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15th Annual Conference
RESILIENCE
in a Changing Landscape
▮ March 27-30, 2022
▮ The Westin Ottawa Hotel
15th Annual Conference
RESILIENCE
in a Changing Landscape
▮ March 27-30, 2022
▮ The Westin Ottawa Hotel
Speakers
Learn more about the presenters at the Languages Canada 15th Annual Conference. More details will be added to this page as they become available. Stay tuned!
Nadine Baladi
Nadine has worked in the field of ESL, Higher Education and Pathway Partnerships for over 20 years. She has also served on the boards of accrediting agencies and professional associations for the sector. She is passionate about the student experience, student success and quality of curriculum. Nadine holds her MA in Second Language Education from McGill University. She works as Vice-President of Operations for ILSC-Education Group, Canada.
Jonathan Barr
Jonathan is the Director of Policy, Research, Analysis, and Geomatics within the Skills and Employment Branch of Employment and Social Development Canada. He leads a team of researchers looking at emerging labour market and skills trends across Canada. Before ESDC, Jonathan was a Deputy Head of Division within the OECD's Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities. At the OECD, he led a team of economists looking at global issues related to employment and economic development, publishing more than 40 reports across 30 countries.
Dr. Ken Beatty
Dr. Beatty is an Anaheim University TESOL Professor, and has worked in Asia, the Middle East, and North and South America, lecturing on language teaching and computer-assisted language learning from the primary through university levels. He’s author/co-author of 148 readers and textbooks and has given 500+ teacher-training sessions and conference presentations in 35 countries. He is a Series Consultant for Pearson ELT’s StartUp series. https://kenbeatty.ca/
Stephen Carey
Leading the British Council’s IELTS outreach to organisations, Stephen works with educational institutions, employers, governments, and professional associations around the world. Stephen and his team work together with institutions to support them with setting their English language requirements, understanding what makes a good English language test, adopting and using the IELTS test, and measuring how it works for them. Stephen has 25 years’ experience in the education industry, working across various continents.
Jon Chodarcewicz
Jon has two decades of experience in the English language industry, both domestically and internationally. Having started his journey as an instructor at Brock University, Jon has worked as an instructor at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey; as an instructor and Academic Year Coordinator at Kaplan; as an instructor and teacher trainer at ILAC; as Academic Director at Study English in Canada (SEC); and as Director of Studies for Languages Studies Canada. Jon has been employed at EC since 2011, where he had held the positions of Director of Studies, Regional Academic Director and his current position of Centre Director.
Scott Cross
Scott brings a combination of digital marketing and school leadership experience in his role at Higher Education Marketing, consulting with schools across North America. He also teaches Digital Content Marketing at McGill University's School of Continuing Studies. Scott delivers the ability to diagnose a school’s current digital marketing efforts and provide insights on where they can best be optimized. He came to HEM from his role as Director of Marketing and Communications for St. George’s School of Montreal, and before that has 20 years of experience in digital and “pre-digital” marketing in the US and Canada.
Sharon Curl
Sharon is the Managing Director of Oxford International Education Group North America and founder and former owner of Vancouver Maple Leaf Language College Inc. (VMLLC), which operates language schools in Vancouver and Toronto and in 2021 added Halifax with the acquisition of ECLC. In 2013, VMLLC was acquired by Oxford International Education Group and Sharon continued with the company to oversee its North American operations. In addition to the Canadian operations, Sharon also oversees OIEG USA institutions which include a new acquisition in New York, a program at SF State University in addition to a school in San Diego. Sharon was the first president of the Canadian Association of Private Language Schools (CAPLS) and chaired the steering committee which brought CAPLS and the CLC together to form Languages Canada. Sharon was President of Languages Canada from 2013 – 2017 and currently sits on the Executive Committee of the association in the role of Immediate Past President.
Paul Denman
Paul holds a JD in Law, MS in Education and BA in Psychology. Paul has worked in various private educational organizations in Ontario: Career Colleges, High schools and Language Schools in roles relating to academics, management, and compliance. Paul is the Associate Director Compliance of Global University Systems - Canada Colleges and supervises all the regulatory and quality assurance issues within the group. Paul is also the recently appointed Brand Director of The Language Gallery Canada.
