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Who We Are

CSC's management team is an experienced group of professionals from varied backgrounds working together to make CSC the leading Pan-Canadian standards agency.

• Board of Directors
• Member Organizations
• Honorary Patrons
• CSC Management Team

Board of Directors

Beth Cooper, OPSBA
Beth Cooper has served as a trustee and chair of the former Windsor Board of Education and is currently serving on the Greater Essex County District School Board. Beth represents the Ontario Public School Board Association on the CSC Board of Directors. She is a retired operating room charge nurse. and is married with three adult children and six grandchildren.

Walter Gowing, Community
Walter Gowing is a columnist for Torstar's Cambridge Reporter. Semi-retired, he is the chairperson of the Rotary Children's Centre School Authority for the Region of Waterloo. Previously he served 12 years as a public school trustee. He has been the chief librarian for the County of Waterloo, executive director of the Midwestern Regional Development Council, chief administrator of the Niagara Escarpment public hearings, and involved in many community projects. Mr. Gowing has won awards for community service and educational endeavours.

Nancy Kirby, OCSTA
Nancy Kirby is in her 12th year as a school trustee with the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario. Currently the Vice-Chair of the Board, Nancy has also served four terms as the Board's Chair. She is serving her second term as a director on the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association. Nancy has just completed a three-year term on the Minister's Advisory Council on Special Education representing the trustees in Ontario. Nancy and her husband, who have a son and daughter in university, reside in Carleton Place, where they run their own accounting business.

Frank McAuley, RBC Royal Bank (Royal Bank)
Frank McAuley is a vice-president within RBC's Commercial Banking Group, where he is directly involved in the management of mid market client relationships within Ontario. In a previous role, Frank was responsible for succession planning and executive development at RBC, including the creation and delivery of internal education programs. A former member of the board and executive committee of the University College of Cape Breton, he is currently a vice-president of Mary Centre, which provides residential support to developmentally handicapped adults in the Greater Toronto Area. Frank holds a Masters in Management degree from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen's University, and graduated from Columbia University's Executive Education program. His wife, Ruth-Anne, teaches Theatre Arts at Oakville Trafalgar High School and is the Chair of the Halton Catholic School Board's Special Education Advisory Committee.

William Mugford, Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP
Bill Mugford is a partner in the law firm of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP and brings extensive education and business knowledge and experience to the CSC Board. He practises in the Business Law Group in the Toronto office and is involved in a wide variety of corporate and commercial matters. Before beginning his career in law, Bill was a high school teacher in Thunder Bay. He holds undergraduate and M.A. degrees from the University of Toronto and an LL.B. from the University of Windsor. He was called to the bar in 1985.

Ningwakwe ('Rainbow Woman')
Ningwakwe (also known to many Canadians as Priscilla George) is a seasoned Aboriginal educator and has a strong commitment to the community. She has six years' experience coordinating Aboriginal literacy programs at the provincial level and 14 years' experience teaching.
Ningwakwe's many accomplishments include, but are not limited to, receiving an International Women's Day Award, earning a Life Skills Coach certificate, authoring and co-authoring many papers on Aboriginal Literacy, and starting her own business. She was a teacher of Special Education and ESL within the Toronto District School Board as well as a Policy Advisor for the Native Education Policy Unit of the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training (MET).
Ningwakwe is currently the National Speaker for the National Indigenous Literacy Association and is in demand across Canada as a speaker on Aboriginal literacy issues.

Kevin P. O'Connor, OCSOA (President and Chair of the Board)
Kevin O'Connor retired as Superintendent of Education with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board after 35 years in Catholic education. He has represented the Ontario Catholic Supervisory Officers' Association at Curriculum Services Canada from the inception of CSC, and was a member of the original work group that set up the organization. Kevin has been President and Chair of the Board of Curriculum Services Canada for the past six years. Kevin has presented many workshops on education leadership, violence prevention, and the role of the Catholic school principal. At present he is an adjunct professor of education at Canisius College.

