Past Partner Representatives
Year 1
Rachel Collishaw
Rachel Collishaw is the President of the Ontario History and Social Science Teachers’ Association, and the Social Studies Educators Network of Canada. She has been a teaching at the secondary level in history and social science subject areas for over 20 years. She has worked as an instructional coach with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and is a passionate advocate for quality professional learning and resources for history and social science teachers. She is a recipient of the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching (2013) and the author of several textbooks and learning resources that emphasize inquiry and historical thinking. She is currently on secondment to Elections Canada as an Education Specialist, where she has developed resources to support educators in teaching about elections and democracy.
Blaire Gould
Blaire Gould is the Executive Director at Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey. She comes from the Mi’kmaq district of Unama’ki and is a proud L’nu’skw and speaker. She strives to advance the educational opportunities and rights for the Mi’kmaq people. Blaire has continued to pursue new and innovating ways to infuse language and culture into the 21st century. She is part of an inspiring team of Mi’kmaq scholars and educators whose collective and individual contributions to Mi’kmaw education have created space for Mi’kmaq innovation in the education system.
John Tidswell
John Tidswell has been an Alberta teacher for twenty-five years and taught in every grade from one to twelve. He is currently working in a virtual classroom, teaching and developing coursework for Revelation Online – Edmonton Catholic Schools’ online learning department.
Previously, John worked for seven years as the District’s social studies consultant, working with schools and teachers to promote best practices. He is the past president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association Social Studies Council, an organization aimed at improving professional practice in the teaching of social studies by providing and facilitating professional learning opportunities. He is currently working with others educators from across the country to help establish the Social Studies Education Network of Canada (SSENC). This organization seeks, amongst other goals, to facilitate cooperation among social studies educators across Canada. John is a musician and is interested in the arts, culture, politics, economics and environmental issues.
Year 2
Danielle Dezort
Danielle Dezort she continued her journey in educational positions in provincial, local and national historic sites. Through her 17-year career at the Canadian Museum of History she has strived to build creative learning experiences for multiple audiences, partnering with experts and historical stakeholders
from a variety of cultural, academic and educational backgrounds. She is passionate about Historical Thinking teaching techniques, incorporating these into school programs and online. She is currently overseeing the development of the Teacher Zone , a new museum web initiative providing Canadian-history themed “packages” aimed at bringing high-quality primary sources and activities into classrooms across the country. She enjoys leading her team to develop innovative thought-provoking programs. Her goals are to promote historical engagement and inclusivity by including multiple voices in the historical narrative, and making learning about history fun and enjoyable.
Robert Jardine
Robert Jardine is a high school educator and Department Head at Warman High School in Warman, SK. A graduate of the University of Alberta and the University of Saskatchewan, and now in his 25th year in the classroom, Robert has taught Grades 1 12 in a variety of rural and urban settings. A long-time member of Social Studies Saskatchewan, the professional growth network for Saskatchewan’s social studies teachers, Robert has served on the Executive since 2006 and as President since 2009. Robert is deeply committed to supporting learners and educators and is proud to serve as Vice-President of the newly established Social Studies Educators Network of Canada. Robert also sits on the Reference Committee guiding the renewal of high school social studies curriculum in Saskatchewan.
Lise Proulx
Lise Proulx is a social education advisor at the Affluents school service center. Previously, she taught history and geography at various high school levels. She has nearly 30 years of teaching experience. She graduated from the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) and is a lecturer at the same university. She supervises trainees in the baccalaureate and the qualifying master’s degree. Lise is very involved in the field of teaching and professional development; she has been president of the Quebec Association for Social Science Education (AQEUS) since 2007. She is one of the members of the new Network for Social Science Education of Canada (SSENC-RESSC). Over the years, her work as a teacher and then an educational advisor has led her to participate in numerous ministerial committees, to give numerous trainings and to attend professional development sessions related to teaching. She has been interested for several years in the teaching and development of historical thinking in students.
Year 3
Renee St. Germain
Renee St. Germain is a member of Rama First Nation in Ontario. Currently residing in Ottawa, Ontario, Renee is the Director of Languages and Learning at the Assembly of First Nations (AFN). The AFN Languages and Learning Sector advocates on behalf of First Nations in K-12 Education, Post-Secondary Education, Education Infrastructure, Labour Market Training and Languages Revitalization and ultimately for First Nations control of First Nations education. Renee is an educator by trade and holds both a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Education through the University of Ottawa. Prior to joining the AFN, Renee worked with the Ottawa urban Indigenous community in early childhood education through the Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities program. Through this work, Renee noticed a need to create space for Indigenous students who were transitioning from culturally rich environments into the public school system. This led Renee to work on professional development for elementary teachers on how to incorporate space for Indigenous knowledge and learners into their classroom.
Maureen McNamara
Maureen McNamara is currently the president of the Social Studies Teachers Association of Nova Scotia and a director with the Social Studies Educators Network of Canada(SSENC-RESSC) in both roles she is committed to social studies education in Canada. Maureen’s involvement in curriculum development and professional development focuses on supporting educators and students. Maureen’s diverse professional learning experiences and commitment to lifelong learning provides a unique perspective of the complexities of leadership, collaboration and curriculum, that are an integral part of social studies education. She is an advocate for social studies education!
Lise Pinkos
Lise Pinkos is a proud Franco-Manitoban and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Education degree, both from the Université de Saint-Boniface. Her studies focused on human rights education and how students can learn about human rights to become engaged in taking action for human rights. Lise was part of the inaugural team at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and is currently Director, Programs. Throughout her career at the Museum, Lise has been privileged to have the opportunity to meet with Canadians from coast to coast to coast who generously shared their human rights stories with the Museum. In her current role, she oversees the development and delivery of human rights education programs onsite and online for learners of all ages. Lise is also the Vice President of the Board of Governors of the Université de Saint-Boniface and is maman to Marianne, 8 and Théodore, 3.
Year 4
Charlotte Chang
Usha James
Kevin Lopuck