Kendall Doucette
Kendall is a Mental Health & Wellness Consultant with the Wellness and Learning Initiatives by guard.meCARES. As a Toronto-native of Trinidadian & French-Canadian descent, Kendall comes with a vast amount of knowledge and experience having had the privilege of working alongside varied & marginalized communities and populations within the Housing, Long-Term Care, and Healthcare sectors in both Canada and the UK (Manchester). Beyond the scope of his work, Kendall openly & with pride, locates himself within the 2SLGBTQ+ community. A graduate of Centennial College and Brock University’s Recreation & Leisure Studies program, Kendall brings an appreciation for not only the impact and importance of engagement with therapeutic recreation & leisure opportunities within the context of promoting optimal individual and community mental health & wellness, but also, understanding how psychoeducation can operate as a catalyst for healing and transformation.
Marcela Esquenazi
As an experienced CEO in the educational business for over 26 years, Marcela has worked across multiple institutions and successfully led them. She has managing, administrative, and teaching experience. In addition, she has been using technology in teaching English as a second language for more than 20 years. Her interest in technology and innovation has helped her create multiple recruiting and teaching language tools. She is the current CEO of BLI Canada, an international school that teaches English and French and has two campuses, one in Montreal and one in Quebec City.
Michael Fierheller
Michael is a veteran ESL/EFL instructor who holds an M.Ed. from Ontario Tech University. He is an ESL instructor and Instructional Technology Coordinator at Trent University. His areas of interest include instructional technology, curriculum development, and student wellness.
Christina Furtado, MACP
Christina is the Mental Health and Wellness Specialist with guard.me and has spent over 25 years building awareness around mental health and wellness. As a trained Mental Health Counsellor specializing in the areas of substance-use disorders, mood-related disorders, as well as anxiety and trauma-related disorders, Christina brings her clinical expertise to the guard.meCARES platform through the Wellness and Learning Initiatives Program. Prior to becoming a mental health counsellor, Christina devoted 15 years to supporting students’ wellbeing as an educator and administrator within the k-12 private sector. As a practicing member of the Canadian Psychological Association, the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, and the Ontario Association of Mental Health Professionals since 2015, Christina continues to be a passionate advocate through various mental health initiatives across Canada.
Michèle Glémaud
Michèle Glémaud is the Executive Director of the University of Montreal’s Admission and Recruitment office. She holds an MBA from the University of Sherbrooke and has previously acted as Executive Director of the Réseau des carrefours jeunesse-emploi du Québec (RCJEQ) and of Réseau Réussite. Those experiences show the importance Michèle gives to youth education and career possibilities, a mission that she has now been pursuing for more than 10 years at the Admission and Recruitment office of the University of Montreal. Moreover, as its Executive Director, she coordinates the teams that process the admission files whose mission is to innovate and to radiate the University’s diverse programs and services.
Jesus Gomez
Jesus has over 10 years' experience in the English Assessment industry having worked in various countries across the Americas. Jesus and his team focus on building relationships with institutions in Canada with the purpose of growing the Pearson’s Test of English - PTE recognition base. Currently he is responsible for stakeholder management in Eastern Canada.
Assia Hamdane
As an experienced senior executive in the Secure English Language Testing sector, Assia brings over 15 years' experience leading strategies in Marketing, Business Development & Stakeholder engagement. She is the current Director, Pearson Test of English - PTE in Canada, responsible for PTE business strategy rollout, and regularly engages with industry leaders and influencers as well as government officials.
Kate Higgins
Kate is an ESL Instructor at Trent University. She holds a B.Ed. and an M.A. in Second Language Education from the University of Toronto and a certificate in Academic Advising from the University of Calgary. Her research interests include motivation and burnout, social-emotional learning, and trauma-informed teaching.
Julian Inglis
Julian is currently the Manager of English Language Programs at the University of Guelph. He’s worked for over 20 years as a program manager and EAP Instructor. Before coming to Guelph he worked in Tokyo, Vancouver, Montreal, and Wolfville Nova Scotia. Julian holds a TESOL Diploma from Vancouver Community College as well as a Master’s in Linguistics from McGill University. He served as Vice President and President of TESL Nova Scotia and was active in organizing provincial and national professional development events in that province. Throughout his career he’s had a strong commitment to Quality Assurance, serving as the Co-Chair of the QA committee since 2012. In 2015 he worked to bring Languages Canada into the international QA network QALEN and has been active at annual QALEN symposia since that time.
