Page Content
Two new executive staff officers have joined the Teacher Welfare (TW) program area of the Alberta Teachers’ Association.
Appointed last month by Provincial Executive Council, Geneviève Blais and Fred Kreiner are both bilingual, and each bring solid backgrounds in the areas of leadership, support and bargaining.
Most recently an assistant principal with Calgary Catholic School District, Blais began her involvement with the Association in her second year of teaching and never looked back. She served on various local and provincial committees, including the Economic Policy Committee (serving as co-ordinator) and the negotiating subcommittee (serving as chair) for ATA Local 55.
At the provincial level, she served on the Professional Conduct Committee and the Teacher Welfare Services Committee. She was appointed to the Association’s Economic Consultant Corps in 2011.
Blais has a masters of education (MEd) in educational leadership, earned at the University of Lethbridge.
Kreiner has an MEd in language and culture that he earned at Campus Saint-Jean. Before joining the Association as a staff member, Kreiner was an assistant principal with Grande Yellowhead Public School Division. He has acquired extensive bargaining knowledge, serving terms as a member of the Economic Policy Committee and Negotiating Subcommittee for both ATA Local 10 and ATA Local 11, where he was also chair.
Kreiner gained valuable experience and familiarity with both francophone and public school jurisdictions by way of a variety of posts held throughout his career. He has been president of Fédération des conseils scolaires francophones de l’Alberta, trustee with the Greater North Central Francophone Regional Authority and practicum director at the University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean.
Kreiner started his new duties with the Association on March 2 while Blais started March 9.
TW staff members help teachers attain economic conditions and conditions of practice that make possible the best level of professional service. They provide members with advice on collective bargaining, interpretation and application of collective agreements, grievance procedures, group benefit plans, pensions, employment insurance and other matters. ❚
