Faculty Directory

The School of Social and Community Services at George Brown College brings together industry leaders to shape program and course content. Many of the faculty at the college are still active in their industries today, so they combine day-to-day working realities with academic theories and approaches. We take pride in hiring teachers that are well-respected and offer students excellent instruction, industry mentorship and provide valuable additions to their professional networks.

Faculty Members

Faculty Bios

​Farhia Abdi

Farhia is a professor at the Community Worker Program and has been teaching at George Brown College since 2013. Farhia is interested in global and human rights issues embedding these contexts in her teaching and professional practice. Farhia has taught in the largest refugee camp in the world, located in the North Eastern region of Kenya. Her work in the refugee camps involved training teacher candidates through the Borderless Higher Education project spearheaded by York University's Faculty of Education and Centre for Refugee Studies. Prior to joining the college as a faculty member, Farhia worked in various neighbourhoods in the GTA, focusing mainly on community development and advocacy work. Farhia is currently pursuing a PhD at the Faculty of Education at York University. Her dissertation work explores the role formal education can play in bringing about peace and social cohesion in post-conflict societies. Her research informs her teaching practice in the School of Social and Community Services as she is constantly researching and writing about the role of educational institutions in the development of socially just society.

Margaret Alexander

Margaret Alexander (they/she) has been a Professor in the Assaulted Women and Children’s Counsellor Advocate Program since 2004. They have an M.A. in Learning and Technology from Royal Roads University and a M.Ed. in Urban Indigenous Education from York University, where they are presently working on a Ph.D. in Education: Language, Culture & Teaching. Margaret has been a social justice educator and activist for over 25 years, with an extensive background of providing counselling support to survivors of violence in addition to developing and delivering community and agency-based training on a variety of subjects including gender violence and anti-oppression practice.

Stephanie Archambault, RSW

Stephanie Archambault has been teaching part-time in the Social Service Worker program since 2018. As a Registered Social Worker, Stephanie works full-time in a community-based organization providing long-term, trauma-specific counselling to women. Her career in social work has primarily been in the area of mental health, harm reduction/substance use, and reproductive justice. Her experience includes advocacy work with child welfare authorities, the criminal justice system, the shelter system, and healthcare settings. Stephanie holds a BA and BSW from York University and an MSW (Health and Mental Health) from the University of Toronto.

Maura Bascom

Maura began her career at CAMH, developing the original therapeutic recreation department, concentrating on activity-based interventions and non-pharmacological methods as a means to psychological recovery. She earned her M.Ed. in Adult Education from OISE, University of Toronto, furthering learning, and research in this area. Maura is a part-time professor in the faculty of Recreation Management in Gerontology and the Social Service Worker programs. Maura’s areas of teaching and expertise are mental health and dementia studies.

Maureen Boettcher, MSW

Maureen began her career in child protection services in 1983. She earned her MSW in clinical practice from the University of Calgary in 1988 and then joined a team of professionals providing treatment services to sexually abused children across Alberta, northern BC, the Yukon and Nunavut. She entered social work education full time in 2004 when she became Manager of the Field Education Program at York University School of Social Work. In 2009 Maureen joined the faculty of the Social Service Worker program at George Brown, where she now teaches full time.

Lynne Brennan

Lynne Brennan, M.Sc., is a part-time Professor in the Community Worker Program at George Brown College. She has been an educator for several decades, working at the community level in Canada and internationally, and in the post-secondary system, as Professor at George Brown College as well Academic Facilitator in the School of Social Work at XU (formerly Ryerson University.) She has taught courses in community work theory, interpersonal communication, group dynamics, and field practice. She has more than a dozen years of international experience in working with communities and organizations as an adult educator and gender specialist. She has conducted social audits and evaluations, facilitated strategic planning exercises for non-profit groups, and organized fundraisers. She is a qualified Life Skills Coach, and serves as a Volunteer Advisor with CESO, Canadian Executive Services Organization, most recently in Honduras.

Maxine Brown

Maxine Brown is a part-time professor in the Child and Youth Care Program at George Brown College. She holds a Graduate Degree in Environmental Studies from York University, which focused on Womanhood, Resilience, Decolonization, Gender, and Identity. Maxine was recognized in the annual publication of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women in 2020. She has over 20 years of experience working directly with children and youth in the field of Social Services. One of her passions is community initiatives that support children, youth, and families of African descent. During her tenure at Central Toronto Youth Services, Maxine developed and implemented R.I.T.E.S (Resiliency, Identity, Transformation, Empowerment, Self-Determination), a program to address systemic racism, increase cultural identity and support youth to identify and break down systemic barriers. Maxine is committed to the fight for social justice and continues to contribute towards the eradication of anti-oppressive and anti-black racism policies and practices.

