Christina Muehlberger
Ottawa,Canada
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Education and Organizing Officer
Canadian Association of University Teachers
07.2021 - Current
- Oversee the work of two Organizing Officers and the Education Officer to ensure that the team is implementing CAUT’s annual operational plan objectives, including a shift to the organizing model and capacity building at the association level
- Work in collaboration with the Senior Labour Relations Officers to provide organizing support to CAUT’s associations in Atlantic Canada, Alberta and British Columbia, including in the lead up to, during, and post-bargaining
- Develop the pedagogy and materials, as well as train member facilitators, for CAUT’s education offerings, including the core online courses, forums, and regional schools
- Monitor emerging trends in bargaining and issues impacting post-secondary education and academic staff to tailor organizing support and develop relevant education offerings and resources
- Recruit new CAUT members, including the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Faculty Association and newly certified unions at McGill University
- Coordinate cross-team meetings with the Senior Labour Relations Officers to improve the quality and consistency of support to member associations
- Work with members of the Political Action and Communications team to develop and implement national campaigns, such as the Unlock Education campaign, and ensure these campaigns serve as an opportunity for member associations to build capacity on the ground
- Provide support to provincial associations, including monitoring provincial bargaining trends and provincial government announcements impacting the sector and developing campaigns in the province to respond to these unique provincial contexts
- Support the Collective Bargaining and Organizing Committee’s work, including revisions to CAUT’s Collective Bargaining Manual and the ongoing research project to map the current compensation landscape of teaching stream academic staff
Membership Engagement, Outreach, and Organizing Officer
Canadian Association of University Teachers
09.2017 - 06.2021
- Organized CAUT’s national campaigns and digital strategy, including the organization’s campaigns for the federal election, contract academic staff, governance, and copyright
- Assisted member associations in developing and implementing campaigns on collegial governance, privatization, contract academic staff working conditions, and divestment, enhancing overall member engagement
- Worked with CAUT’s Collective Bargaining Officers and member associations to develop member engagement strategies in the lead up to and during bargaining
- Developed and delivered workshops for academic staff associations on membership engagement and campaigns
- Collaborated with CAUT’s graphic designer to create impactful campaign materials, including posters, leaflets, and organizing toolkits, to effectively support outreach efforts
- Conducted research on key issues impacting the post-secondary education sector to inform CAUT’s campaign work
- Oversaw CAUT’s membership engagement database, ensuring accurate tracking of member interactions and facilitating targeted engagement strategies
Graduate Campaigns and Policy Coordinator
Canadian Federation of Students
07.2016 - 08.2017
- Led four-person campaigns team for a year, preparing for a successful Day of Action
- Collaborated with members and executive committee to create impactful national, provincial, and local campaigns for graduate students
- Researched and drafted lobby documents, position papers, and policy submissions for Federation and its provincial components, supporting member local students’ unions
National Graduate Caucus Chairperson
Canadian Federation of Students
05.2015 - 06.2016
- Represented over 90,000 graduate students from across the country on the Canadian Federation of Students’ national executive
- Engaged students across campuses nationwide in outreach campaigns, fostering enthusiasm for initiatives and the Federation.
- Coordinated actions with coalition partners, building grassroots support for shared objectives with CUPE, PSAC, NUPGE, CUPW, and CCPA.
- Trained student leaders and union executives in campaign development and membership growth strategies.
President of the Graduate Students’ Association
Carleton University
05.2014 - 05.2015
- One of five executives that represented over 3,600 graduate students at Carleton University, focusing on campaigns development, administering services, and advocacy work
- Chaired the Political Action Committee, which worked to organize diverse programming to build the capacity of graduate students as activists
- Supervised the work of two Sexual Assault Outreach Coordinators assigned to developing campaigns to raise awareness and combat sexual violence on campus
- Coordinated with on-campus labour unions to organize joint events, including town halls addressing issues such as door-to-door mail delivery and sexual violence awareness, facilitating community engagement throughout the year
- Worked with CUPE 4600, the union representing teaching assistants, to engage graduate students in the bargaining process for teaching assistants
Research Assistant, Department of Political Science
Carleton University
09.2012 - 05.2015
- Conducted research for SSHRC-funded Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement project to inform community engagement strategies
Teaching Assistant, Department of Sociology
Carleton University
09.2011 - 05.2015
- Facilitated weekly seminars and class discussions, enhancing student engagement and understanding, and marked assignments and final exams, providing timely feedback to support academic growth
Education
Masters of Arts - Political Economy
Carleton University
05.2013
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Political Science
Acadia University
04.2010
Skills
- Organizing
- Campaign development
- Educational expertise
- Research proficiency
- Job action support
- Expertise on post-secondary education
- Strategic planning and implementation
- Collaborative leadership
Accomplishments
- Worked with the Education Officer to move all of CAUT’s courses online in 2020 and host a series of issue-specific webinars to address the changing nature of work during COVID-19.
- Designed the organizing components of CAUT’s For Our Future and Get Science Right 2.0 campaigns.
- Created and implemented a train-the-trainer model that has trained over 20 academic staff to facilitate CAUT’s courses.
- Developed CAUT’s Organizing School that has taught over 300 academic staff how to implement the organizing model on their campus.
- Created CAUT’s in-person regional schools that offer more advanced bargaining and organizing training and that have been attended by over 80 association leaders.
- Supported eight associations during job action and coordinated CAUT’s national response and solidarity actions in 2022 when five associations were on strike.
Timeline
Senior Education and Organizing Officer
Canadian Association of University Teachers
07.2021 - Current
Membership Engagement, Outreach, and Organizing Officer
Canadian Association of University Teachers
09.2017 - 06.2021
Graduate Campaigns and Policy Coordinator
Canadian Federation of Students
07.2016 - 08.2017
National Graduate Caucus Chairperson
Canadian Federation of Students
05.2015 - 06.2016
President of the Graduate Students’ Association
Carleton University
05.2014 - 05.2015
Research Assistant, Department of Political Science
Carleton University
09.2012 - 05.2015
Teaching Assistant, Department of Sociology
Carleton University
09.2011 - 05.2015
Masters of Arts - Political Economy
Carleton University
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Political Science
Acadia University