Community Facilitators

Our Online Community Facilitators are commited to furthering your educational investment. Collectively, our facilitators speak 16 languages and are connected to social change networks across 52 countries. Individually, they are deeply engaged individuals with vast hands-on plural sector experience. Meet them:

Paola Aron-Badin	I am a cultural manager with international experience in business consulting and strategic planning for NGOs, private and public institutions. My interests and expertise span from international cooperation and development to socially responsible and sustainable entrepreneurship as well as using culture as catalyzers of sustainable social innovation.	Nellie Deutsch	Dr. Nellie Deutsch (Ed.D) is a Canadian educational leadership, technology and curriculum and instruction consultant. Her speaking engagements include technology for instruction and learning, collaborative learning and the change process, mindfulness, self-compassion, and authenticity. She offers free Moodle training courses for teachers and administrators of Moodle and organizes MOOCs, and free online conferences, webinars, and courses for educators worldwide. She is currently faculty at Atlantic University Masters of Arts in transpersonal leadership studies fully online. She advocates teaching as a way to learn with technology. Please read on for further information.
Katherine Quast	I am a community practitioner and cultivating relationships to deliver exceptional results is really what I do best. For 10 + years, I have worked with some of the most outstanding people and projects addressing complex community issues. It is in these invigorating and often “messy” spaces where I help navigate action and change. The ability to make sure that everything gets to the finish line on-time didn’t just develop through my professional experience. I take after my Dad. I embrace critical questioning, innovation, and service; oh and I’m an avid learner of all things (okay well, maybe not ALL things). Right now, I’m exploring the meaning and role of technology leadership in non-profit organizations. Motivated and engaged, I’ve come to learn that everything matters.	Elizabeth Hunt	Elizabeth Hunt is a member of percolab, a Montreal-based social enterprise that accompanies organizations to step into their emerging future with courage, care, and consciousness. Elizabeth has been developing and co-creating community-based learning spaces and large-scale learning events for the past 15 years. She is dedicated to upheaving traditional notions of “expertise” and to creating spaces where participants’ experience, knowledge, and ways of knowing are put front and centre. Organized and intuitive, Elizabeth’s strengths lie in the design and planning of learning events, capturing complex concepts with simple writing, and using conversational methodologies to foster citizen participation and community learning.
Alannah Fitzgerald	I am an open education practitioner and researcher working in the area of technology-enhanced English language education. Being somewhat nomadic, I have gained experience and understanding from learning, teaching and researching across different educational contexts, including Higher Education institutions in the United Kingdom, Canada, Korea, and New Zealand (my country of origin). Increasingly, I have been drawn to devising and delivering online language learning interventions that can be scaled and assessed across both formal and informal education, including MOOCs.	Deborah Hinton	I’m a coach, consultant and facilitator with a passion for supporting purpose-driven people and teams in creating what matters to them. Over the past year, I’ve been working with social entrepreneurs to help them design and implement strategies that increase impact including: Myko and Turning Point Montreal. A few other random facts about me… I’m a strategic mentor to Le Salon 1861, a sustainable community development project in Montreal. I’m very curious about community building, on and offline. I’m excited to be a member of the the McGillx Social Learning for Social Impact GROOC MOOC facilitator team and look forward to learning from, and supporting, this amazing global network of change makers.
Tanya-Michelle Contente	Born in Montreal with parents from the mainland of Portugal and the Island of Faial in the Azores, she has been a classical ballerina for over the past 20 years. Her classical ballet choreographies embody a sense of freedom and equality, for everyone who is not afraid to question antiquated societal expectations through dance. She has collaborated on many ethical fashion fundraisers and done humanitarian work in Brazil. While finishing her double-major B.A. in Community, Public Affairs and Policy Studies, as well as Political Science, she recently completed a micro-program MBA Certificate in Leadership and Management at Concordia University.	Luce Engérant	I am an International Management and Comparative Politics student at McGill University. I am interested in social impact, art, and communication. In particular, how we can address climate change, and how we can manage conflict through mediation.