Chandra Budhu, M.Ed

Chandra Budhu teaches in the Community Worker Program and is a founding member of the Tommy Douglas Institute. She has taught in George Brown's Social Service Worker Program and at New College, U of T. She spent over 20 years in international development focusing on women's rights, local economic development, social cohesion and governance. Highlights of her career include: Program Director of the historic 1995 Beijing Women's World Forum, Voluntary Sector Initiative on visible minorities organizations in Canada, Ministry of Attorney General's Hate Crime Project in Ontario, global/local initiatives on violence against women and a global initiative on gender and leadership in the church. Other activities include: Chair - Lecture series on Caribbean Development (York University); International Electoral Observer Mission (Organization of American States); Co-president- Canadian Women's Foundation and Chair- Women's Funding Network USA. Awards include: Skills for Change New Pioneer Award, GBC "Living the Academic Strategy" and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Resh Budhu

Resh Budhu Ph.D. candidate (ABD), is faculty and co-coordinator in the Community Worker Program where she has taught since 2004. Coming from a background in popular education, social activism and theatre, Resh's work in the area of social justice, for over two decades (at home in Canada and abroad), has been mainly focused on issues relating to gender equality, anti-racism and community development. She has worked with the Government of Canada Millennium Initiative, the YWCA Week Without Violence, and the Beijing Forum on Women '95. Where issues of social justice, anti-oppression, diversity and equity are core to her teaching practice, the classroom continues to be an extension of her prior community worker life. In addition to teaching courses in Sociology, Political Science, Canadian Social Policy, and Global Politics, Resh coordinates the annual Tommy Douglas Institute, a forum for structural critiques of these neo-liberal times while offering alternative visions for the future of post-secondary education, communities and the larger society. Resh enjoys critical (outside-the-box) thinking, medium-double-doubles, genre-bending literature, political vision, the '80s, and being a mystery.

John Caffery

John Caffery is a professor, community worker, DJ, and multidisciplinary artist who engages art in social change and works on creative responses to oppression. John is a graduate from the Community Worker program at George Brown College (2010) as well as the Community Arts Practice Certificate program (2015) and the Master's in Environmental Studies program (2017) at York University. His research is focused on arts-based social justice education and in 2020, GBC funded a proposal by John to work with students to create educational posters celebrating LGBTQ2+ activists. John has twenty years of community-based work experience. In 2017, John began as a professor at GBC teaching in the Community Worker program. 

Diana Chan McNally

Diana Chan McNally (she/they) (Dipl. Of Community Work, BFA, MA, MEd) instructs in the Community Worker and the Social Service Worker programs. As someone with lived experience of social services and being unhoused, Diana’s work focuses on human rights and equity issues for people who are experiencing homelessness, and she is particularly involved in rights protections for residents of encampments. Diana is a former frontline worker who is currently employed full-time by the Toronto Drop-in Network, where she oversees advocacy initiatives and learning opportunities for 56 organizations across the City of Toronto supporting unhoused people. Diana is also a graduate and Dean’s Medalist (2016) of George Brown’s Community Worker program. 

Monica Chi

Monica Chi is a Professor in the School of Social and Community Services. She has been teaching in the Social Service Work Program since 2016 and joined the team as a full-time Professor in 2019. Monica obtained her B.A. and M.S.W. degrees from University of Toronto. She has worked in the social service sector for over a decade supporting individuals living with various health and mental health challenges. Prior to joining the team, she was the Executive Director of a community-based nonprofit organization working with new Canadians and refugees of Korean origin. She has extensive experience developing innovative projects to support new Canadians in their settlement journey as well as a keen interest in projects that empower immigrant women experiencing family violence or intimate partner violence. Monica is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University and her research interest is in understanding love as a healing force in relationships and community building.

Melissa Congram

Melissa has been a part-time professor in the Child & Youth Care Program since January 2018, and has worked with vulnerable children, youth, and families for almost 30 years. She holds a Psychology Specialist Degree (BSc) from the University of Toronto, as well as a Master of Education from OISE/U of T, where her studies concentrated on human development and applied psychology in education settings. Over the course of her career, she has held both front-line and management positions, and has been actively involved in hiring, supervising, training, and collaborating with CYCPs in a variety of community, education, and mental health settings. She currently works in the Day Treatment Program at SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health (CCMH – formerly the Hincks-Dellcrest Centre). As a registered psychotherapist, she is able to bring a trauma-informed lens and real-world examples to class discussions.

