Contract Faculty

Ron Alexandrowich

Ron has held senior positions in sales, human resources and organization development where the focus has been on cultural transformation and organizational effectiveness. Ron is the Founder, CEO and President of World Class Human Resources Inc. where he consults with various private/public corporations and the non-profit sector in human resources, organizational design and strategy. Ron is also a career transition coach for the Canadian Forces and a Course Director within the School of Human Resource Management at York University.

Ron currently serves on the Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Human Resources Expertise Panel for the Society for Human Resources Management (USA) and the Past President of the Human Resources Professionals of York Region (Human Resources Professionals Association).

Tova Bar-Dayan

In addition to being a part-time professor at York University, Tova Bar-Dayan has worked in the public and private sectors in both Human Resources and Labour Relations capacities.

In these various roles, she has provided guidance and coaching to management regarding matters such as recruitment and selection, health and safety, workplace investigations, return to work programs and accommodations. A past role as a Labour Relations Conciliator at the Ontario Labour Relations Board provided Tova with a solid platform for future labour relations positions. In these later roles, Tova interpreted collective agreements and legislation when handling grievances, addressed disciplinary matters, and sat at the bargaining table to negotiate collective agreements.

Having graduated from York University with her Bachelor of Human Resources Management in 2006, Tova followed up with a Masters of Industrial Relations from Queen's University and a Certificate in Alternative Dispute and Conflict Resolution from the Mediation Centre of Southern Ontario, both in 2007. Tova is currently a member of the HRPA and is a candidate for the CHRP.

Gary Blake

Gary has many years of managerial and consulting experience in manufacturing, logistics, retail & wholesale, and head office environments. He has held positions such as Lean Six Sigma Champion, Director of Organizational Development, Manager Corporate Training, Production manager, and Director of Corporate Engineering.

With outstanding cross-functional experience, Gary has led many successful projects and change initiatives. Personal Six Sigma black belt projects in Head Office and logistics settings delivered $5 million savings. Lean value stream mapping projects in a Finance Division delivered major reductions in non value added work, and greatly improved cycle time. He designed a new Lean production facility using organizational development concepts and Lean tools, and supervised construction, delivering significant additional sales with same workforce. Gary delivered Lean Manufacturing training to this facility with a grant from the Yves Landry Foundation.

With 26 years of Organizational Development experience as a change manager, Gary is action-oriented to deliver results. His comfortable facilitation style is uniquely successful at motivating front line workers to achieve both personal and organizational goals.

With a Bachelor of Engineering degree from McGill University and a Master of Business Administration degree from York University, Gary is a course director teaching third year Human Resource Management topics in the HRM program at York University. He is a past Vice Chair and Chair of Governance Committee of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Service Safety Alliance.

Galina (Lina) Boiarintseva

Lina, who holds a Master's Degree in Human Resources Management from York University (completed in 2010), is very passionate about teaching and research in the area of Human Resources.

Her research interests include Training and Development, Individual Career Transitions, and Recruitment and Retention in legal environments.

Lina also possesses over eight years of practical experience in Human Resources and Organizational Development, with particular expertise in Recruitment and Retention, Organizational Development, Training and Development, Leadership, and Legal Coaching.

In addition to her teaching, Lina has been employed in Human Resources positions in various industries, ranging from manufacturing to sales. Currently, she is the Human Resources Manager at Shulman Law Firm, where she is passionate about helping the firm to make the most of their resources and talent and helping individuals make the most of their jobs."

Paul Fairlie

Paul Fairlie has a Ph.D. in psychology from York University. He is an HR academic and consultant with 20 years of experience, with a background in social and personality psychology, industrial-organizational psychology, and human resource management. As an academic researcher, Paul specializes in the measurement and impact of meaningful work, personality in the workplace (e.g., perfectionism), age differences in work attitudes, and positive workplace drivers of employee engagement and well-being.

Paul has published in academic journals and books, as well as HR trade magazines. He is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. He is a regular presenter at APA conventions and has also been a speaker for HRPA, HR.com, and the Conference Board of Canada.

Paul has held consulting positions with a number of firms, including director of research at a large EAP, where he oversaw employee health research on thousands of organizations. His areas of applied expertise include organizational assessment and research (e.g., employee surveys), individual assessment, psychometrics, and data analysis.

Recent Publications & Presentations:

Fairlie, P. (2011). Meaningful work, employee engagement, and other key employee outcomes: Implications for human resource development. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 13, 504-521.

Fairlie, P. (2012, August). All generations have and want similar levels of meaningful work. Paper presented at the 120th. Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Orlando, FL.

