Office of the Provost

Todd F. Martin, PhD, CFLE has been a faculty member at TWU since 2008, teaching in the areas of sociology and family studies. He completed his PhD at the University of British Columbia in sociology of family. He also holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in theology and sociology and a Master of Arts in Family Studies. He has published over a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles and coauthored Families Across the Life Course and Family Theories: An Introduction, now in its 5th edition. He is the managing editor of the Journal of Comparative Family Studies, a member of the National Council on Family Relations, and a Certified Family Life Educator. Prior to his role as provost, Dr. Martin was dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS), where he led over 20 program reviews, resulting in significant positive changes in TWU’s academic offerings. 

Dr. Martin is a member of TWU’s strategic planning committee, a diverse team that is spearheading a University-wide strategic planning process to help TWU give focus to a well-supported and deeply considered vision of the future. As part of this work, Dr. Martin co-chaired a subcommittee to create strategies that support TWU in delivering a distinctive, integrated, Christian liberal arts education. Currently, the TWU by-laws state that in the event that the President is not able to perform his or her duties, the Provost will fulfill that role unless the Board of Governors determines otherwise.

Philip G. Laird, PhD earned his BA in Psychology from the University of British Columbia in 1990, his MA in Social/Developmental Psychology from Simon Fraser University in 2003, and his PhD in Psychology with a special designation in Psychology and the Law in 1997 from Simon Fraser University. Phil joined the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Trinity Western University in 1995 and served as a faculty member in Psychology conducting research on moral reasoning, moral attributions, and jury decision-making. During his first seven years at TWU, he served on multiple committees/councils including the Faculty Affairs Executive, Academic Technology Committee, Mediated Learning Taskforce and TWEST Council. He transitioned to University Administration in 2001 as the Director of the Global Mediated Learning Center and has subsequently held various academic administrative positions including Dean of Global Learning Connections and Associate Provost. Leading many new initiatives at TWU, Phil currently provides leadership to non-traditional learning programs and students including online and mediated learning programs, summer sessions, adult professional programs, and global education programs.

Phil also holds the title of Vice President of Innovation, Global & Academic Partnerships and is a member of the Trinity Western University Executive Leadership Team.

Building on a bachelor’s degree in English education and over two decades teaching English in secondary schools, Laurie Matthias, EdD earned both a Master of Education degree and a doctorate in higher education with an emphasis in teaching from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She served twelve years as a faculty member in education at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois where she also directed the graduate programs in education and founded the Center for Integrative Faculty Development for the entire university faculty. She was the only faculty member awarded the President’s Prize for Excellence in Scholarship and Teaching twice within a five-year period. In her role as Associate Provost, Teaching & Learning, she brings expertise in and passion for the integration of faith and learning, the alignment of student learning outcomes with instruction and assessment, and a desire to honor and celebrate diversity in the university community.

Richard Chandra, PhD joined TWU in 2019 as the Director of Research Services in the Office of Research and was appointed as the Associate Provost, Research in 2021.

Richard worked previously at the University of British Columbia as a Researcher in the UBC Bioenergy Research Group and the Department of Chemistry and also as a Research Scientist working on the development of renewable nano-materials for the Government of Alberta (Innotech Alberta).  Richard’s 25 year multi-disciplinary research career has focused on the development of renewable and sustainable fuels, chemicals and materials from the abundant woody and plant materials that we have here in Canada.  His research has resulted in 75 peer reviewed journal publications including a publication in Science magazine entitled: “Lignin valorization: improving lignin processing in the biorefinery” and >100 conference presentations, including several keynotes at international conferences.  Richard has been awarded the Wallenberg Young Researchers Award and the American Chemical Society Graduate Student award in Cellulose and Renewable Materials.  He completed his PhD (organic chemistry/biochemistry applied to renewable materials) at the Institute of Paper Science and Technology (now the Renewable Bio-products Institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology) and his MSc.(Wood Science) and BSc (Microbiology) at the University of British Columbia.  

Richard is extremely passionate about growing research culture and research resources at TWU and working with TWU Faculty to continue to develop their research programs.

Patti is Sto:lo, living on the traditional ancestral unceded territory of Cheam First Nation where she enjoys her children and grandchildren. She and her late husband Gary are the founding pastors of a thriving First Nations Church in Chilliwack. She is an ordained minister with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.

Patti earned her BA in Pastoral Theology at Summit Pacific and her MA in Leadership at Trinity Western University.  She is the chair of the Indigenous Partnership Council and director of the Institute of Indigenous Issues & Perspectives.  In her role of TWU Siya:m, Patti teaches Indigenous perspectives across disciplines;  coaches and mentors Indigenous students; builds relationships with Aboriginal communities; and provides opportunities for the TWU community to understand Indigenous perspectives in education, spirituality, community, history and reconciliation.

Patti's passion is to build bridges with the Aboriginal community through education: through professional development workshops for educators, Aboriginal Awareness workshops for churches or facilitating events where a greater understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing and being are developed and the journey of reconciliation can flourish.