Lou Rocha, CPCO
Executive Director of the Catholic Principals' Council of Ontario since 2000, Lou Rocha was a principal with the Toronto Catholic District School Board for 11 years prior to his appointment to CPCO. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization, including strategic management, research, financial services, member services and communications. Lou is committed to developing partnerships with provincial organizations and government. He works closely with local principals' associations, the Institute for Catholic Education, supervisory officers, teacher groups, and parent organizations. He is looking forward to developing an effective relationship between CPCO and Curriculum Services Canada. He is actively involved in the music ministry at his church and has been happily married to Teresa for 35 years. They are proud parents of Julie, Lisa, and Michael, and grandparents to Emmett.

Michel Rodrigue, Equinox Public Affairs Inc.
President of Equinox Public Affairs Inc. Michel Rodrigue directs the firm's work with a varied clientele from the governmental, broader public and non profit sectors. With more than 20 years of experience, he is specialized in education, health, culture, social services and la Francophonie and knowledgeable in the planning, development and implementation of strategies, research and analysis, change management, facilitation, social marketing and communications. Very involved in education, Michel has contributed as a consultant or employee to many institutions and organizations including; Association des enseignantes et enseignants franco-ontarien (AEFO), Association des conseils scolaires des écoles publiques de l'Ontario (ACÉPO), Association franco-ontarienne des conseils scolaires catholiques (AFOCSC), various French language school boards in Ontario and Canada, Collège Boréal, Georgian College, Laurentian University and University of Ottawa. Michel has acted as Press Secretary and Special Assistant – French-language education in the Office of Ontario's Minister of Education and Training. Active in the community, he has volunteered for many non profit organizations over the last 25 years.

Ardeth Staz
Ardeth Staz is currently a Superintendent with the District School Board of Niagara and has been a member of OPSOA for 10 years. Portfolios during her years as superintendent have included Curriculum and ICT Services, Managing Information for Student Achievement (MISA), School Councils, School Growth Planning, and Student Success as well as Superintendent of Schools. Ardeth held the position of Chief Assessment Officer at EQAO in 2000 – 2002, working with teams of Education Officers and teachers to support administration of all of EQAO's assessments and co-authoring EQAO's Guide to School and Board Improvement Planning, 2002. Over the past two years, Ardeth has worked with a team of Consultants and Literacy Support Teachers to support Literacy Coaches in 46 elementary schools and two secondary schools. Ardeth has engaged teachers, parents, principals and superintendents in staff development in many areas of focus, most recently in relation to the LNS Effective Schools Framework and School Self Assessment. Ensuring that excellent staff development and resources are available to teachers and principals so they can effectively improve student achievement has been a career long focus for Ardeth.

Helmut Tinnes, OPC
Helmut Tinnes has been an educator for 25 years. He is currently the Principal at Hespeler Public School in the Waterloo Region District School Board. The school has 492 students and offers three area programs: French Immersion in Grades 1 to 8, a Life Skills class and an Autistic Spectrum Disorder Class. Helmut is also the Vice-President of the Ontario Principals' Council (OPC), the professional association representing 5,000 principals and vice-principals in Ontario's public schools. With a keen interest in curriculum, Helmut has taken on a leadership role in curriculum initiatives at both the school and system levels. Currently, Helmut resides in Kitchener.

Heli G. Vail, OPSOA
Heli Vail is Director of the Near North District School Board and represents the Ontario Public Supervisory Officers' Association on the Curriculum Services Canada Board. For six years, Heli was Chair and Assistant Professor (Junior/Intermediate Division) of the Faculty of Education at Nipissing University. Before that, she held various positions, from teacher to principal, for 25 years in the Near North DSB, with a break of two years during which she served as Education Officer for the Ontario Ministry of Education. Heli continues to serve as Faculty Advisor: Principals' Qualification Program in Nipissing University's Faculty of Education. Most recently, Heli was Superintendent of Program and Schools. She has developed numerous publications and research projects in education and is an active participant in the arts in the North Bay area.  