Fairlie, P. (in press). Meaningful work is healthy work. In R.J. Burke & C.L. Cooper (Eds.), The fulfilling workplace: The organization's role in achieving individual and organizational health. Surrey, England: Gower Publishing.

Fairlie, P. (in press). Age and generational differences in work psychology: Facts, fictions, and meaningful work. In R.J. Burke, C.L. Cooper, and J. Field (eds.), Aging, work, and society. London: Sage Publications.

Althea Gordon

MHRM (York University)
BSc (Hon) (University of the West Indies – Mona)

Background:

Althea Gordon's academic background includes a BSc (Hon) in Management Studies at the University of the West Indies (Mona) and a Masters in Human Resources Management (MHRM) from York University.

Althea has several years of professional Human Resources experience in various strategic roles in the public sector and large scale multinational organizations.

Research Interest:

• Gender and Collective Bargaining
• Diversity in the Workplace
• Intergenerational Workplace
• Pay Equity
• Workplace Bullying

Publication:

2011 – "The time is ripe to fight employment ageism" HR Edge - The Magazine of Leading Edge Ideas in Human Resource Management. (Forthcoming)

Research papers (selected):

Closing the gap on gendered pay in Ontario: Lessons from our own backyard (2009) The social dynamics of the collective bargaining process: How gender differences influence the bargaining outcome (2009)

Linda Love

Email: lindalov@yorku.ca

Linda Love is Senior Director, Human Resources at The Insurance Institute of Canada. Her career includes 20 years of Human Resources experience in various industries including insurance (P&C and Life), pharmaceutical, service, health care and not-for-profit.

Linda's extensive background in Human Resources includes experience in Workplace Branding, Mergers and Acquisition, Change Management, Compensation and Benefits, Talent Management, Succession Planning, Leadership Development and the development of corporate HR strategies.

Educational/Professional Qualifications

MHRM, York University
BA, (Psychology) Queen's University
CHRP – Certified Human Resources Professional
Executive Human Resources Planning – Queen's University

Publications

Love, L. F., & Singh, P. (2011). Workplace Branding: Leveraging Human Resources Management Practices for Competitive Advantage Through "Best Employer" Surveys, Journal of Business and Psychology, 26, (2), 175-181.

Speaking Engagements

CCH – National Webinar – Employer Branding for Tomorrow's Workplace – June 11, 2009.

Shelley Millman

Shelley Millman earned her BA in Sociology/Philosophy, and MBA at McGill/University of Ottawa. With 20 years of industry experience working for national organizations and professional firms including Deloitte, and a subsidiary of Fujifilm, Shelley's HRM expertise has an extensive tactical and strategic scope.

Over the past 10 years as a Professor, Shelley has been teaching a broad range of HR courses, both at the introductory and advanced levels, along with business communications/management courses. She has published articles in HR Professional magazine on Leadership Coaching and Work/Life Balance, and is currently Assistant Editor for York's HR Edge Magazine.

In her private practice, Shelley provides HR consulting services both at the corporate and individual level.

Ping Peng

Course Director, Human Resources Management

MHRM (York University)
BAS (York University)
BA Honours (Guangxi University, China)

Background

Ms. Ping Peng holds a Masters Degree in Human Resources Management from York University. Ping has been a Part-time faculty member with the School of Human Resources Management since 2008. Ping has extensive Human Resources and Financial Management experience, particularly in the non-profit sector. In addition to teaching, Ping currently works in an administrative unit at York University, primarily responsible for the Human Resource management and Employee Relations of the Division. Prior to coming to York, Ping had held such positions as Director, Business Operations and Human Resources Management, and Director, Finance and Administration.

Ping's areas of interest include: Human Resources Management, Compensation, and Recruitment & Selection.

Selected Work and Publications:

2009 Pay Equity in Ontario: The case of a non-profit seniors service organization. Journal of Canadian Public Administration, Volume 52, No 4. December: 613–625. The Institute of Public Administration of Canada. (With P. Singh)

2010 Canada's bold experiment with pay equity. Gender in Management: An International Journal, Vol. 25 Iss: 7, pp.570 – 585. (With P. Singh)

Contact Information:

Office: 121 Atkinson
Email: ppeng@yorku.ca

Anna Podesta-Da Silva, M.A.

Anna Podesta da Silva is President of Desta Communications Inc. a consulting company that specializes in providing Team Development, Organizational Development, Change Management and Training services to both business and government. Desta Communication Inc. has been in operation providing services throughout North America since 1992.

She was also elected Brampton Catholic School Board Trustee for Wards 1,3 & 4 in 2010. Ms. Podesta has lead many large scale business transformation, change management and training projects for companies such as Bell Canada, Bell Mobility, Rogers Communications, Solectron, Bombardier, Scotia Bank, Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities and the United Way, to name a few.