Lucas Campos Puttini	I am Lucas Campos Puttini, a PhD student at the McGill University in Montreal greatly concerned about the state of the world, and equally excited about the ways in which we can collaborate to create and sustain change. I have worked as an aerospace engineer for 10 years in Brazil and Canada, and now I am happy to be shifting my career into one that is more in line with my values and in which I am able to work on open, creative and courageous initiatives like this GROOC. I enjoy playing music with friends, building and restoring wood furniture and cultivating our home garden.	Cristiane Belize Bonezzi	I am an environmental and international cooperation specialist from Brazil with twelve years experience in managing relationships with stakeholders in the public, private and academic sectors and three years of experience as a teacher. I am deeply concerned about social justice and environmental issues and have been doing volunteer work for various social initiatives from the education sector to fair trade. I love TED Talks and my favorite one is about the power of stories by the Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I love scrapbooking, being around books, old and new, and eating homemade polenta.
Jonathan Ngo	Jonathan is an Auditor at a prominent accounting firm in Montreal. He previously worked in two international NPOs in managing pan-Canadian activities focusing on operation efficiency, resource optimization and public relations. In 2015, he was named the “Future” of the produce industry by the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Foundation. Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Sustainability at McGill University and currently is pursuing there graduate studies in Accounting. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) candidate as well as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) candidate. https://ca.linkedin.com/in/ngojonathan	Bowen Xu	Bowen Xu is a newly graduate of bachelor degree of civil engineering option environmental engineering from Concordia University. He is volunteering in the Concordia University International Student Office as an event facilitator and L’Esprit Paon School as a class assistant. He is passionate about the environmental engineering and would like to pursue his career in relevant domain. His LinkedIn address is https://ca.linkedin.com/in/bowenxu1
Ruchika Arora	Ruchika is an M.Sc. sustainable development candidate with the University of London (U.K.) researching climate change impacts on development. She spent the previous decade working tirelessly as a teacher-activist across three continents. Her singular focus was on co-developing a transformative pedagogy based on social justice principles adopted early on in life and nurtured at the university. One of Ruchika's current priorities is to participate in ongoing efforts to create a more socially responsible private sector.	Laura Cardenas	I am a creative and solutions-driven individual who is eager to find new opportunities like GROOC that contribute to a happier and more sustainable community. Following my collegiate studies in Business Administration, I am currently adding to my academic background a bachelor’s diploma in Industrial Relations at McGill University. Being raised in Colombia and having cross-cultural communication skills drag me to have special interest for social initiatives towards the developing world. I am passionate about working in team environments where we can all learn from each other; always aspiring that the only and greatest possible outcome is to become a better version of ourselves to offer our surroundings.
Xinjie Zeng	She holds a bachelor degree in English Linguistics and now she is doing her Master's in Educational Technology in Concordia University. She is interested in adult education, community-based learning, curriculum development and diversity. She believes in the importance of communication, participation and awareness and wants to help build a strong,social community, in which people could exchange and develop their ideas openly.	Kimberly Bowman	Kimberly Bowman is a specialist in applying evaluation and research methods to understand and improve the quality of social impact initiatives. A Canadian based in Oxford, UK, she is a Global Advisor with a Oxfam GB's Program Quality team. Kimberly has specific expertise in women's empowerment initiatives, in influencing-based programming and lately, in the Asia region. She holds a B.A.(Hons) in International Development (McGill) and a MSc in Social Research Methods (London School of Economics). She has helped start a small social enterprise, managed national advocacy and public engagement programming in Canada - and now works with people interested in social change from around the world. She's looking forward to learning from the participants in this, her first GROOC.