Paula Jamieson
Paula began her international education career in 1993 and has worked in the public and private sectors of Canada, the USA and Japan. Passionately engaged in Languages Canada activities, Paula is an LC Board Member, Co-chair of the BC Chapter, and a long-standing member of the Advocacy Committee. Over the last two years, Paula has generated a sense of hope and purpose by participating in a series of media interviews, with the goal of shining a spotlight on the value of the Language Travel industry to Canadian society and economy. Paula is President & CEO of Global Village Victoria, where she’s been employed for the last 15 years.
Angela Johnston
Angela is Associate VP, Academic at ILAC. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia and holds certifications in TESOL, Adult Education, and Intercultural Studies. Angela has over 15 years experience in international education in Canada, Egypt, and the Netherlands. Her responsibilities include compliance and quality assurance at ILAC and ILAC International College.
Dr. Sabiha Khuram
Dr. Khuram has a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the USA and a master’s in educational management from UK. She is a highly experienced trainer and leader in the educational management area. She is also a Fulbright Hubert Humphrey Fellow from the USA. She is presently working as Account Manager IELTS at the British Council Canada and has been involved with IELTS since 2012 in Canada. She develops and manages the Stakeholder relations locally and globally and continuously works to improve them by monitoring them constantly. She has keen interest in all areas of women's empowerment and social enterprise. She loves travelling, reading books and meeting people from diverse culture.
Valerie Kilgour
Valerie (she/her) is the manager of the Laurier English & Academic Foundation (LEAF) Program at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo and Brantford, Ontario. Before taking on that role, she taught English in various countries around the world. Her approach to teaching and leadership is based on the principle of radical empathy. Valerie has served on the Languages Canada Quality Assurance committee for the last six years and has co-chaired it for the past year.
Marc LeBlanc
A graduate from the University of Waterloo School of Planning and the London School of Economics, Marc has broad experience in public and international affairs. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with public sector leaders to design and execute advocacy strategies and issue-based campaigns that drive political action and secure innovative policy solutions. At Universities Canada, Marc leads the advocacy strategy and outreach activities on key issues related to international education and research collaboration. He also advances the association's international engagement objectives through organizing and facilitating events and missions in Canada and abroad.
Caroline Lévesque
Caroline joined FPP 5 years ago, as the Regional Director for Canada. She works with public and private institutions at the secondary, college and university levels, and with languages schools, to support them in their international promotion and student recruitment efforts. Caroline also works with industry associations and federal and provincial governments in planning recruitment fairs and pavilions at select events. Caroline has more than 15 years of experience in communications, marketing and student recruitment. Caroline is fluent in French, English and Spanish and holds a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Regina and a Bachelor’s degree from the Université de Montréal.
Dr. Jennifer MacDonald
Dr. MacDonald is Director of the Department of English Language Studies at Dalhousie University. She publishes and presents on topics at the intersection of applied linguistics and the internationalization of higher education. Her most recent research tackles the question of how to ensure a more equitable academic experience for students of diverse linguistic backgrounds at Canadian universities. Follow Jennifer at @Jen_Mac_Donald.
Philip Mondor
For more than 30 years, Philip has worked with labour market stakeholders across Canada and abroad including foreign governments, pan-global organizations, Canadian and non-Canadian businesses, and various education and training bodies. His work spans over 15 industrial sectors and in 11 countries, with most of his career focused on the tourism industry. Philip is an industry representative to the Deputy Minister’s Advisory Council, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Currently, he is an advisory member of the Labour Market Information Council and the Future Skills Centre Research Advisory Board. Philip is the recipient of Ryerson’s Ted Roger’s Industry Award.
Waldenor Moraes
Waldenor Moraes has a degree in English language teaching and learning from the University of Brasilia, an MA in English, and a PhD in Linguistics from the University of São Paulo. He has undertaken post-doctoral studies on internationalization and language policies at the University of Ottawa and supervises MA and PhD theses on teacher education, language policies, and internationalization. Waldenor is a full-time tenured professor at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU) with experience in university management as head of department, coordinator of the graduate program in Linguistics, director of the language institute, and provost of undergraduate courses. He is currently the International Officer at UFU, president of the Brazilian Council of International Officers at Federal Universities, and vice-president of the Language Without Borders Network at the National Association of Rectors (ANDIFES).