Charlene Dunstan

Charlene has been a Professor in the Social Service Program since 2010 teaching a wide range of subjects and engaging student learners.   In addition to her role as a faculty member, she has also been the Field Placement Liaison for the program and worked collaboratively with faculty and community partners to support students in their experiential learning. Her participation at the College includes committee work such as the Black Student Success Network (BSSN), the Anti-Racism Committee and Work Integrated Learning (WIL) with recent professional development in the areas of Restorative Justice and the Healthy Campus Initiative. Prior to joining George Brown College, Charlene has worked in a variety of roles over the last twenty years.  The roles include working with low income, marginalized, chronically homeless and street involved women. During her experience at the organization Sistering - A Women's Place, she created a social purpose enterprise to foster self-sufficiency and break down barriers to employment. This has also been reflected in her focus on anti-oppressive practice, social justice and social change in her course curriculum development. Charlene has recently stepped into the role of Coordinator for the SSW program.

Griffin Epstein, PhD

Griffin is a professor in the School of Social and Community Services who has been engaged in community organizing and front-line social service provision since 2005. Griffin's activist work began as a founding member of both the Icarus Project's peer support model at New York City's Fountain House, and Toronto's Disability Action Movement Now (DAMN). Prior to joining the Social Service Worker team, Griffin developed and delivered curriculum for the Toronto Hostels Training Centre, and provided strategic planning assistance and training programs at various Toronto agencies. Griffin's doctoral work at the University of Toronto utilized community-based research to explore the relationship between race, colonial power and urban change. Griffin also holds an MA in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning and a BA in Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Pearl Fernandez

Pearl Fernandez has been teaching part time in the Child and Youth Care Program since 2013 and became a full time Professor in the program in 2018. Pearl graduated from Carleton University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminology and Psychology. After working in youth justice for several years, Pearl attended George Brown College and graduated with an Advanced Diploma from the Child and Youth Care Program. Pearl has obtained extensive experience for over a decade in the field of Child and Youth Care. In her various roles as a Child and Youth Care Practitioner, Pearl has worked with children, youth and their families within the educational sectors, several community agencies, youth justice sectors and most recently as a Crisis Worker in one of the largest children's mental health agencies in the Peel Region. Pearl has a particular interest in the benefits of implementing Trauma Informed Approaches when providing care to children, youth and their families. Pearl is currently pursuing her Masters of Arts Degree in Education from Central Michigan University focusing on adult learning strategies, creating, and evaluating curriculum to fit their diverse needs. Pearl is passionate about teaching and ensuring that her students develop their professional skills as they pursue a career in the Child and Youth Care sector.

Loni Frank

Loni Frank (she/her) is a part-time professor in the School of Social and Community Services. Loni teaches primarily in the Child and Youth Care Program in a variety of courses. Prior to joining George Brown College in 2018, Loni worked concurrently as a secondary school Resource Facilitator and solely operated a therapeutic treatment foster home for latency aged girls in the Region of Peel. Loni has extensive experience working with the autistic community and began her career as an in-home junior therapist supporting skill attainment and behaviour modification in school-aged youth. Loni is a GBC alumni and obtained her B.A and M.A in Child and Youth Care from Ryerson University. Her thesis and major research paper focused on trauma informed schools and exploring the short- and long-term impacts of childism- the oppression of children and youth. Loni strives to create an enriching learning experience for all students rooted in anti-oppressive practice.

Patty Hayes, MSW, RSW, MDiv, CCC

Patty is a professor in the Social Service Work Program. After teaching part-time in the Social Service Worker Program for several years, Patty joined as a full-time faculty member in 2016. She has been privileged to work both in Canada and the U.S. for over 15 years with children, youth, adults and families in a wide variety of contexts. This has included lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community centres, community based mental health programs, schools, and in-patient psychiatric settings. During her years in various clinical front-line and managerial positions, Patty spent most of her professional time working closely with clients in clinical practice, recognizing their courage and determination as well as the dedication and tenacity of her colleagues, sentiments which she also brings to the classroom.

