Our Acting President this year is Lily Hamilton (she/her). Lily is a 5th year political science major, with a history minor and a certificate in French. She’s been involved with Elect Her since last year, acting as the director of Events and Fundraising. During her studies, she has always questioned how women could be more involved with politics and have more representation, and women’s rights are an issue she cares deeply about. Even though this year is very different than past years, she is confident that the club will be able to create a sense of community through events such as panels and the video interview series. As President, she wants to be someone anyone can contact about the club, and just be someone to talk to. In addition to Elect Her, she is the Minister of Student Affairs for the Model UN club, and she loves to cook, read, listen to music, and plan trips to take post-Covid.
Vice President – Andrea Farmer
My name is Andrea (she/her) and I’m the Vice President of Elect Her UVIC. I’ve been involved with the club since March 2020, and shortly after became Director of Events and Fundraising. As Director of Events and Fundraising, I oversaw the planning of the December 2020 Virtual Panel. As VP, I am focusing on growing the club and turning towards club initiatives that involve specific actions to helping more women and people of marginalized genders reach public office or other roles in the political arena.
Director of Communications – Madeline Antony
Our Director of Communications this year is Madeline Antony (she/her). Madeline is a fourth year biology psychology student, but with a passion for women’s rights and politics. She has been a member since the start of the term, but quickly felt at home in the club. A main focus of her academic and non-academic work is increasing diversity. She is the co-founder of the Inclusive Literature Initiative which aims to ensure that all voices are represented in classroom literature and was recently elected the undergraduate representative for the faculty of science equity, diversity and inclusion committee. Her hobbies include camping, hiking, reading and watching cheesy crime shows and politcal comedy shows (her favorites are CSI Miami and Last Week Tonight).
Director of Events and Fundraising – Claire Eppler
Claire (she/her) is a fourth year political science student and joined Elect Her this year to try and connect with like-minded people during a pandemic, but has always had a passion for the representation of women in politics. She has held the position of a volunteer coordinator for a women’s organization in the past, and is hoping to find a career that involves giving back to the community when she graduates. In her free time, she likes to read, practice yoga, get outside and learn more about living sustainably.
Director at Large – Emma-Jane Burain
Emma-Jane Burian (she/her) is a first-year political science student at the University of Victoria and activist who organizes on the beautiful homelands of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. Most of her high school years were spent organizing for climate justice. She received a 2020 Victoria Leadership Award for her work on Flourishing and Safe Environments. Emma-Jane is now working to balance school and bringing her activism into politics, volunteering on multiple Green Party campaigns in the 2019 election, and in 2020 working as comms coordinator for Amita Kuttner’s Green Party Leadership campaign. She is determined to help solve the crises we face through building resilient communities.
Director at Large – Maya Mersereau-Liem
Maya Mersereau-Liem (they/she) is a mixed-race, queer, genderqueer, and able-bodied uninvited settler on the unceded and homelands of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. They were born and raised as an unwelcomed settler on the unceded & unsurrendered lands of the Səlilwətaɬ, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm peoples.
Maya is a first-year student Environmental studies & Indigenous studies double major student at the University of Victoria. Coming from their background in activism, Maya strives to always center her work around Indigenous sovereignty, climate justice, and gender equity. In running for Director at Large, Maya seeks to remove existing barriers in politics in addition to adding her positionality to “Elect Her Uvic”.
President: The President of Elect Her is responsible for the actions of the Club and is the leader for the Executive Members. Their responsibilities are broad, as they oversee all initiatives taken by Elect Her, assist in planning events, conferences & outreach, and aid the executives with their respective portfolios. Additionally, the President oversees financial matters, acts as a signing authority, and works with the Vice-President to organize and facilitate team bonding and team appreciation activities.
Vice-President: The Vice-President aids and assists the President and other Executives when and if they need it. Additionally, they oversee all aspects of the Elect Her club and ensures each department is functioning effectively. They aid the President in organizing team bonding activities, and assists with all financial matters.
Director of Communications: The Director of Communications is responsible for the management of all Elect Her social media, online content creation, online marketing campaigns, and website management. Additionally, they speak on behalf of Elect Her, alongside the President. Finally, they are responsible for maintaining the email list and should co-ordinate with the Director of Events.
Director of Events: The Director of Events shall plan and oversee all activities and events for Elect Her – including social events, fundraising, and networking nights. They work closely alongside the Director of Communications, and co-operate with many other UVic clubs for event planning.
Director(s)-at-Large: Directors-at-Large attend all Executive, General, and Special meetings for Elect Her. Their roles are very open, as they may choose a specific portfolio to contribute to or support all Directors as needed. They additionally may take on initiatives and projects approved by the Executive.
Elect Her* UVic 