Charles Onu	Charles is a software developer, researcher and social innovator who is passionate about developing high impact technologies that address social challenges, especially in resource-poor settings. He has strong interests in applying machine learning for frugal, innovative health care systems, and is the principal innovator behind Ubenwa (www.ubenwa.com). Having spent most of his life in Nigeria, Charles was directly impacted by Massive Open Online Courses and thus feels honoured to be a part of delivering quality education to the world through the Social Learning for Social Impact GROOC. He is currently based in Montréal as a Jeanne Sauvé Fellow and Graduate Research Trainee at McGill University.	Sylvia Papazian	I am a Social Change Agent specializing in human systems design, behaviour; and transitions. I hold a Master’s degree in Human Systems Intervention and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. My career has focused on health care and sports. I am particularly interested in the role of identity, attachment, and perception with regards to social change. I am the founder of the company HEROISME; an advocacy firm that specializes in capacity and relationship building. My 8 year old son Jason and his friends are my inspiration. They are a beautiful reminder to strive for kindness, happiness and harmony.
Nidhi Puri	Nidhi has an MBA from McGill University and is currently working as a consultant in Montreal. Born to philanthropic parents, from an early age she was taught to give back to community. She has volunteered with Udayan Care to help students in foster care with their education and with Anadi Seva Prakalp in projects related to environment restoration and elderly population. She is the co-founder & trustee of Yash Pal Puri Charitable trust, which has facilitated the construction of a walk-in-clinic for the rural population in an Indian village. She always looks to explore new ideas and paths in life, and is looking forward to working and learning from each one of you as part of the GROOC team.	Jared Duggan	Jared is process-oriented jack-of-all-trades at one of the leading video game development studios in Montreal. His primary areas of interest are sociology, psychology, philosophy, art, and the environment, and in his spare time he develops for the Oculus Rift, tends his garden, and goes on bike trips. He has co/founded several cooperatives, community groups, and more pertinently, a mastermind group for aspiring entrepreneurs or people working to bring their venture to the next level. Having recently attended the Founder Institute, an incubator for high-tech start-ups, he is looking forward to contributing that knowledge to socially conscious enterprises.
Yingshan Gu	Yingshan is a recent master’s graduate from McGill University majoring in Library and Information Studies. Yingshan also holds a MSc degree in Chemistry. During the past years, Yingshan has volunteered to work in nursing home and teach in rural areas in China. As she is constantly balancing herself between being a bookworm and a scientist, she seeks ways and platforms where the combination of information literacy and science technology can benefit the society at various levels.	Jessica Xiao	I am a social change enthusiast, inspired by #socent narratives, currently based in Washington, DC, where I work on advocating humanism as a way to guide our lives, on church-state separation issues, and on interfaith collaboration initiatives, to name a few. I also write on a variety of social justice and science/tech issues and edit for theHumanist.com. I studied economics and psychology at McGill University and became a part of the social impact community in Montreal through a series of serendipitous events (ask me about ‘em). I am a jack-of-all-trades/Renaissance lady/generalist and I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned and experienced with this larger GROOC community as well as learn from all of you!
Paola Garcés	I’m Paola Garcés and I’m a third year McGill Undergraduate student currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Over the last year, I’ve been working with a Montreal-based humanitarian art and literary magazine, Word and Colour, that confronts issues related to social justice and oppression. This threw me into the world of social change and I’ve been interested in the impact that the modern world of communications offers ever since. Due to going to an international school for 13 years prior to McGill, I’ve seen the wonders that combining several backgrounds and purposes can have on developing an idea and a community. I’m hoping that this GROOC will be able to simulate this as we attempt to connect people from all over the globe.	Julie Savaria	I am an avid learner, a philanthropist at heart and a citizen of the world. I am passionate about social initiatives that provide creative and innovative solutions to our world’s problems. At a young age, I was exposed to the socio-economic inequalities of this world in many West African countries, and I knew early on I wanted to be part of the solution and try to help and empower others. With a B.Sc. in biochemistry and a M.Sc. in molecular biology from the University of Ottawa and a MBA from McGill University, I acquired skills in health, international development, social innovation and economic development. Julie is aspiring towards a career in the social innovation, not-for-profit and international development sectors and is also strongly interested in social enterprises and start-ups. Since life is not just about work, little fun facts about me: I love japanese animations and mangas, video games are my hobby and if i could travel every day of the week, I would!