Member Organizations

Catholic Principals' Council of Ontario (CPCO)
Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE)
Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association (OCSTA)
Ontario Catholic Supervisory Officials' Association (OCSOA)
Ontario Principals' Council (OPC)
Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA)
Ontario Public Supervisory Officers' Association (OPSOA)

 

Honorary Patrons

Dr. Michael Fullan
Dr. Michael G. Fullan is the former Dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. He has participated as researcher, consultant, trainer, and policy advisor on a wide range of educational projects with school systems, teachers' federations, research and development institutes, universities, and government agencies in Canada and internationally.
Dr. Fullan has published widely on the topic of educational change. His most recent books are Change Forces: Probing the Depths of Educational Reform and Change Forces: The Sequel.
Dr. Fullan was awarded the Canadian Education Association's Whitworth Award for Educational Research, was named a Laureate Chapter Member of Kappa Delta Pi (the international honour society in education), and received an honorary degree of Doctor of Education from the University of Edinburgh.
Read more about Michael Fullan on the OISE/UT website

Rick Hansen, C.C., O.B.C.
Rick Hansen has been an inspiration to youth around the world through his outstanding achievements as a wheelchair athlete.. He was the first physically disabled graduate in Physical Education from the University of British Columbia. He has won 19 international wheelchair marathons, including three world championships, and competed for Canada in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
From 1984 to 1986, he successfully completed the "Man In Motion World Tour" in his wheelchair. This tour raised awareness of the potential of people with disabilities and inspired many to have the courage to pursue their own dreams. He established the Rick Hansen Foundation, which since its creation in 1988 has raised millionsof dollars for spinal cord injury research, awareness and rehabilitation.
Rick visits many schools, some of them bearing his name. He has co-authored two books: Rick Hansen - Man In Motion and Going the Distance: Seven Steps to Personal Change.
Visit Rick Hansen's website

Roberta Jamieson, LL.B, LL.D, C.M.
Roberta L. Jamieson, a Mohawk from the Six Nations of the Grand River, is a leader and communicator. With more than 20 years' experience in conflict resolution involving governments of all levels, she is a skilled mediator who possesses a unique ability to succeed in complex political environments.
Roberta has developed and led change initiatives that exemplify the highest standards of accountability and transparency in public institutions. Furthermore, she has collaborated with legal and political experts in Asia, Africa, Europe, South and North America to advance democracy through institutional change.
Roberta was appointed in January 2002 to serve as a member of the Advisory Board of CH Television in Hamilton, Ontario. She is also the Co-Chair of the President's Committee on Indigenous Studies at McMaster University.
In December of 2001, Roberta was elected to serve as the Chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, the first woman to ever have held the position. Also in 2001, Roberta was awarded the Indigenous Peoples' Council Award (IPC) by the Indigenous Bar Association, its highest award given.
In 2000, Roberta became the founding chair of "ImagineNATIVE", an international Media Arts Festival that showcases the work of indigenous artists from around the world working in film, television, video, radio and multimedia formats.
From 1989 to 1999, Roberta served the Legislative Assembly as Ombudsman for the Province of Ontario. During this period she became the founding president of the Canadian Ombudsman Association; a member of the board of directors and vice-president of the International Ombudsman Institute; and a founding board member of the Centre for Research in Women's Health, a University of Toronto and Women's College Hospital partnership.
From 1986 to 1989, Roberta served as the Commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario. She was appointed by complementary federal and provincial Order-in-Council and by agreement of the First Nations in Ontario to facilitate the resolution of issues regarding mutual concern.
Roberta attained her LL.B. in 1976 and was the first woman from a First Nation in Canada to achieve this degree. She has also received numerous honorary LL.D. degrees and awards in recognition of her service to the community. Roberta is a Member of the Order of Canada, a recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, and currently holds a number of board seats both within Canada and internationally. She is Executive Director of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation.

Rose-Marie Losier-Cool, Senator
Rose-Marie Losier-Cool was born in Tracadie, New Brunswick and was educated at Académie Ste.-Famille in Tracadie, the École normale in Fredericton, and the Université de Moncton. For 33 years she taught in New Brunswick schools, the last 20 at École secondaire Népisiguit in Bathurst.
In 1983, she became the first woman president of the Association des enseignantes et enseignants francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick (AEFNB). She sat on the board of directors of the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) and has been a member of the Association canadienne d'éducation de langue française (ACELF) and the Commission de la langue française. She has sat on a number of committees working to promote the role of women in education.
In May 1992, the government of New Brunswick gave Ms Losier-Cool its Teacher of the Year Award for non-sexist teaching. In 1994-95, she was vice-president of the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women. She was a board member of the New Brunswick Museum from 1990 to 1998.
Rose-Marie Losier-Cool was appointed to the Senate on March 21, 1995. Her responsibilities in the Senate include the following: Chair of the Standing Committee on Official Languages; Member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs; Acting Chair of the Canadian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (CAPPD); and Executive Committee Member of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF). She was made Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Pléiade on March 20, 2002.

