Curriculum Consultants • Captains & Poets

Consultants

Walter Piovesan

M.Ed.

Walter is the founder and CEO of WALCAN Educational Consultants. He has over forty years of experience in public, private, and international education. His experiences include Associate Director of the Ottawa- Carleton District School Board as well as Head of School at the Canadian International School in Kunshan, China and Head of School at the Canadian International School of Egypt. Walter has committed his career to serving students who have traditionally been under served in educational institutions. He is passionate about ensuring students have a sense of belonging and that they are able to express themselves without judgment. Walter strongly believes everyone's story needs to be heard and celebrated. He has a Master of Education in Educational Counselling as well additional training in Diversity and Inclusion Unconscious Bias Training; Cultural Proficiency; and is an accredited facilitator for Emotional Intelligence for Personal Leadership Growth.

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

BComm., MBA.

Rachna is a mental health practitioner and SEL Consultant (MOE Registered) with many years of experience in the mental health & wellness industry 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. These programs are rooted in the science of wellbeing & positive psychology to promote social, emotional, and educational development, mental health, and wellbeing. Rachna's work is backed by her passion to help 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; focus and work hard; look after themselves and people around them; deal with life’s difficulties; thrive and reach their full potential. Rachna is a firm believer in lifelong learning, and she fuels this passion by constantly looking for opportunities for her own personal and professional growth.

Jackie Rendina (She/Her)

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 (She/Her)

Alex Leech 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 and experience stems from being a parent of two teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder, each 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. She is a self-proclaimed “science geek”, continuously deepening her understanding of the integral relationship between neuroscience, mental health, and how it applies to all aspects of life. 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. In her spare time, Alex loves spending time outdoors with her family and friends and her two English Bull Terriers, Lucy & Max.

Sheliza Jamal (She/Her)

Ed.M

Sheliza Jamal 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 and teacher who holds a B.Sc. in Education, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and is soon to be earning her Ed.D. in educational leadership. She is a lifelong learner and her areas of expertise 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 one of 26 educators in the U.S. 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 for positive change and leadership in her local community including her role as Vice President of the Board of Directors for Camp Rainbow.

Adrianna McQuaid (She/Her)

M.Ed

Adrianna is an experienced educator and administrator with a history of working in private and public sector schools, government, and journalism. Skilled in Kindergarten to Grade 12 education, adult education, technology and communications, Adrianna leverages her skills in curriculum development and program implementation to focus on learners living with exceptionalities including giftedness, Attention Deficit Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other learning differences. As a strong professional with a Masters of Education in Leadership & Adult Education, Adrianna brings a passion for working with children and youth to her pursuit of mentoring conscious and inclusive leadership in educational spaces, where social and emotional well-being is integral to community, climate and cohesion. In her spare time she loves to spend time with family, engage in fitness, and play piano.

Pat Barker

BEd, PBDE, ACC, CHt

Pat Barker is a recently 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.

Katrina MacGibbon (She/Her)

M.Ed

Katrina MacGibbon holds a Masters of Education from OISE where she studied Human Development and Applied Psychology. Katrina has worked for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Bangladesh as a Consultant implementing inclusion and empowerment programs for youth. She also managed a number of democratic governance projects that focused on child advocacy in youth detention centres. Katrina has also worked with WE Charity, a notable Canada-based global charity organization, leading strategy and operations for international learning campaigns delivering tools for educators and students to engage in social justice and fundraising actions. She has also consulted and advised non-profit organizations on educational curriculum strategy, development and implementation. Katrina is most passionate about creating more supportive and inclusive spaces for young people to thrive to their fullest expression. Katrina moved to Australia in 2020 and enjoys yoga, meditation, time by the beach and being out in nature with her family.

Pam Reilly (She/Her)

B.Ed, M.A.

Pam is seasoned educator and ECE and is a qualified multi-sport coach for youth with the Ontario Coaching Association. Pam uses somatic awareness and movement experiences with both children and adults to engage the body in the learning and development process to discover their strengths, achieve focus and build confidence to see their potential in everything they do. In recent years, she has integrated her knowledge and experience as a personal trainer, yoga and group fitness instructor, and certified life coach into her teaching framework. In her spare time she enjoys partaking in outdoor sports with friends, family and her dog.