To contact a member of the UFV Board of Governors, please email ufvboard@ufv.ca or call the Board Office at 604-854-4561.
Board of Governors
Board of Governors
To contact a member of the UFV Board of Governors, please email ufvboard@ufv.ca or call the Board Office at 604-854-4561.
John Pankratz is a UFV alumnus who started his post-secondary journey at the Fraser Valley College. He completed a Bachelor of Business Administration at Simon Fraser University, earned his CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) designation, previously the CGA (Certified General Accountant), and recently retired from a 37-year career in public accounting. Mr. Pankratz served on and chaired numerous CPA and CPA-BC committees and was honoured by the profession with a Fellowship designation in 2009 and granted life-member status in 2013. Mr. Pankratz is in his second term on the UFV Board of Governors and in his sixth year as the Board’s chair.
Mr. Pankratz is actively involved in his community and is the Treasurer of the Abbotsford Restorative Justice and Advocacy Association. He previously volunteered with the Royal Life Saving Society, Canadian Red Cross, and Canadian Power & Sail Squadrons.
Cristen Gleeson is a Managing Partner with the law firm of Baker Newby LLP. Ms. Gleeson was awarded the distinction of King’s Counsel by the Attorney General of BC in 2023 which recognizes outstanding achievement in the practice of law.
Active in her community, Ms. Gleeson is the Chair of the Fraser Valley Healthcare Foundation. Ms. Gleeson is Founder and Past Chair of the Canadian Bar Association Fraser Valley (Family Law Section). Ms. Gleeson holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Queen’s University.
Bailey Savage is the Director of Legal Services at the City of Abbotsford and oversees the legal department. She provides advice to all of the departments of the City on a wide range of issues. Prior to joining the City of Abbotsford, Bailey worked as an Associate at KSW Lawyers in a number of different areas including real estate, wills and civil litigation. Bailey also has experience conducting federal prosecutions as agent for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. Bailey is a member of the Chippewas of RAMA First Nations. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Acts with a Major in Criminology from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. This is Bailey's fourth year on the Board of Governors.
Fran Vanderpol is the retired owner and President of Vanderpol's Eggs. She chairs of The Oikodome Foundation, a family foundation she and her husband Pieter founded more than 30 years ago. Upon retirement, Fran became more active in her community, and was a founding member of Character Abbotsford. While not actively involved there at this time she continues to pursue the vision through serving on the Board of Abbotsford Restorative Justice and Advocacy Association and for the Abbotsford Hospice and Grief Support Society. She is particularly passionate about her involvement with the UFV Peace and Reconciliation Centre. Fran enjoys having a front row seat to watch and help shape the UFV community as it lives out its vision and mission in so many exciting ways. She finds this to be a constant source of hope and pride in our community and our future.
Jinder Sarowa is a retired educator who is currently mentoring and coaching leaders in various professional roles. Mr. Sarowa was Principal in the Abbotsford School District at Yale Secondary, Robert Bateman Secondary, Rick Hansen Secondary, and Abbotsford Middle, as well as Principal at R.E. Mountain Secondary in Langley; his focus is staff development and the student experience. He earned a Masters in Educational Leadership from Western Washington University in Bellingham. Active in his community, he is currently Tournament Director for the BC High School Basketball Association. He started the Canadian Cultural Pride Association, which was a group of community members who empowered youth to engage in positive initiatives. He was on the Board of Directors for the Abbotsford Community Foundation and Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation. He is past President of the Abbotsford Principals' and Vice Principals' Association.
Lesa Lacey is Business Manager at Lacey Construction. Ms. Lacey is active in the community including Vice President of CHBA-BC, Past Chair of BC Construction Safety Alliance, and a board member with CORCAN, Skills Canada BC and Mission Association for Community Living. Ms. Lacey is also Founding Member at Fraser Valley Women in Construction Group and Founding Member at CHBA Fraser Valley Boot Bank. She is the recipient of President’s Award from Mission Chamber of Commerce, Member of the Year Award from CHBA BC, and President’s Award from CHBA Fraser Valley. In her volunteer roles, Ms. Lacey is passionate about volunteering to support women in trades and trades as meaningful careers – including volunteering with Skilled Trades BC, Correctional Service of Canada and Defy Ventures.
Stacey Crawford is Chief Operating Officer of Mission Bridgehead Investment Corporation, a subsidiary of the City of Mission. Previously, Mr. Crawford was Commercial Account Manager at Business Development Bank of Canada; Manager, Strategic Directives at Community Futures South Fraser; and Business Development Officer at Community Futures North Fraser. Active in his community, he is Past Board Chair at Prospera Credit Union and Director at British Columbia Economic Development Association. Previously, Mr. Crawford was Past President at Mission Chamber of Commerce and Past President at Rotary Club of Mission Mid-day. He holds a Master of Arts in Leadership and Training from Royal Roads University and a Diploma in General Management from Thompson Rivers University. Mr. Crawford also holds his ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and is scheduled to complete an Executive Master of Business Administration from University of Fredericton, Sandermoen School of Business in the Spring of 2025.
