council meetings, Health and Safety committee at Faculty level as a Ministry certified Health and Safety member (2017-2018), Planning Committee (2017-2018), Co-op Liaison for Mechanical Engineering (2018-2019), Undergraduate Academic Advisor (since 2019) and coordinator for the International MASc in Automotive Engineering (since 2021). At the University level she has been an elected Senator representing Engineering from November 2017 until 2021 and 2022 until 2024. Due to her dedication to student success, she has been invited to serve on the Senate Student Caucus as of September 2020 until 2022. On this committee she worked closely with the Associate Vice President, Student Experience, representatives from other faculties, and student representatives to identify areas of improvement and provide solutions to improve the experience of students at the University of Windsor. As a result of her continuous involvement with the University she has been invited by the Acting Associate Vice-President, Academic, to act as faculty representative at UWindsor Community Consultation. In his invitation, Prof. Berryman mentioned that I was suggested as a facilitator due to my engagement with and leadership in the campus community. In 2022 she was appointed through unanimous vote to sit on the Senate Governance Committee as a representative for Faculty of Engineering. Dr. Jianu has experience in negotiating. Prior to joining University of Windsor, Dr. Jianu was a Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Ontario Institute of Technology since January 2014. Since the graduate program was in its infancy and having just obtained her PhD at the institution, Dr. Jianu was one of the very first Postdoctoral Fellows, who at the time were not considered employees of the university. Dr. Jianu contacted PSAC for representation and sat on the bargaining team as the only Postdoctoral Fellow. She spearheaded the very first collective agreement that was signed in January 2016 and is the backbone for the current agreement for the Postdoctoral Fellows at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
 

Thomas Kenworthy,
Odette School of Business

Tom has a B.A. (Economics), MBA and PhD (Strategic Management & Entrepreneurship -dual major).  He has been employed previously at two private US-based universities, Suffolk University (Boston, MA) and University of Dayton (Dayton, OH).  Tom began employment at the University of Windsor in 2015. He served as an Odette Senate representative, as well as various Odette committees for hiring; undergraduate education; renewal, tenure and promotion; and area curriculum review. Tom has served on several WUFA committees: Contract Committee, Racial Justice, SWDEAC and Administrative Evaluation (Chair). He has served as an Odette Council Representative and also as Director of the CAUT Defense Fund. Twice this year, Tom joined flying pickets from across the country to support the Association of McGill Professors of Law. As a member of the Contract Committee, Tom is currently working on the development of contract proposals for 2025 bargaining, and he looks forward to serving on the Negotiating Team in 2025.

Emmanuelle Richez,
Political Science

Emma is eager to contribute to the contract negotiation process; her background and expertise will be valuable assets to the team. Emma is currently an Associate Professor of Political Science and a member of the Argumentation Studies PhD Program at the University of Windsor, where she has been a faculty member for the past ten years. Additionally, Emma serve as a school board trustee for the French public system, Viamonde, representing the Essex district. In this role, she also participates on the Board of the Association des conseils scolaires des écoles publiques de l’Ontario (ACEPO), which plays a central role in collective bargaining for French language public school boards in Ontario. Her experience as a professor, with a focus on law, politics, and Canadian politics, has given her a deep understanding of university structures and the political climate in Ontario. As a school board trustee, Emma has honed skills in formulating and amending bylaws as well as presenting persuasive arguments. She also brings strong research abilities, strategic planning, and diplomatic skills to the table.

Emma is enthusiastic about the opportunity to negotiate a favorable agreement for WUA members, and looks forward to contributing to this important work.

Diana Sarkis,
Odette School of Business

Diana Sarkis is a Sessional Instructor at the Odette School of Business. She teaches courses in the Master of Management (MoM), Master of Business (MBA), Master of Engineering Management (MEM) and the undergraduate program in the Management and Labour area.

Diana has been an active and dedicated member of the Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA) since 2020. Currently serving as the Contract Chair on the WUFA Executive, she held the position of Sessional Director (2020–2024), where she acted as a voice for sessional faculty, ensuring their concerns and priorities were effectively communicated and addressed. She has also been an active member of WUFA Council since 2020.  

Diana operates as an HR Consultant, where she partners with organizations throughout Canada to provide expertise in compensation, training and development, recruitment and selection, performance management, employee engagement and outplacement services. She previously worked in the field of human resources in a full-time capacity in various sectors, including manufacturing, professional services and the broader public sector. Through her employment experience over the past 15 years, Diana has gained extensive experience in labour relations, recruitment and selection, training and development and strategic human resources practices.  

Diana is currently completing a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) degree with an emphasis on Labour Relations and Human Resources Management. She completed a Master of Industrial Relations (MIR), a specialized advanced degree in human resources and labour relations, at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She completed a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor. Diana also holds a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation through the Human Resources Professional Association. She has served the HR community as the Chair of the Human Resources Professional Association of Windsor.  

Nicole Scott,
School of Social Work

Nicole is a biracial woman mixed with Black, Metis and French. She was born and raised in Windsor, and has been fighting for social justice her entire life.

Since January 2021, Nicole has been a member to the University of Windsor Anti-Black Racism Taskforce. The purpose of the task force is to actively engage the Black communities on campus to learn about student, staff, and faculty experiences of Anti-Black Racism across the University of Windsor. This Task Force also identified, reviewed, and recommended policies, programs, pedagogical practices, research, and other concrete actions that foster and support equitable, safe, and engaging environments for Black students, staff, and faculty on campus.

In addition, Nicole facilitated a sub-committee together with four black students. The goal of this sub-committee is to provide recommendations for creating a safe space for black students and connect them with a black alumnus to assist them through their academic and well-being.

Nicole was recruited for the Appointments Committee to Hire a Black Therapist. She also participated in the Appointments Committee, Black Studies Institute to hire 12 Black Faculty for positions within the University. Lastly, she was on the Appointments Committee to Hire in the Faculty of Law and Wellness Centre.

Nicole has a strong commitment and passion for Social Justice. She is passionate about mentoring students to see social work in terms of social justice, and social change and not just solely focused on the individual.

Nicole has had several unfortunate experiences in systems that have not been just. She worked at community hospitals for several years and was exposed to unfortunate experiences in a unionized environment. She did not tolerate any of the inequities and fought for her voice to be heard. Nicole had brought up and fought for several issues with almost all of her past employers. She had union representation, however, they did not need to do much due to Nicole’s organization of facts and willingness to speak and advocate on her own behalf. It was her voice that informed individuals that she knew her rights and would not shy away from ensuring that they are being met. Nicole stands in solidarity with what is right not who is in powerful positions to enforce their own agenda. She is a strong-minded individual who has grown into using her voice after years of unjust treatments. All of Nicole’s personal and professional experiences will be an exceptional asset to the WUFA 2025 negotiating team.

Click here for more information regarding WUFA preparations for Negotiations 2025