Kate Morrison
Kate is the Academic Services Manager and CELTA Tutor at Saint Mary’s University Language Centre-TLC. She studied to be a French Immersion teacher graduating with a B.Ed. from St. FX University. However, her interest in travel lead her to Turkey, where she spent most of her career as an EAP (English for Academic Purposes) instructor. While teaching there, she received her training in CELTA and DELTA within the EAP context. She continued her training in EAP by completing her Certificate in Teaching English for Academic Purposes (TEAP) from The Norwich Institute of Language Education (NILE). Kate is working on her MA from NILE in Professional Development in Language Education.
Roberta Murino
After completing her MA, Roberta relocated to Canada where she started her career in the education sector as an Education Agent before joining The Language Gallery - Canada as the Campus Manager. Roberta oversees all TLG Canada operations and supports the development of the school within and outside Canada.
Ganesh Neelanjanmath
Ganesh arrived in Canada as an international student in 2010 and pursued post graduation studies in Project Management at Sheridan College. With an engineering degree in Computer Science from VTU, Karnataka, India and over 16 years of experience working in India, Europe, Canada and the US, Ganesh served multiple organizations as a software programmer, business analyst, and intrapreneur, leading and managing teams and innovative projects. Today Ganesh leads iCent, his own bootstrapped venture, with an operational team and clients spread across multiple countries. His clients appreciate and benefit from the breadth and depth of his experience that results in the crafting of expert solutions. Based on his challenges, experience, and learnings as an international student in Canada, Ganesh founded 'iCent, the International Student app' to empower public institutions with effective information delivery and communication management, bridging the gap between International Offices and international students. Having conceived the idea in 2013 and launched the app in 2015, iCent has served over three hundred thousand International Students across seven hundred campuses spanned over multiple continents in Canada, the US, New Zealand and European Union. http://www.linkedin.com/in/ganesh-neelanjanmath-iCent
Andrew O’Shea
Andrew has been involved with ELT as a teacher, administrator and publisher for over 20 years. After receiving an MA/TESOL at San Francisco State University, Andrew lived and worked in Istanbul where he taught intensive English to university students and oversaw the assessment program, fostering an interest in test design and construction. Since 2004, he has worked in ELT publishing and is currently the regional sales manager for National Geographic Learning.
Chris Paredes
Chris joined ICEF in 2019 as a Business Development Manager for Western Canada. He came to ICEF from the K-12 sector where he served as an International Recruitment Manager for three years. His recruitment and work with agents was extensive throughout Brazil, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russian speaking countries, and he now supports institutions and providers in Western Canada and also Quebec.
Gonzalo Peralta
Gonzalo was named the Executive Director of Languages Canada in 2010. Prior to joining Languages Canada, he served as the President of AILIA (Association de l'industrie de la langue/Language Industry Association). His career in language education has spanned over 30 years, with experience in translation, language technologies and language education. Gonzalo is fluent in French, English and Spanish. At Languages Canada he has devoted his efforts to raising the visibility of language education in Canada and globally. He is also responsible for bringing together the elements that now form the world-respected Languages Canada Quality Assurance Framework. More recently, he has been leading efforts to lessen the impact of COVID-19 on Canadian language institutions and their students, and to chart a course towards the sector's successful recovery and evolution. His passion for language education comes not just from life and professional experience, but from the belief that language is an essential pillar of education and of just, peaceful, and creative societies.
Hannah Pyo
With an MA in Korean History, BA in Sociology, and certification in TESOL, Hannah has been working in the education sector for over 15 years, starting first as an ESL instructor and then moving into administrative and management roles, with experience in curriculum design and program development. Hannah Pyo is the EAP Program Coordinator at Toronto School of Management where she administrates all aspects of the newly created program.
Alain Roy
As Vice-President, International Partnerships, at Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), Alain is responsible for the development and administration of all CICan’s international institutional partnership programs. Alain has more than 20 years of international experience, working with various international organizations, providing policy analysis to governments, and implementing skills training programs around the world. He is a former special advisor to Canada’s Minister for International Cooperation and Minister of State for Health and has carried out several cooperation assignments in Mexico, India, Senegal, Kenya, Uganda, Pakistan. He is a graduate of the Cégep de Matane and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Public Communication and Political Science) from Laval University and a Masters of Management from McGill University.