Rehab Mahmoud	I am a human and organization development practitioner. I have passion for people and learning. I have special interest in designing and facilitating learning experiences for individuals and organizations to foster learning, change and growth. I am an MA candidate in the program of Human Systems Interventions with a background in learning and development. Teaching and learning, for me, are reciprocal and I am so excited to be part of the GROOC community. I love biking and cooking, and I am curious about systems thinking and group dynamics. My profile picture is a Japanese art of kintsugi where cracks can be beautiful.	Susan Davis	I was born in Peru and came to Canada to study a Master’s degree in Co-operative Enterprises. My background is in Business Administration and I have worked in a variety of companies and organizations in Peru and Canada. I am interested in Social Business and Community Learning and in the past years I have participated in several social initiatives and educational projects. I strongly believe in the power of creating educational spaces and learning communities that help us live a more beautiful, meaningful and fulfilling life. I enjoy playing tennis, swimming and travelling.
Emilie Salvi	As an MA student in Educational Studies from Montréal, I'm fascinated by creative learning approaches for community building. Having participated in local and international development projects for universities and nonprofit organizations, I love exploring issues related to diversity and the many ways education for social learning lies at the heart of challenges in our future. Particularly, I believe in the incredible influence of art and culturally-based educational projects have on sustainable social change. My hobbies include jogging, camping, exploring different cuisines, travelling, and attending music and art festivals.	Nida Nizam	Nida Nizam serves as Director of Communications at HumanITas Solutions, an information technology company specializing in humanitarian services headquartered in Montreal. She is a trained humanitarian and disaster response worker, a reformed political campaign staffer, a One Young World Ambassador, a member of McGill University’s Scarlet Key Society, and an alumna of the Kappa Phi Chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity. She is a staunch advocate for prioritizing mental health and wellness, social equity, and universal access globally. She graduated as Valedictorian of McGill University’s Faculty of Arts in 2015 with a degree in International Development and Communications Studies. Nida is a comic book fiend, and film buff, and she is very passionate about languages, start-ups, stand-up comedy, and Stoic philosophy.
Lina Vissandjee	Lina Vissandjee graduated from McGill University with a degree in International Development and International Relations. Bound by her curiosity, she has since promoted women’s economic empowerment in Madagascar and served as Political Analyst and International Cooperation Coordinator for the Government of Québec in Mexico City. She is passionate about defending gender equality through creative social initiatives and innovative public policy. She has honed her expertise in social impact evaluation through the edX MOOC The Challenges of Global Poverty and a certificate at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is a member of the Youth Observatory of Oxfam-Québec. Lina was born in Paris, has lived in 5 countries across 3 continents and starts each day reading the New York Times.	Rhian Foley	I am a recent graduate of McGill University, having just completed a double major in Economics and International Development Studies, and a minor in Management. While completing my undergraduate degree I became involved in the social impact community through my studies, internships, and personal interests. I have had the opportunity to work with various organizations in the social economy ranging from student-led start-ups to large non-profit organizations, and across areas such as youth empowerment and education, economic development, and arts and culture. I am from Canada and have lived all over the country but am currently based in France. I look forward to working with the participants of this GROOC, and to creating and helping others to create meaningful connections to foster positive social change!
Julie HAMEL	From being the owner of a few Subway franchises back in the 90’s, to being an Industrial Commissioner for a small city, then the General Manager of a private Golf course on the South Shore of Montreal. Julie has been involved in the Social Economy’ sphere since 2006, when she became an advisor/coach to Social Economy and Collective enterprises on the Island of Montreal. For the past year, Julie has been involved in setting up a Drone pilot training center in Atlantic Canada with two other partners. She coaches, on a part time basis, to Social Entrepreneurs from District 3 at Concordia University since November 2014. She has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Western Ontario (1987) and also an MBA from the Richard Ivey Business School at UWO (1992).