Dr. J. Fraser Mustard, C.C., O.Ont.
Fraser Mustard is Founding President and Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR), and has had a diverse career in the health sciences, research, and the private sector. In 1982, he created and established the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, which focuses on science, technology, innovation, and economic growth and the effect of economic change on the social environment and health and well-being of individuals and populations.
Dr. Mustard co-chaired a report for the Ontario Government called The Early Years Study. As a result, he is involved with governments in Canada, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, UNICEF, and the Aga Khan University in Pakistan.
Dr. Mustard's awards include Companion of the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario, the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Prize in Medicine, the Gairdner Foundation International Award for Medical Research, honorary degrees from a number of Canadian and international institutions, and most recently the prestigious F.N.G.Starr Award from the Canadian Medical Association.
He currently leads The Founders' Network, linking more than 1000 individuals in the private and public sector in Canada and in other countries who helped him build CIAR.
Read more about Fraser Mustard on the Founders' Network website  

CSC Management Team

Director, Curriculum Resource Services
Pauline Beggs
pbeggs@curriculum.org
Pauline is a former teacher who has worked for more than 35 years in the area of learning resources development and implementation across Canada. Pauline is responsible for the development of learning resources and for recruiting and training various subject experts to be evaluators. Pauline has been with CSC since 1997.

Director, Professional Learning Services
Amy Coupal
acoupal@curriculum.org
Amy joined CSC in December 2006. She began her teaching career at the Toronto District School Board and also taught with the Osaka school board in Japan. Amy came to CSC from the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO), where she oversaw the development of multiple teacher-training programs (both online and face-to-face) while simultaneously completing her Masters of Education in Workplace and Adult Learning. Amy oversees the development and delivery of professional learning opportunities for educators and the wider education community.

Manager, Marketing and Public Relations
Cristina Katipunan
ckatipunan@curriculum.org
Cristina joined CSC in September 2006 as Coordinator, Marketing and Public Relations Intern. She is now Manager, Marketing and Public Relations and is responsible for raising awareness and promoting CSC and its affiliate's products and services to the education community and the general public. Cristina graduated from the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University in April 2007 with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Business Management.

Executive Director
Kathryn McFarlane
kmcfarlane@curriculum.org
Kathryn McFarlane joined CSC (formerly OCC) in 1996 as Executive Director. She is now Executive Director of CSC and its affiliate — The Curriculum Foundation — which was created after her arrival. She was a teacher and administrator in the Ontario public school system, and an executive for a major trust company, and held several senior positions at TVOntario, the provincial educational broadcaster.

Director, Operations
Gina Melvin
gmelvin@curriculum.org
Gina joined CSC in October 1999 as Business Administrator. She is now Director, Operations and is responsible for the management of internal operations for CSC and its affiliate, The Curriculum Foundation. Gina has 25 years of business experience in the corporate and public sectors. She came to CSC from the Ontario Ministry of Education. Her responsibilities include Human Resources, Finances, and Office Management.

Director, Production Services
Byron Patchett
bpatchett@curriculum.org
Byron joined CSC in April 1999 as manager of operations. He is now the Chief Operating Officer for CSC. Byron has held many key management positions with organizations such as TVOntario, where he was a business manager and producer. Byron's extensive experience in multimedia production helps him contribute to Professional Learning Services.

Director, Evaluation Services
Anita Sherwin-Hamer
ashamer@curriculum.org
Anita joined CSC in February 2008 after more than 30 years of service in education including teaching at the elementary and secondary levels in three different school boards and at the Ontario Science Centre, followed by 10 years as a principal in the Durham Catholic District School Board. She has also worked extensively across the province of Ontario with CPCO (Catholic Principals' Council of Ontario) developing and delivering professional learning programs and resources. Anita's responsibilities include the evaluation process for the Ontario Trillium List of approved resources for English-language schools and the administration of the Grants for Teachers Program of CSC's affiliate–The Curriculum Foundation.