Diego Sanchez
Diego is Director, International Affairs at Languages Canada. He has over 10 years’ experience in the private and public sectors, having worked at Global Affairs Canada and different international NGOs. Past experiences entailed working with education agents, government, associations, and chambers of commerce to organize trade missions around the globe. Diego is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese and has advanced knowledge of German.
Sreemoyi Sanyal
Sreemoyi (Sree) is currently serving as Deputy Director in the International Education Division at Global Affairs Canada. She started her career in the Foreign Service as a Trade Commissioner in 2007 and has served abroad including as Vice-Consul, Trade Commissioner and Acting Head of Office in San Diego, USA (2008-11), as the Consul and Trade Commissioner in Mumbai, India (2013-16), and as the First Secretary in New Delhi, India (2016-18). Sree has also held a variety of positions both in the private sector, and with international organizations. Sree holds a Masters in Biomedical Engineering and a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the University of Calgary.
Monèle Schrot
Monèle has gained extensive experience in all aspects of education through her teaching career, her role as a principal and as the director of the International Education Program. Ms. Schrot holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Master of Education Administration from the University of Manitoba. Prior to joining ICEF, Ms. Schrot was the Director of the International Education Department for ten years at Louis Riel School Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she was responsible for the strategy and management of the K-12 International Education Program and the Higher Institute of Vocational Education (ISEP). She is currently the Director of French Language Programs.
Paulo Silva
Paulo is the CEO of Smrt English Brazil. He is an international education specialist with a comprehensive understanding of the Brazilian and Canadian educational environments in both the public and private sectors. Paulo is the past Chair of the Brazilian Business Opportunities Committee at the London Chamber of Commerce. He is the founder of the consulting company Pan-American Consulting, which supports Canadian academic institutions to enter the Brazilian market. Paulo was born in Brazil and has been living in Canada for the last 15 years. He possesses a master’s degree from Western University.
Secretary Wagner Vilas Boas de Souza
Wagner Vilas Boas de Souza is the Secretary of Higher Education in the federal Ministry of Education of Brazil. As a long-standing public servant within the federal government, Secretary de Souza has held numerous previous positions within the Ministry of Education, including Director of Development of the Network of Federal Institutions of College Education; Deputy Executive Secretary; Undersecretary for Planning and Budget; General Budget Coordinator; and member of the Committee Advisor to the Education Sector Financing Fund from Mercosur. He is a member of the National Education Council (CNE), a member of the Superior Council for the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes), and President of the National Commission for Medical Residency (CNRM). Secretary de Souza is a PhD candidate in Business Administration at the University of Brasília (UnB), and holds a Master in Public Administration and Specialist in Controlling and Corporate Finance from the University of Lavras (UFLA) and bachelors of Accounting Sciences from the University of Brasília (Uneb).
John Taplin
John has worked with Global Village since the inception of schools in Calgary as well as in Victoria, where he currently serves as Board Chair. John relates experiences and shares tips from his career in public and private sector English programs as a teacher and manager in his book, 'Easier Said Than Done: Adventures in the Language Business', which will be published in Spring, 2022.
Ryan Tremble
Ryan has worked with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for over 15 years. Currently working as Regional Programs Officer in the Greater Toronto Area Region, Ryan supports CBSA personnel with the interpretation and application of immigration policies, programs and procedures. Ryan also works with internal and external stakeholders to identify and create new and innovative solutions that help to support and strengthen immigration program delivery. Currently, Ryan is collaborating with several stakeholders and partners to help enhance certain processes related to the international student program.
Samuel Vetrak
Samuel is CEO at BONARD. He has over 20 years’ experience advising governments, destinations, education providers or student housing investors. Since 2007, under his leadership, his staff of 50 researchers operating in four offices around the world have been providing the highest level of secondary and primary in-field data, making BONARD a leading provider of independent and reliable research and solutions. Samuel is a frequent speaker, attending dozens of conferences a year and sharing latest insights backed by long-term industry experience.
Thank you to our 15th Annual Conference supporters!
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A strong, united voice for Canada's language education sector.
