Our instructors

Sara Elder

Sara Elder, BA, MA, PhD, is Adjunct Professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at UBC, and Senior Policy Advisor at the International Institute for Sustainable Development. She holds a BA in International Relations, and an MA and PhD in Resources, Environment and Sustainability from UBC.

Sara has over a decade of experience leading applied research and advisory work on sustainability, inclusive development and global value chains in Canada, Africa, Latin America and Asia. She specializes in translating complex systems research into actionable strategies for policy and practice, and has advised governments, organizations and companies on strengthening equity and advancing climate and sustainable development goals. She designs and conducts learning programs to build leadership capacity in sustainability and climate action and has published on sustainability education. She previously held roles with the United Nations and the BC Ministry of Agriculture’s Climate Action Team.

Evelyn Encalada Grez

Evelyn Encalada Grez, Ph.D is Latinx/Global professor, community organiser, and researcher currently based in the traditional territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, Kwikwetlem, and Musqueam nations (Burnaby, BC). Her doctoral degree is in Social Justice Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Evelyn has worked in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras with the Central American Network in Solidarity with Maquila Women and with the Workers Support Centre in Puebla, Mexico.
She is a founding member of the award-winning collective, Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW) that has promoted the rights of migrant farm workers in Canada since 2001. As a result of her affiliation with Rural Women Making Change, a CURA-SSHRC project based at the University of Guelph, she was invited to the United Nations to speak about her community work with Mexican migrant farmworker women for International Rural Women's Day.

Additionally, Evelyn was the lead Travelling Faculty for a global university teaching US students throughout India, Senegal, Jordan, Nepal, Chile, and Brazil. For three semesters she was also the Academic Director of a social justice, cultural identity, and local development study abroad program in her city of birth, Valparaiso, Chile. Her work has been published in academic journals and she has also mobilized her research and community work through film and art projects to reach broad audiences. Evelyn is driven by her immigrant working class experiences and committed to decolonializing and transformative pedagogies.

Brock Endean

Brock Endean is a change facilitator and founder of RedPier Consulting, working at the intersections of climate justice and community development. Based in rural BC, he supports communities in navigating climate change in ways that are grounded, imaginative, and relationship-driven.

With over 15 years of experience working across Canada, and contributions to international forums including at the United Nations, Brock brings a perspective shaped by deep local relationships and broader systems awareness. He has worked alongside Indigenous Nations, local governments, and non-profits to support community-led approaches that are responsive to place, history, and lived experience.

Brock is known for blending strategy with storytelling, design with dialogue, and curiosity with care. Whether facilitating gatherings, curating festivals, or mentoring leaders, his intention is the same: helping communities reflect on the stories they tell themselves and have agency in those they want to cultivate

Janice Eng

Socorro Esther Dominguez Vidana,

Zelie Eve

Robert Farkasch

Robert Farkasch, PhD, is a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia. He teaches courses in international political economy, international relations and understanding terrorism.

Heidi Feenstra

Sandra Fennings

Sara Fera

Alexandra Findlay

Andrea Fruhling

Andrea Fruhling, PCC, is the founding director of Doubleknot Works, a private mentor coaching practice, and is a mentor coach and instructor for the UBC Certificate in Organizational Coaching at UBC. Andrea is also the instructional designer and a lead instructor for both the Career Coaching Practitioner course, and the Certification in Hope-Action Theory & Practice course, which is offered to career professionals globally. She is the only Hope-Action Theory expert-level trainer in the world, and a leader for the International Coaching Federation’s Career Coaching Community of Practice.

An expert in organizational coaching, career development and creativity, Andrea develops and delivers programs for career professionals and coaches, and provides leaders and organizations the tools they need to increase their impact and create a culture where people can thrive.

Andrea has delivered webinars, keynote presentations and workshops for national and international career development conferences, organizations and associations. Her work is practical and engaging, with a focus on creativity, active strengths-based learning, team engagement and hope.

Kent Fuka

Kent Fuka, BASc, MAst, is Managing Member of OpenCogent LLC and President of KNCL Management Inc. He has four decades of leadership experience in product development, marketing, customer service, international distribution and finance, including chief-executive roles at technology companies.

Kent’s AI work included inventing AI software for math tutoring, leading the deployment team for an AI-based IT product used by global Fortune 100 companies and developing machine learning software for astrophysics research.

Kent has led technical training courses across the U.S., Europe and Asia and has lectured on entrepreneurship in two MBA programs, bringing industry practice into the classroom. He holds three U.S. patents in AI and his work focuses on applying AI in education and business contexts. 

Jose Ricardo García Martinez

Florian Gassner

Dr. Florian Gassner, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the UBC Department of Central, Eastern and Northern European Studies. He’s a former Fellow of the New Europe College in Bucharest, and has represented the German Academic Exchange Service at the Donetsk National University in Ukraine. His research focuses in the cultural history of Central and Eastern Europe.

Mike Gelbart

Mike Gelbart, PhD, is an assistant professor of teaching in the UBC Department of Computer Science, and Option Co-Director of the UBC Master of Data Science (MDS) Program. He joined UBC in 2015 and was part of the team that designed the MDS curriculum. He holds an undergraduate degree in physics from Princeton University, and a PhD from the machine learning group at Harvard University. Outside of UBC, Mike is an advisor at Vanedge Capital, a Vancouver-based early-stage venture capital fund for technology startups. Learn more about Michael on his personal website.

Don Genova

Don Genova is a BC-based award-winning freelance food and travel journalist. Over the years he has contributed to such publications as the Globe and Mail, National Post, enRoute, and Western Living. He is a regular contributor to Flavours magazine and Gulf Islands Aqua. Don is a veteran radio and television contributor, including many regular spots with CBC Radio and independently produced documentaries for the Food Network. His latest radio column with CBC Victoria is called Food Matters, and delves into the world of sustainable eating in British Columbia. His first book, Food Artisans of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, was published in April 2014.

Don earned a Masters of Food Culture from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy in 2007. He also holds a Bachelor of Environmental Science from the University of Waterloo and is an Honours Graduate of the Humber College Radio Broadcasting Program.

Don's Blog: http://blog.dongenova.com

Twitter: @dongenova

Roza V Ghaemi

Roza V. Ghaemi is a PhD candidate in the School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC. Her PhD research focuses on stem cells and tissue engineering of the human brain as a drug discovery platform. She teaches courses in bioengineering, chemical and biological engineering, and science communication.

Nahid Ghani

Melanie Gorman Ng