Equipo Ejecutivo

Equipo de Gestión

Sevicio al cliente

Investigación

Creatividad e Innovación

Ventas y marketing

Desarrollo

Administración

Consultores en liderazgo y alfabetización

Otros consultores

Dr. Doug Willms
Presidente

Dr. J. Douglas Willms is the founder of The Learning Bar. He is the President of the International Academy of Education, a Member of the US National Academy of Education, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He recently held the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Literacy and Human Development for 14 years.

Dr. Willms has published over 200 research articles and monographs pertaining to youth literacy, children’s health, the accountability of schooling systems, and the assessment of national reforms. He developed the Educational Prosperity framework over the course of his career, which is used by jurisdictions in their capacity-building efforts and the development of educational policy. The model has been adopted by the OECD for PISA for Development, an initiative aimed at building capacity for low- and middle-income countries to monitor progress towards nationally-set targets for improvement. Dr. Willms and his colleagues have developed the questionnaires and the analysis plan for this international study.

Ethan Young-Lai
Director de producción

Ethan leads the Product Management and Client Success teams here at The Learning Bar. Their objective is to ensure that our products and services are continually evolving to better meet the needs of educators and that our customers receive the world-class service, training, and support required to achieve their goals. Ethan has over 15 years experience in building teams and processes that can help grow a business from start-up to industry leader. A proud father and project manager, Ethan’s commitment to TLB’s mission, vision, and values is why, after over a decade at TLB, he is still excited to come to work every single day.

Dr. Danielle Durepos
Directora de investigación

Danielle leads a responsive research group, and is well experienced in providing a strong supporting role in provincial and state-level initiatives. Danielle and her research group are equipped to assist the ASM team, often behind the scenes. Danielle frequently prepares responses to questions about the survey measures, underlying statistical methods, or other research techniques that periodically arise from various stakeholders. She provides information about any aspect of the data or findings, conducting statistical analyses, preparing reports based on the findings for meetings, or generally assisting where needed when questions arise.

Allison Blanco
Directora General

Allison is the Managing Director with responsibility for the growth and profitability of the Australian operation.  With a Master of Business Law from Southern Cross University, Lismore, in Business Administration from The University of Technology, Sydney and Risk and Governance qualifications from the Governance Institute of Australia, Allison has extensive experience in all aspects of project and operations management. 

Prior to joining The Learning Bar, Allison gained extensive experience during her 10 years at Mars, Incorporated as Chief of Staff and College Director for the Global Legal Function reporting to the General Counsel.  With excellence in operations, including business transformation and finance, Allison led the delivery of a number of global programs for the legal function in the area of finance and compliance.  Prior to that Allison was a senior intellectual property paralegal at the international law firm Baker McKenzie, managing a multimillion-dollar key account. Allison believes that expectations for success play a key role in children achieving their full potential and having the opportunity to thrive.

Fred Yeomans
Director de tecnología

Fred is the Chief Technology Officer of The Learning Bar. Bringing over thirty years of technology experience, ranging from satellite operations, military and aerospace, as well as both enterprise and internet software, on projects ranging from small to multi-billion-dollar, Fred applies a broad knowledge of software architecture, technology, and development processes to lead TLB’s technology team, and to drive a technology vision which solves real problems, and brings real value.

Stephanie Guignion
Gerente de producto, EIT

Stephanie holds a BA in History from Bishop’s University and a B. Ed from St. Thomas University. She has completed several professional development courses over the years including project management and adult learning.

Stephanie Guignion brings her 10+ years of classroom teacher experience to The Learning Bar and uses this experience to support educators implementing the various solutions across the company. Her interests include resource development, process improvement & documentation, and early literacy.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading and gardening, and volunteers with several local community organizations.

Melissa Morgan
Gerente de experiencia del cliente
Stephanie Richardson
Product Director, Confident Learners

Stephanie is the Product Director, Confident Learners and has been on the Research team for over 6 years. She holds a Masters of Applied Health Services Research from the University of New Brunswick, and is a Project Management Professional (PMP). She finds it especially rewarding to support others to understand and interpret their data, and enjoys having conversations about how school context can help explain results. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys trying new recipes and playing soccer.

Fiona Dyke
Directora Principal del Éxito de Clientes y Proyectos
Judy Van Tassel
Directora de Recursos Humanos
Jonathan Ridgway
Gerente de producto de alfabetización
Lorna Cameron
Especialista en operaciones estratégicas para el éxito de los clientes
Carlos Rodriguez
Gerente del éxito de los clientes
Riet Scheerlinck
Gerente del éxito de los clientes
Josée Hebert
Gerente del éxito de los clientes
Esther Amoah
Especialista en aprendizaje
Ellie Parsons
Analista de implementación
Gabrielle Gravesande
Gerente de programas
Sarah McCormick
Asociada de la experiencia del cliente
Ericka Sutherland
Mentora de alfabetización pedagógica

Ericka Sutherland is a learning consultant in the Confident Learners program at The Learning Bar. Ericka completed master’s degrees in Literacy and Curriculum Studies from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax, NS, and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS, with a focus on professional learning communities and teacher professional development.

