You can contact an officer by email at ntfc6546@gmail.com. Please put “ATTN: NameOfOfficer” in the subject line of your message.
President
Amanda Bales (she/they) became NTFC President in Spring of 2022, having previously served as Vice-President, Communications Chair, and Steward. She is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the English Department where she teaches Creative Writing. Her first book, Pekolah Stories, was published in 2021.
Vice-President
Rachel Fein-Smolinski (they/them) is a Teaching Associate Professor of Studio Art in The School of Art & Design, an installation artist, and vice president of NTFC. They became UIUC faculty and an NTFC member in 2019 and have served on the Executive Council for NTFC in various roles including Interim Communications Chair in 2021, Chief Steward 2021-2022, and Vice President 2022-present. Fein-Smolinski grew up in Buffalo, NY where their father was a public school teacher and avid member and organizer in the Buffalo Teachers Federation.
Secretary
Jordan Sellers (he/him) is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English. He became UIUC faculty and a NTFC member in 2015 after also teaching at UIUC as a graduate student. Since 2018, he has held several positions in the union including the NTFC Stewards Council. From 2019-2022, he served as Chair of Bargaining Research and acted as lead negotiator during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since May 2022, he has taken over the records management work of Secretary and continues to participate in the Bargaining Research Committee.
Treasurer
Daniel Roche (he/him) immediately joined NTFC Local #6546 when he arrived on campus in fall of 2019. He is a Lecturer in the English Department and affiliate faculty with Game Studies and Design. As treasurer, he relies on his years of experience working in accounting in San Francisco, California.
Communications Chair
Theresa Dobbs (she/her) is an Instructor in the Mathematics Department. She is a former member of GEO and MTEA (the teacher’s union in her hometown of Milwaukee, Wis). Theresa has been an NTFC member since 2021 and Comms Chair since 2023. Likes: riding bikes, teaching math, playing cribbage. Dislikes: race-based mascots, weed-out classes, union busting.
Chief Steward
Krista Roberts (she/her) is a Lecturer in the Rhetoric Program. She joins NTFC from a union background: her grandfather was a member of Teamsters #677 out of Meriden, CT, and she herself was previously an NRLCA member. As Chief Steward, Krista brings fresh energy to the union’s outreach efforts and ongoing activities. She hopes to insure that the institution holds true to its Strategic Plan in order to secure better working conditions and career opportunities for first-generation faculty.
Grievance Chair
Kate Newton (she/her) has been teaching in the English Department since 2011, and has been a Lecturer since 2019. She is entering her third year as Grievance Chair for NTFC. Kate wants you to know your workplace rights, and to help you seek solutions when those rights are violated.
Bargaining Research Chair
Dave Dubin (he/him) is a Teaching Associate Professor in the School of Information Sciences.