Dr. Rusa Jeremic, PhD

Rusa Jeremic teaches in the Community Worker Program at George Brown College, Toronto, ON. She has a PhD in Social Justice Education with a focus on online digital activism used to challenge power and social movement building as a form of critical digital pedagogy. Prior to joining GBC, Rusa worked as a campaigner, popular educator and researcher in international human rights and with economic justice global solidarity movements. She was a human rights observer in Central America during the Civil War. At home Rusa has been involved in community activism and advocacy, peace movements, union organizing, and dabbled in the comedic arts. She has volunteered as a St. Stephen's Community Mediator and is always exploring new ways to engage students to work for social change. Rusa has received several research grants to study implications of digital technology transformations on the non-profit sector and in grassroots communities facing structural obstacles to equity, including a recent 3 year federal government CCSIF/SHRCC grant. Rusa has published widely in both popular and academic publications (journals and book chapters) on social justice issues, equity, teaching social activism, elections, critical digital literacy, arts-based activism and online social movement building. She believes in the undeniable strength of people to do incredible things when they join together. 

Marty Lampkin

Marty Lampkin is a Professor in the School of Social and Community Services. She has been teaching in the Social Service Work Program since 2018 and joined the team as a full-time Professor in 2021. Marty obtained a B.S.W from Ryerson University and M.S.W. degree from the University of Toronto. She has worked in the social service sector for several years supporting individuals and families living with Developmental Disabilities, Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Over the years, she has provided intensive case management services, complex support coordination, system navigation, individual and family counselling as well as educational capacity building and trainings. She an advocate, educator and consultant on issues of Anti-Black Racism, Anti-Oppression and Ableism. She is the creator of the program Racismaffectsmetoo designed for self-identified Black adults living with Developmental Disabilities/ Autism Spectrum Disorder to learn about systemic racism and how it impacts their daily lives. Marty strives to bring awareness and education on the intersectional needs of people living with Developmental Disabilities and Dual Diagnosis.

Judy Masters

Judy is a Professor in the Child and Youth Care Program. She is an alumni of the Child and Youth Care program at George Brown College. She holds a MEd in Adult Education and Global Learning from University of British Columbia and a BA in Child and Youth Care from Ryerson University. Judy has worked in the field of Child and Youth Care for over 20 years, specializing in children’s mental health, child welfare and youth justice. The experiences acquired through these roles, including positions in management, as a consultant and front-line practitioner has afforded Judy to bring her professional experiences into the learning environment. Additionally, this has allowed her to instill her teachings with insight and real-life examples to enhance the learning experience. Judy is committed to enriching student learning through the integration of various adult learning theories and strategies into her learning space. Judy started her teaching career at George Brown in 2006, as part-time faculty in the CYC program before becoming full-time in 2013.

Zalina Mohamad

Zalina is a Professor in the School of Social and Community Services and has taught a variety of courses at all levels within the Child and Youth Care and Social Service Worker Programs. In addition Zalina has conducted a review of Field Education for the School of Social and Community Services. She is also actively involved in the community and continues to work with students on creating inclusive classroom spaces by grounding her teaching in anti-oppressive, reflective and reflexive practice. Zalina began her career teaching in high schools and working with at-risk youth in school-based programs. She obtained her B.Ed. and ESL qualification from OISE, U of T and went on to complete her Master of Education from York University with a focus on social justice, adult education and leadership. In addition, she completed a Graduate Diploma from York University in Urban Education, which provided a foundation for teaching and learning in urban environments by using an anti-oppressive lens and considering the diversities and intersection of identities which exist in the classroom. Zalina has worked in higher education for over 13 years, with ample experience as a Field Education Coordinator for the School of Social Work at York University.

Marilyn Oladimeji

Marilyn Oladimeji Ph.D. has over three decades of grassroots and professional work experience in the social service sector, feminist organizing and community development, and within anti-violence organizations. She is a Professor at George Brown College in the Assaulted Women and Children Advocate Program where she has been teaching for the past 28 years in courses such as Disability Discourse, Feminist Political Activism & Community Development and Field Supervision.  Since 1990, Marilyn has been facilitating groups supporting survivors of rape/sexual assault and is a trauma informed counsellor and trainer on gender-based violence, diversity and inclusion, human rights, and social justice.  Her work is grounded in an integrated anti-racist/anti-oppression and feminist analysis, a holistic approach in which a person's experience and realities of life are not fragmented and divided. Marilyn is also a community activist and educator with experience as the Provincial President of the Rape/Sexual Assault movement providing advice to the Ontario government on numerous program and policy initiatives in the anti-violence sector to serving as a board member on a variety of community organizations in the GTA.  In addition, she is an Expression Arts Facilitator.

Berti Olinto

Berti is a professor in the School of Social and Community Services. He has been teaching at George Brown College since 2019. He has worked in the academic sector for over 15 years and has supported a wide range of research and community-based organizations at both the national and international levels. He holds a Master of Arts in Immigration and Settlement Studies from Ryerson University, a community worker diploma from George Brown College, and a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of London, UK (Goldsmiths College). His current research interests focus on diasporic communities, transnationalism, refugees and immigrants, and community media.