Ericka taught with the Halifax Regional Centre for Education for 31 years as an early elementary classroom teacher, Literacy Coach, Literacy Consultant and a Reading and Writing interventionist. Regardless of whatever roles she took on, her heart was always in the early elementary classroom with students at the beginning of their literacy journeys. She believes that a strong, early start to literacy learning creates a solid foundation for all future learning and social-emotional well-being.

Most recently, Ericka has taught in the master’s of Education program at Mount St. Vincent University developing and delivering courses on Literacy Learning and Teaching and Reading Popular Culture. Throughout her studies and career, Ericka has pursued her passion for student literacy success through quality teacher training in the areas of literacy curriculum and instruction and collaborative professional learning.

Ericka lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and two grown children. Ericka firmly believes that through building collaborative educational relationships between all educational partners, students, families, teachers, school and district staff, every child can thrive and succeed.

Marjorie LaFrance
Asociada Bilingüe de Experiencia del Cliente
Chloe Wasson
Analista de implantación de éxito de clientes
Jennifer Morgen
Asistente de investigación

Jennifer Morgen is a Research Assistant at The Learning Bar and works primarily on data and report deliverables. Jennifer has a BA with first-class honours in psychology and has over 10 years of teaching experience as a lab instructor at the university level. Her studies and teaching were focused on neuropsychology, research methods, and statistics. She also has 10 years of research experience working in an addiction research lab. She is proud to be part of a company that focuses on data-driven change and research-based tool development. She believes in The Learning Bar’s commitment to helping users at all levels of data literacy leverage their data to make meaningful change in the lives of students.

Ben Allinson
Asistente de investigación
Joel Henderson
Investigador asociado
Meghan Hadley
Administradora de Contenidos
Meghan Bell
Asistente de investigación
Dr. Alma López Garcia
Gerente de proyectos e investigadora asociada
Christine Hole
Directora de Alianzas Educativas

Christine completed her dual honours degree in Psychology and Criminology at Saint Mary’s University, and holds a Master’s Degree in Social Personality Psychology from the University of Manitoba. Prior to attending graduate school, Christine taught elementary school children in South Korea, ages 4 – 13, for two years, focusing on English as an additional language. This amazing experience served to strengthen her respect and admiration for teachers and solidified her passion for improving the life chances for all children. Christine has also been fortunate enough to work with children with special needs, in addition to a number of SLP’s, OT’s, PT’s and SP’s, while working with the Halifax Regional School Board and the Calgary Board of Education.

Clayton Crane
Desarrollador multimedia senior y jefe del equipo web
Melissa Foote
Diseñadora Gráfica Principal
Travis Bonnell
Gerente de Operaciones de Ventas
Colin Gillies
Asistente de Marketing
Stephen Wood
Desarrollador principal
Deepa Nambiar
Especialista en entrega del producto

Deepa is a Product Delivery Specialist at the Learning Bar. She is part of the delivery team providing technical support and guidance to The Learning Bar’s employees and clients. Deepa is an all-round product expert, responsible for delivering reports and services that meet client expectations. She has a strong working knowledge of the OurSCHOOL product and is well experienced with responding to problems instantly, managing and delivering products and services.

She also has considerable experience working with various departments within the company to help identify and develop process improvements to better serve TLB clients. Deepa is passionate about The Learning bar’s vision and mission of equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Adam Gavin
Desarrollador principal
Phoebe Nguyen
Desarrolladora intermedia
Ben Stilwell
Desarrollador junior
Grigory Libin
Desarrollador junior
Erin Pond
Desarrolladora intermedia

Erin is a Junior Developer with The Learning Bar and is responsible for contributing to the achievement of our company’s vision by participating in the research and development of The Learning Bar’s products. Erin has always been interested in technology, teaching herself to code and enrolling in Computer Science electives while studying Psychology. Eventually she made the decision to change educational paths and completed her diploma in Information Technology Programmer Analyst from New Brunswick Community College in June 2021. As a mother, Erin was drawn to The Learning Bar and the meaningful opportunity to help children thrive through her work as a developer. In her spare time Erin enjoys reading, video games and spending time with her partner, son and two rescue cats.

Nishanth Chillarige
Ingeniero de software

Nishanth Chillarige is the staff software engineer of the learning bar, responsible for leading and mentoring a team of developers as they execute the technological product development activities, make design decisions to build scalable and maintainable software solutions, drive technical initiatives, and ensure our products adhere to industry best standards.

