PRESIDENT

Jesús Fernández is a 5th year PhD student and graduate worker in the Spanish and Portuguese Department. His research in costumbrismo is trying to shed some light on the political and economic implications of comedic cultural products in Spain, from early modernity to the present. His interests range from a wide selection of cultural and political realities in the Spanish speaking world, plus a specific engagement with critical theory, philosophy and history. He has been active in different political campaigns, and, since 2019, has been a member of TUGSA and an organizer for the union.

VICE PRESIDENT

I am a 3rd year PhD in the Klein College of Media and Communication. Being on strike with my fellow members for six weeks made me acutely aware of what we can all accomplish when we are aware of our rights as workers. As VP, I want to keep learning about the intricate behind the scenes work of keeping our union strong. Being in TUGSA is the best part of working at Temple and I want to make sure our union continues to thrive for every incoming grad worker.

DIRECTOR OF ORGANIZING

Laurie is a fourth-year M.F.A student in film specializing in documentary. He received an MA from the Centre for Research Architecture (Goldsmiths) and was a studio participant in the Whitney Museum's Independent Study Program. After years freelancing in unstable creative industry jobs, Laurie was very happy to join a unionised workplace as a Temple grad. He has been a member of the Contract Negotiations Team for the past year and a half, and looks forward to organising around our future collective bargaining agreement.

TREASURER

Nicole is a third-year Ph.D. student in math with a focus in applied math. She previously received her BA in math from Wesleyan University. She has been an active organizer with TUGSA since her first year and has been involved in membership recruitment and contract research. This past year she joined the TUGSA board as treasurer and has learned all the details of managing TUGSA's finances and maintaining the budget.

SECRETARY

I joined the TUGSA board because I want TUGSA to become stronger and more organized for future actions and contract negotiations. I want to be a force in TUGSA which pushes the union to continue to be conscious of the future needs of the union. The role that secretarial work and record keeping play in establishing institutional memory is huge, and as secretary I intend to foreground the importance of our union's collective identity.

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH

I am a third-year Ph.D. student in Developmental Psychology. My research focuses on psychosocial and behavioral outcomes of racially marginalized youth. Being from Philly and attending Temple as an undergraduate, I feel especially connected to the local community. I have been a member of TUGSA since my first year and became an active organizer during the strike. I look forward to working with my fellow graduate peers to strengthen the relationship between TUGSA and the surrounding community.

BOARD-APPOINTED PAST OFFICER

Laura is a fourth-year Ph.D. student with the History department and former Vice President of TUGSA, where xie studies issues of war, gender, and representation. Xie has served as the Social Chair for the James A. Barnes Graduate Club here at Temple, and hir previous experience includes acting as a Student Outreach Ambassador through the University of Kent at Canterbury, as well as operating in multiple positions as a board member of Gettysburg College's Art Alliance club. In the past, Laura has also worked as a secretary assistant for Gettysburg College’s Art and Art History Department, a gallery docent and tour guide for the Schmucker Art Gallery at Gettysburg College, and an administrative intern with the James A. Michener Museum’s summer education programs.

STAFF ORGANIZER

Matt Ford is a eighth-year Ph.D. student and Teaching Assistant in the Department of Sociology. He holds a BA in English and Sociology from the University of Delaware and a MS in Criminal Justice from Saint Joseph’s University. He believes strongly in the importance of working with and learning from as diverse an array of individual voices and likeminded organizations as possible, both inside and outside the bounds of Temple’s campus. Furthermore, Matt feels the insights provided by an organized, active, and expansive membership are essential to TUGSA’s ongoing efforts at bettering the lives of our colleagues, neighbors, and allies. Matt served as Lead Negotiator during the 2022-2023 Contract Negotiations and Strike.

MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZER

Lindsay recently received her Ph.D. in English from Temple. She specializes in working-class and labor history and literature in the U.S. Her intellectual and political commitments, as well as her experience as a graduate employee at the University, have brought her to TUGSA where she is working hard to secure the rights of our bargaining unit and build solidarity among campus communities. Among her many roles, she lead the on-the-ground management, logistics, and recruitment of the strike.

OFFICE ORGANIZER

Evan Kassof has a PhD in music composition from Temple University, where he first got involved with union work with TUGSA. He served on the 2022-2023 Contract Negotiations Team, the 2017-2018 Contract Negotiation Team, as Vice President, and as President of TUGSA before graduating. He is an opera composer and producer, developing new works in Philadelphia with his new music theatre group ENAensemble, as well as a producer for Network for New Music. At the core of all of his work is a strong focus on narrative, be it in the trashy drama of opera or the deeply compelling stories at the heart of organized labor.

STAFF ORGANIZER

I recently graduated with an MFA in Poetry from Temple. I joined TUGSA as a first year and was inspired to become an organizer after working on recruitment, trainings and preparing for contract negotiations. Realizing the power of collective action can be life changing for grad students at Temple, as we learned during the strike, and I am committed to bringing all grads into that experience. Before Temple my experience was mostly in environmental organizing and writing. I have a previous masters degree in Research Architecture, and BA in Geography and Philosophy from UNC Chapel Hill.

MEMBERSHIP

TUGSA is entirely and only its membership. Together, we have proven we can accomplish significant things, winning improvements in our pay, benefits, and working conditions. Joining TUGSA is the first and most important step you can take in being an active part of your own experience as a graduate employee at Temple. Join TUGSA today!