Ms. Podesta is also a certified Leadership Coach. She is author of "The Coach Approach" which is a coaching methodology which helps business professional obtain their business and career goals. She is an innovative thinker and creative problem solver who take initiative and motivates individuals into action.

Ms Podesta received her Master's Degree from Central Michigan University and her area of research concentrated in the role of leadership for change. She is currently specializing in Team Development, working with companies to address conflict issues through the application of team development process concepts. Ms. Podesta's areas of knowledge include:

• Business Improvement and Innovation
• Organizational Design
• Organizational Development
• Project Management
• Strategic Planning
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Change Management
• Leadership Development & Talent Management
• Operational Framework Development
• Training and Program Development
• Human Resource Management
• Human Resource Recruitment and Selection
• Talent Management
• Team Development
• Performance Management

Mark Podolsky

Mark Podolsky completed my PhD in Human Resources Management and Organizational Behaviour at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University in 2010. Prior to this, he worked as a compensation specialist in corporate HR at TD Bank Financial Group, a professional classical musician, and Personnel Manager for the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony.

His research interests focus on the impact of group norms on individual behaviours and outcomes such as performance and motivation. He is also interested in studying how individuals identify with their profession and organization, and the role of organizational identification in the successful implementation of an organization's strategy.

Indira Somwaru

Indira Somwaru (B.A., B.Ed., MBA, CHRP)

Indira Somwaru is a senior human resources professional and educator with a broad range of experience in both business and academic environments. Her business experiences spans a broad range of industries from publishing to real estate at senior levels of responsibility for the HR function. She currently teaches undergraduate and graduate level human resources management and general business courses to York University, University of Toronto and Seneca College students.

Indira also provides human resources management consulting services to organizations specializing in the development of training programs.

She is currently working on her PhD. in business focusing on the area of employee involvement in unionized organizations.

Christopher Sweeney

Christopher Sweeney, H.B.A., LL. B., is a graduate of Huron College, University of Western Ontario and Osgoode Hall Law School. He articled in the area of Civil Litigation at Lawson McGrenere, worked in Compliance at Royal Trust and as Contracts Administrator at the Canadian Film Centre, Short Dramatic Film Program.

He has mainly worked as a Provincial Prosecutor in Toronto, prosecuting and conducting appeals of numerous regulatory statutes. While at the Provincial Prosecutor's office, he was Acting Manager for a period of time, supervising prosecutors and support staff. He is a published author of five graphic novels for the educational market, has produced a number of one act plays and is currently hired to write a feature comedy screenplay. The subject matter of the screenplay is not inspired by any of his HRM students' exam answers.

This is his second year as a Sessional Lecturer.

Lynne van Buskirk

Email: lynnevan@yorku.ca

Education:

Bachelor of Administrative Studies, York University
Masters of Public Administration (policy stream), Queen's University

Research:

Two main areas of research interest:

1) The interpretation of human rights codes and the impact of rights commission decisions in the workplace and society at large. Are their decisions fair and equitable; are they consistent from case to case; do they provide a reasonable expectation as to potential outcomes, as required under the rule of law?

2) Comparisons of diversity management in the public and private sector; impact of the implementation of public policy in both sectors; impact of accountability requirements and privacy legislation on diversity management.

Teaching:

School of Human Resource Management; 2009 to 2011
School of Administrative Studies; 1990 to 2008
Faculty of Arts, Division of Social Science 2005 to 2007

Teaching philosophy:

My goal in teaching is to draw students deeply into the subject matter and to encourage student participation so that they understand that they are an integral part of the teaching/learning experience.

Professional Experience: over 20 years of management experience in the following areas:
Human Resources Management: Change Management/Work Process Review; Operations Management; Systems Implementation/Management; Budget Management/Financial Planning

Lisa Violo

Lisa has greatly enjoyed her past four years teaching at York University. Lisa has previously lectured at McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business. Lisa's professional career has included various roles within companies such as PepsiCo, Research in Motion and WIND Mobile.

She continues to consult in the wireless industry, primarily in the field of Training & Development. Lisa's education includes an Honours Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration, a certificate in Adult Training & Development and a certificate in Human Resource Management.

Lisa also holds two designations as a Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) and a Certified Training and Development Professional (CTDP).

Lisa lives in Oakville with her husband and daughter and outside of teaching, which is her true passion, she enjoys basketball, yoga, singing and camping. Lisa also volunteers with the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research Canada (FPWRC) which raises funds to find a cure for PWS, a rare genetic disorder.