 

Nishanth attained a Master’s in organizational management, which adds to his profound technical experience. Nishanth worked with large Multinational companies as a Technical lead and a Senior Research Engineer in Research and Development Centre’s in various industries, such as Automotive and Industrial automation. A deep understanding of software development principles and broad technical knowledge enabled him to provide robust software solutions for products that manage industrial time-series data and derive data analytics.

 

Nishanth takes pride in his contribution to constantly strengthening industries and aspires to design their work environments updated with present-day technologies that serve humanity.

Nidhin Joseph
Megan Pitcher
Encargada de finanzas
Hayley Yarnold
Responsable de Administración y Finanzas

Hayley is the Finance and Adminstration Officer for the Australian business. Working closely with the Managing Director, Hayley is responsible for the management of all aspects of Finance and Operations in the Australia business.  She has worked at The Learning Bar since Feburary 2021. Hayley holds a certificate in Accounting and Bookkeeping.

Kay Laird
Técnico de contabilidad
Kaitlyn Gallant
Asistente administrativo y de recursos humanos
Dr. Norma St. Croix
Tutora de alfabetización principal
Karen Power
Consultora del Desarrollo de Liderazgo
Neil Debassige
Consultor de educación indígena
Connie Freeman
Consultora de la alfabetización pedagógica

Connie Freeman is the Senior Instructional Literacy Consultant at The Learning Bar. She has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education and over a decade of experience in the classroom. Connie’s philosophy of education is grounded in a fundamental belief in the importance of equitable education for all and the critical role literacy plays in ensuring success for all students. As a literacy support specialist, Connie has experience supporting students and teachers in the classroom, as well as building professional learning communities in schools. 

A proud mother of two, Connie is an environmental advocate and a nature enthusiast. In her free time, she can be found raising and releasing Monarch butterflies and volunteering with her therapy dog, Bear. Connie makes her home on beautiful Mnidoo Mnising/Manitoulin Island, in the heart of Northern Ontario.

Dr. Lori Bryden
Consultora de la alfabetización pedagógica
Brenda Gabriel
Consultora del Desarrollo de Liderazgo
Brenda Gabriel has joined The Learning Bar Team as a consultant to support administrators at the school, district and authority level. She has had many roles in Leadership during her 42-year career in education. Her experience as a Superintendent, Literacy/Leadership Consultant, school-based administrator at the elementary, middle and secondary and classroom teacher has all contributed to her celebrated career.
Brenda is passionate about supporting learning and leadership in all schools. Brenda has worked as an Education Consultant, supporting school boards, schools, teachers and youth, not only in her home province of Saskatchewan, as well as, across Canada. In 2016, she began her work with First Nations Schools in northern Saskatchewan as a Literacy Consultant and shortly after that assumed a Superintendent position. Building Leaders and Readers in First Nations communities has certainly been one of the major highlights of her career.
In her free time, you can find Brenda spending time with her family, travelling, hiking, fishing and visiting friends.
Wendy Holierhoek
Consultora de la alfabetización pedagógica
Chris Piro
Consultora de la alfabetización pedagógica

Chris Piro has recently retired from the Director of Student Services role at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Schools. She brings extensive experience in inclusive education, both as a teacher and school administrator. With a deep commitment to fostering student success, wellness, and engagement, Chris has dedicated her career to identifying and removing barriers for learners of all backgrounds and abilities.

Chris holds a Master’s degree in Administration and a Bachelor of Education with a major in Inclusive Education. Her commitment to lifelong learning is evident through her continued professional development—she is a certified trainer in VTRA Level I, SIVA, and Psychological Safety.

In retirement, she continues to advocate for inclusive practices and remains passionate about supporting educators and school systems in creating welcoming, responsive learning environments for all.

Tania Sterling
Consultora del Desarrollo de Liderazgo

Tania Sterling, Ed.D., is a Leadership Coach with The Learning Bar, bringing over three decades of expertise in educational leadership, equity-focused facilitation, and strategic school improvement.

She holds a Doctor of Education from Walden University, a Master of Education from OISE/UT, and multiple specialist and leadership certifications. As an educational consultant and former Superintendent of Education, Tania has led transformative initiatives across Ontario, including Indigenous education partnerships, digital learning strategies, and leadership development frameworks. She has taught graduate-level courses at Niagara University and contributed to provincial policy reform and reconciliation-focused training.

Passionate about equity, student voice, and community engagement, Tania mentors emerging leaders and facilitates professional learning to foster inclusive, high-impact educational environments.

Her volunteer work with Youth Without Shelter reflects her commitment to empowering marginalized youth through education and advocacy.

Kerry Zinkiewich
Consultora de la alfabetización pedagógica