Iyanu Joshua Gbiri

You chose graduate school because you believe in something. A research question worth answering. A contribution worth making. A future worth working toward. That kind of commitment deserves a union that meets it with the same energy, one that fights for your funding, amplifies your voice, and treats your time here as the serious investment it is. That union is possible. I want to help build it. I’m running for Executive Director of Academics because this is exactly the right moment to step up. Yes, the Graduate Student Union has had a difficult season with questions of transparency, member trust, and accountability that can’t be brushed aside. But difficulty isn’t the end of the story. It’s the beginning of a better one, if the right people are willing to show up for it. And the timing matters. MUN is navigating funding pressures that will land directly on graduate students: research support, teaching assistantships, and academic resources you count on. The Executive Director of Academics sits at the table where those conversations happen. That seat needs someone who understands what’s at stake, can communicate your real experiences to the School of Graduate Studies Academic Council, and knows how to turn limited resources into meaningful outcomes. I’ve done exactly this kind of work. I’ve led academics and training for one of the largest professional networks of young geomatics professionals globally, coordinating 50 chapters across 10 countries. In that role, I boosted participation by over 50%, not through top-down directives, but by aligning committees around shared goals and making people feel the impact of what we were building together. More people showed up when they saw what showing up could achieve. I run my own geospatial consulting firm. I know how to advocate in rooms where decisions get made, and I know the best outcomes come from collaboration, not ego. That’s the kind of executive I’ll be. Someone who works with the team, not around it. Someone who brings your concerns forward with clarity and follows through with action. And critically, someone who knows that the smartest resource this union has is its members. You bring deep expertise, lived experience, and insights that leadership needs to hear. I want to put that to work through ad hoc committees, broader member involvement, and structures that make your voice a real part of how this union operates, not just an afterthought. Graduate school is hard enough. You shouldn’t have to fight your own union to feel supported. Let’s build something worth being part of. Vote Iyanu (Joshua) Gbiri for Executive Director of Academics. For the union we all deserve!