Karina Hincapie Martinez
Chair & AVP Labour
PhD Student in Spanish Cultural Studies
karina.hincapie@ucalgary.ca
Born in Caracas from Colombian parents, Karina completed her BA at Universidad Central de Venezuela. There, she was involved in many students’ groups and grew passionate about organizing collectively and creating community ties to build solidarity and strive for change. Currently, she is a Spanish PhD candidate at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on interactions of adolescents in recent Latin American films using the Affect Theories and as a mechanism of reflection around vulnerability and belonging, with special interest in female agency and racialized identities.
Sally Talebloo
Vice-Chair Internal
PhD Student in Geography
saloumeh.talebloo@ucalgary.ca
Sally is a Ph.D. student in geography with a focus on community resilience. She is deeply committed to exploring how communities can build resilience to the challenges they face, and at the core of her work is a belief that communities have the power to create positive change in their own lives and, by understanding their strengths, needs, and challenges, can work together to build stronger and more equitable communities. During her master’s in Malaysia, she volunteered to help immigrant Afghan ladies. Her role was counselling, providing emotional support, and working as a translator for them. To her, it was an inspiring experience to be a part of their journey, which taught her a lot about compassion, empathy, and the power of community. She also likes to hike and draw in her free time. She enjoys exploring new locations to experience the beauty of various landscapes, whether it’s a rocky mountain range or a beautiful forest.
As unions often provide a sense of community and solidarity, her passion for equity and community encouraged her to join the GLU. Being in a position of communication makes her more effective at gathering support, mobilizing members to take action, and raising awareness through social media.
Annie Steep
Vice Chair Health & Safety
MSc student in Psychology
annie.steep@ucalgary.ca
Annie is an MSc student in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, where she studies the interactions between individuals and their current or potential workplaces. In her thesis, she focuses on understanding job applicants’ motivations for how they represent themselves throughout their job search. She is also continuing research she began in her BA at Carleton University, which focuses on identifying the personal and situational factors that may support or impede leaders’ efforts to promote environmental sustainability in the workplace.
While at Carleton University, Annie worked as an intern in Psychological Health & Safety in a crown corporation, where she developed extensive training and informational resources on the importance of and best practices for supporting employees’ mental well-being. Through this, as well as supervisory experience in a number of settings both in and out of academia, she has also gained valuable knowledge in managing and mitigating health and safety risks in the workplace and in supporting and advocating for employees’ safety, both physical and psychological.
Karla Oliveira
Vice-Chair EDI/International
PhD Student in Anthropology and Archaeology
karla.oliveira@ucalgary.ca
Karla is the mother of two children and a 3rd-year PhD student from Brazil, specializing in Anthropology with a focus on Development Studies. She is conducting research on the implications of water conflicts in regions experiencing the expansion of the agricultural frontier, with a particular focus on the impact on black women.
Karla started her career as a Forest Engineer, but soon realized that taking care of people who live in and preserve forests is even more important than managing the forests themselves. She worked for the Brazilian Forest Service for five years, where she advocated for traditional livelihoods. From 2013 to 2017, Karla worked as an analyst for the Brazilian Ministry of Social Development on the award-winning ‘Water for All’ Program, providing water access technologies to more than 4.5 million people in extreme poverty in South America. In this role, she observed the effects of poverty firsthand while actively collaborating with social movements, academia, and government to implement solutions.
Karla recognizes that graduate students are increasingly facing the negative social and economic consequences of anti-labor policies. Moreover, international students are among the most vulnerable in these situations. With her personal, professional, and academic experience, Karla will be a strong advocate as VC International at GLU.
Andres Zambrano Moreno
Vice Chair Communications
PhD Student in n Anthropology & Archaeology
andres.zambranomoren@ucalgary.ca
Andres is a third year PhD student in Sociocultural Anthropology. His research focuses on self-organized human communities and the dynamic social structures that emerge in these contexts.
Joshuah Lockett-Harris
Vice Chair Outreach
PhD Candidate in Anthropology & Archaeology
joshuah.lockett@ucalgary.ca
Josh is a fifth year PhD candidate in the Anthropology and Archaeology Department. His research focuses on the diachronic role of centrally placed civic ceremonial architecture in the perpetuation and transformation of ancient socio-political regimes in the Lowland Maya region of Mexico. Josh has over a decade of experience as a labour activist and organizer in Academia and private-sector archaeology. He is a strong advocate for student’s rights and has played a significant role in building the Graduate Labour Union’s growing Stewards Network. This network aims to embed knowledgeable advocates into every department of the university to help build a culture of transparency and tackle exploitation in the academic workplace.
Allan Lyons
Member at Large
PhD Student in Computer Science
allan.lyons@ucalgary.ca
Allan is a PhD student in Computer Science. His research is focused on security and privacy issues with a particular interest in how those relate to cell phone apps.