Kim McLandress grew up in Grande Prairie Alberta and moved to the Fraser Valley in 1999 to attend the University College of the Fraser Valley. While completing her degree in Criminal Justice she began volunteering for Chilliwack Restorative Justice. Kim spent 13 years at Chilliwack Restorative Justice, eventually leading the organization from 2008-2013 as Executive Director. From 2013-2019 Kim owned and operated a women's clothing store and co-owned a men's clothing store in Chilliwack.
Kim has a Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from UFV and a Master of Arts degree in Applied Legal Studies from SFU. Kim has been practicing as a Notary at Simpson Notaries since receiving her commission in June 2018.
Kim has been very involved in the community as a director for Chilliwack Restorative Justice, Chilliwack Community Services, The Chilliwack Curling Club (including as president), sitting as a member of the Chilliwack Citizens Advisory Committee, and as a Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Chilliwack Mount Cheam since 2010 including as president from July 2018 to June 2019. Kim served as the Assistant Governor for Rotary district 5050 from January 2000 to June 2023. Kim was recently appointed as the District Membership chair for Rotary District 5050 and is looking forward to serving on the UFV Board of Governors.
Michael Gaetz is a Professor and Director of the School of Kinesiology. Michael teaches in the areas of stress and chronic disease, neuromuscular physiology, and research methods. Michael has been actively engaged in research on concussion in sport for approximately 25 years. More recently Michael has published theoretical work to explain the experiences of athletes following retirement from sport. This work is ongoing and will add to the literature on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Michael’s other current research interests are in quality of life in the elderly and the effects of weight cutting in combat sport. Michael’s clinical background is as a neurophysiologist working in the operating room using electrophysiologic procedures to monitor brain and spinal cord functioning during high-risk surgeries.
Amber Gazso is Professor of Sociology in the School of Culture, Media, and Society. Growing up in Abbotsford, Amber completed her BA in Criminal Justice (minor in Sociology) at UCFV in 1999. She had the pleasure of then teaching sociology at UCFV as a sessional instructor while completing her PhD at the University of Alberta. Amber is excited to return “home” to UFV after spending just over 15 years as a tenured professor with the Department of Sociology at York University (Toronto, Ontario).
As a feminist sociologist, Amber is passionate about engaging in qualitative research with people to understand their own and their family’s relationships with social policies of the welfare state. Working with low-income single individuals and parents, Amber’s research seeks to understand how they maintain their eligibility for welfare at the same time they lead busy lives, e.g. managing their own and others’ health, providing caregiving for dependents, and sustaining supportive relationships with friends and family, etc. Amber’s areas of research specialization are represented in her books, Substances, Welfare, and Social Relations: Breaking Stigma, Pursuing Hope (2023, University of Toronto Press), Continuity and Innovation: Canadian Families in the New Millennium (2018, Nelson, co-edited with Dr. Karen Kobayashi) and Analyzing Talk in the Social Sciences: Conversation, Narrative, and Discourse Strategies (2016, Sage, co-authored book with Dr. Katherine Bischoping). Her research is also featured in journals like Critical Social Policy, Citizenship Studies, Journal of Family Issues, Social Problems, the Canadian Review of Sociology, and the International Journal of Social Policy.
Amber is delighted to be serving on the Board of Governors and specifically to be able to give back to the university that so meaningfully established the foundation of her career. If Amber had chosen a path other than academia, she would only hang out with horses and be a competitor in international Grand Prix Dressage.
Pierce Stoeckly has worked at UFV since 2001 as a Program Technician in all trades program areas, and he earned his Automotive Service Technician Red Seal Journeyman designation from UCFV. Prior to that, Pierce worked as a Service Technician for a GM Dealership in Abbotsford.
Pierce has also been an active member of the Kent/Harrison Search and Rescue for the past 25 years.
Ashley is in her final year at UFV, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Economics and a minor in Political Science. She is passionate about advocating for her fellow students, fostering a sense of community on campus, and making a positive impact. Ashley has experience in student leadership, having served as the former President and Vice President External of the Student Union Society. Currently, she serves as the Board Chair of the Student Union Society and is the President and founding member of UFV’s Economics Student Association. She is honored to continue her leadership role within the student community by serving on the Board of Governors.
Adolina Asmelash is majoring in Political Science and minoring in International Business at UFV. She has participated in youth development and stands for minorities, ensuring that their voices are heard. Adolina's outreach is focused on supporting the most vulnerable communities, approaching every task with efficiency, organized, and strategic thinking. She believes in promoting love. Her decision to choose Political Science as a major course and International Business as a minor course helps her to develop a positive impact in her careers. It is an honor for her to serve on the Board of Governors.