Curriculum Consultants • Captains & Poets

Consultants

Stephanie Zantingh

Stephanie has nearly 30 years of global experience as an IB educator and leader and is a strong proponent of inquiry-based teaching and learning, encouraging curiosity as the driver for teaching and learning. She is an IB-trained educator, workshop leader, consultant and site evaluator and has taught and led at IB schools in Canada, Switzerland, Tanzania, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan and Angola. Her education includes an MEdTech from the University of British Columbia, a Certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education and current completion of the Independent School Leadership Diploma through CAIS next summer. In her personal time, Stephanie loves to read, bake, cycle, travel and hike.

Josh Kettell

M.Ed.

Josh has a Master’s in Education with a dual concentration in Education Policy and Social-Emotional learning (SEL). Over the course of his diverse career in education, he has served as a teacher, K-12 instructional leader, and consultant in both domestic and international settings. Josh is a certified mindfulness educator, TEDx speaker, and has had his writing on SEL featured in an international pedagogical publication. Across all contexts, he has found what he believes to be fundamental truths in his work - education is about relationships, finding and pursuing passions, and the simultaneous exploration of self and our connection to the world around us. Through this lens, Josh dedicates himself to creating inclusive, holistic learning environments and experiences that support individual and community agency and care.

Rachna Agarwal

B.Com., MBA.

Rachna is a mental health practitioner and SEL Consultant (MOE Registered) with many years of experience in mental health & wellness counselling and coaching a diverse demographic of clients globally. She uses an integrative approach of conventional and alternative modalities to design and facilitate engaging SEL and mindfulness programs rooted in the science of wellbeing & positive psychology to promote social, emotional, and educational development. Rachna is passionate about passion helping kids grow up to be happier adults by taking control of their own cognitive and emotional health. Rachna aspires to teach children how to love learning; look after themselves and people around them; deal with life’s difficulties; and reach their full potential.

Jackie Rendina

B.Sc., B.Ed.

Jackie is an international educator, leader and mother of two, who is dedicated to finding the intersection of learning and well-being. She believes in the transformational power of connection to build confident and agentic life-long learners who follow their passions to create a better future. Jackie helps children connect with one another, with nature and with themselves to find purpose, uncover motivation and spark joy. With 18 years of experience in teaching across 3 continents, Jackie specializes in early years and primary education with a strong focus on social-emotional learning, experiential education and leadership development. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, baking and setting off on a wide variety of outdoor adventures with family and friends.

Dr. Deeksha Sharma

Ph.D

Dr. Deeksha Sharma, two time TEDx speaker, is a human behaviour and emotion researcher. She has a Ph.D. in Emotional Intelligence. At present, she is working with Cornell University and developing a new EI model. She is the author of an upcoming book on emotional understanding and is coauthoring a book on mental and physical wellbeing. Her recent papers (2020) are in the Springer- Emotional Intelligence and Brain laterality at the workplace and in the Medlink Neurology- Transient Global Amnesia. She is the author of a chapter, “Emotions at Work,” in the book Emotions in Cultural Context in the Springer Nature International and Cultural Psychology. Dr. Sharma is also part of the Cornell Multicultural Academic Counseling mentoring program; active member of WE Cornell, a women's entrepreneurial club and has curated many graduate students' wellbeing sessions.

Alex Leech

Alex is a Neurodiversity Consultant, Trainer and Coach who works with parents and educators to provide strategies and resources for neurodivergent kids living with ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities, and other Brain-Based Differences. Her vast knowledge stems from parenting two teens living with multiple diagnoses, and being neurodivergent herself. This immersive lens enables Alex to deliver a wide range of support and resources helping parents and educators to understand “the why” behind behaviours and challenges, strengthening mindset and problem-solving tools needed in order to help guide children and teens to become resilient, independent and successful adults. Alex is the Neurodiversity & Special Needs Ambassador, as well as a Mentor Coach for the World Mindset Organisation and a partner with The Umbrella Alliance.

Sheliza Jamal

M.Ed.

Sheliza is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education where she worked as the Diversity and Inclusion Programming Coordinator and served as a coach in the Equity and Inclusion Fellows Program. Sheliza has been with TDSB for over a decade designing curriculum and implementing training and development programs aimed at addressing inequitable outcomes for underserved communities and more recently working as an Inclusion Consultant and Coach . She is currently completing her Ph.D. at OISE, University of Toronto in the Department of Social Justice Education with a research focus on anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism in Teacher Education Programs. Sheliza is passionate about creating greater understanding about the impact of oppression and uses unique techniques to deepen dialogue, build relationships and bring people together to learn and lead with empathy. As the founder of Curated Leadership, she is focused on empowering leaders to build more inclusive communities. In her spare time she loves spending time in the great outdoors with family and friends.

Dr. Krista Leh

Ph.D

Krista is the founder of Resonance Educational Consulting which focuses on enhancing an organization’s ability to implement leading-edge SEL systems in a meaningful, engaging and sustainable way. Her 23-year career in the classroom includes being a high school social studies teacher, a curriculum coach and student leadership advocate. Krista is a gifted curriculum developer with a B.Sc. in Education, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. Her roles as a consultant, mentor, podcaster and professor focus on SEL, diversity and equity, instructional design and technology, climate and culture, research design and methods, curriculum design and evaluation, culturally responsive teaching, closing the achievement gap, whole child and whole brain learning, differentiated instruction, and strength-based interventions. In 2012, Krista was selected as an ASCD Emerging Leader and continues with ASCD in State and Emerging Leader Chapters as a facilitator. Since then, she has worked with educators in more than 28 states on creating scalable SEL systems and learning communities. Krista is a passionate advocate in her local community including her role as Vice President of the Board of Directors for Camp Rainbow.

Pat Barker

BEd, PBDE, ACC, CHt

Pat is a retired K-12 educator who has taught and led teams of educators in three Canadian provinces with a specialization in Student Success, Inclusion and Indigenous Education. Over the course of her career, she has developed and co-led inclusion programs in the elementary and high school setting in Manitoba, was the Mental Health Teacher in a middle years school and helped open a new high school in Edmonton, and was the Curriculum Leader of 25 staff in the Special Education Department at the largest high school in Toronto. Pat is passionate about promoting Social Emotional Learning strategies in school, work, home and community settings as the gateway to fostering connection and amplifying learning and success.She is also a Certified Life Coach with ICF and a certified Hypnotherapist with the Canadian Hypnotherapist Association. In this new chapter of her career, Pat is dedicated to supporting children, caregivers, and educators to achieve their goals by expanding their mindset to one of connection, possibility and responsibility to create a world where everyone can thrive.