STF Welcomes New Executive Director Angela Banda

By Rod Drabble, STF Communications

Angela Banda smiles when asked what members should know about her as she moves into the position of Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation.
“I have been accused of being feisty,” she says. “I want to work together, and I am a friendly, collaborative person by nature. Those who don’t know me yet will find that I am passionate and energetic, and I bring that to every role I have had.”

Banda, who spent the past three years as the STF’s Associate Executive Director, Labour Relations, replaced the retiring Bobbi Taillefer in the Federation’s top administrative position effective February 3.

“I am a teacher – I’ve always been a teacher at heart – and my passion for the teaching profession and for public education has taken me to the point I’m at currently; it is my primary motivation,” says Banda, who was a teacher, principal, vice-principal and instructional consultant in Saskatoon Public Schools before joining the Federation in 2017.
In her role as Associate Executive Director, Labour Relations, Banda served as the administrative lead on provincial collective bargaining and was a member of the Teachers’ Bargaining Committee. She had a prominent role in strategically planning and then communicating the STF’s position and bargaining process to members during in-person and virtual gatherings, leading the implementation of provincewide job action and advocating for the needs of teachers and students.

During seven-plus years as a member of the senior administrative staff, Banda has served and advocated for members with school divisions and provided leadership in areas ranging from classroom complexity to women in leadership to executive vision and strategic planning. During her teaching career, Banda was involved in overseas teaching initiatives and was a representative on Canadian Teachers’ Federation committees. She was a staff representative and executive member of the Saskatoon Teachers’ Association and served as an STF councillor.

Bargaining was recently the dominant issue for the Federation and its members for more than two years, and as the organization looks ahead, Banda believes the legacy of this bargaining and the collective action taken by more than 13,500 members provincewide has defined the future of the STF.

“I think I can honestly say there is no turning back and our members don’t want us to turn back,” she says. “We still have a lot of work to do but we have become the voice for public education. With our job action and solidarity during this round of bargaining and throughout provincial and school board elections, teachers’ voices were heard. And to think that we aren’t going to continue to use that voice or amplify that voice is naïve; that is our path.”

Part of the work Banda has set for herself and the organization is to redefine teachers’ relationships with others in the educational community. She welcomes the opportunity to work alongside the Federation’s President and Executive and with stakeholders such as the Minister of Education, the Saskatchewan School Boards Association, and the League of Educational Administrators, Directors and Superintendents on issues outside of collective bargaining. Her goal is to engage collaboratively in a “Saskatchewan way” to address the challenges facing teachers and students.

“Society has changed, schools have changed, teaching is different … I do believe we are now at the point where all parties recognize that the change has been quite substantial. We just need to get to the point where we can sit down to respectfully problem solve together with a true voice from those people who are experiencing it daily,” she says. “I hope we get a little bit of the ‘Saskatchewan way’ back, but I am also quite cognizant of the fact that if that doesn’t work, I am prepared – we are prepared – to take a stand on behalf of teachers.”
Effectively engaging and communicating with members when it comes to the value of the Federation and the importance of member collectively is a priority. As the organization and its members look to the future, Banda believes in nurturing the commitment to each other embodied in the “We are STF” and “I am STF” campaigns.

“A lot of our members were awakened during bargaining, and we need to keep them that way – we need to continue to inform and to engage,” she says. “The reality of collectivity and what that did was amazing. The Federation’s role is to create a path and provide that opportunity for collectivity. When teachers see that they can participate in the collective in so many different ways and not feel vulnerable when acting in solidarity with others, they will do it – and they showed that.”

She emphasizes the importance of ensuring members are aware of and have access to all the privileges of membership, everything from pension and benefits to professional learning, as well as the opportunity to be part of governance and decision-making through STF Council and local associations. That effort includes a commitment to working closely with local association leaders and strengthening the grassroots through the provincewide network of more than 700 school staff liaisons to support a two-way flow of information between teachers and the Federation.

Banda’s appointment is a return to the practice of internal promotion to the Federation’s top job. She said the opportunity to work with predecessors Randy Schmaltz and Bobbi Taillefer provides valuable insight and experience into the role of Executive Director and the importance of leadership that truly connects with and represents members.
“I have had the benefit to work with both Randy and Bobbi, who had different leadership styles but were working towards the same thing – raising teacher voice to the point that it was heard. I like to think that over the last few years, we have truly matured as an organization,” she says.

Banda places high value on the work done by Federation staff and the importance of a positive, professional culture within the organization. Ensuring a collaborative workplace is a focus of the STF’s commitment to attracting and retaining highly qualified staff to serve members in all areas of operations.
As she begins her new role, Banda is committed to the challenge of strengthening teachers’ relationship with the Federation and ensuring member voice within the STF and the province’s education community.

“I look forward to working even more closely with our Executive. They are elected to represent teachers in all matters. They are the voice of our Federation and their consideration and decision making are essential to the running of the organization,” she says.

“I want members to know that I am open, I am available, I am here for teachers – period. That is the centre of my decision making. I will gather the information, and I will take a step back and say, ‘What is in the best interest of teachers?’ That’s who I am and that’s who I will continue to be as the Executive Director of the Federation.”