Rick Owens, M.S.W., R.S.W., M.Ed.

Rick joined the Social Service Worker Program as a full-time faculty member in 2011 and was Program Co-Coordinator between 2015-2019. He has more than three decades of experience in the field, having worked in youth justice, children's mental health, developmental services, health and education settings, in positions ranging from the front line to senior management. He is also an experienced teacher and trainer, and was a part-time faculty member at the School of Social Work at York University for more than a decade. Rick is still active in 'the field' as a registered social worker and psychotherapist. His practice and research interests include critical social work, social work education and critical pedagogy, restorative practices, youth justice, and direct practice in mental health.

William J. Payne

William J. Payne has taught in the Community Worker Program since 2010. William is also a doctoral candidate in Critical Human Geography in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University where William teaches courses and has also been a graduate research associate at the Centre for Refugee Studies and a graduate affiliate of the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean. William has worked as a human rights advocate in Canada, Mexico, Colombia, and Palestine, and has prior experience as a community worker with people facing homelessness and other forms of marginalization. William’s scholarly research examines human rights violations of sexual/gender minorities in Latin American contexts marked by organized violence and impunity and produced through hemispheric political and economic processes.

Lisa Peña-Sabanal, C.Y.W., B.A. (CYC), B.Ed., M.A. (ECS)

Lisa Peña-Sabanal is a GBC Alumnae who has been teaching within the Child and Youth Care (CYC) Program since 2006. Lisa also holds a breadth of professional experience of over 25 years of frontline practice working with diverse populations of young people and their families in all sectors of the field (community, education, hospitals, recreation, and youth justice). In addition to teaching part-time in the post-secondary sectors, she has also been employed as a Certified Teacher in various GTA school boards both in elementary and secondary settings. Lisa’s high degree of commitment to the field of CYC has allowed her to be actively involved in curriculum and training development opportunities within these post-secondary programs, as well as continue with CYC frontline practice, specifically within secure child and adolescent mental health crisis hospital programs.

Althea Reid

Althea Reid has been teaching part-time in the Child Youth Care Practitioner Program since 2018. She has been working alongside children and youth for almost 20 years. She completed her Child and Youth Worker diploma from George Brown college then her Child Youth Care Practitioner Bachelor of Arts Degree from Ryerson University. Althea has worked in a variety of settings ranging from treatment, assessment, inpatient, schools, and closed custody. Using a strength-based approach and anti-oppressive lens she has advocated for youth as a liaison with the judicial system, facilitated psychoeducational groups, provided crisis management, and created individualized support. Althea’s practice is influenced by an anti-oppressive, holistic view of young people and their families. Most recently she is the Program Coordinator for the R.I.T.E.S program for Black youth at Central Toronto Youth Services.

Jeffrey Reffo, BA, BSW, MSW, RSW

Jeffrey (pronouns: he/him) is a Professor in the School of Social and Community Services. Since starting with the School of Social and Community Services in 2017, he has taught in the SSW, CW and CYC programs. Jeffrey joined as a full-time faculty member in 2019. His teaching approach focuses on collaboration, social entrepreneurship, and active experimentation through an anti-oppressive, strengths-based lens. His social and community work started over 25 years ago with HIV/AIDS infected and affected populations. He has held a variety of positions both corporately and within the social service sector across Canada. He is an experienced facilitator and long-time community educator who continues to work with governments, hospitals, corporations and agencies to advocate for 2SLGBTQ+ Inclusive spaces and foster allyship as a way to build stronger communities.

Melissa Teles

Melissa is a professor in the School of Social and Community Services and has been practicing child and youth care work for over a decade. In her role as a Child and Youth Care Practitioner, she has worked with children, young people, families and communities in the education sector, youth justice, child welfare, children's mental health, outreach, advocacy and most recently in Child and Youth Care education. Melissa is committed to creating inclusive classrooms where emerging practitioners can explore all aspects of child and youth care through an anti-oppressive lens. Melissa was one of the first child and youth workers in Canada to receive certification from the Child and Youth Care certification board. She has served on the board of directors for the OACYC and is a board member of the Child and Youth Care Educational Accreditation Board of Canada. Melissa has a particular interest in understanding and exploring all aspects of regulation and the professionalization of Child and Youth Care to ensure a high quality of service provided to children and young people. She continues to volunteer with women who have experienced intimate partner violence.

Carlos Wilson

Carlos Wilson is joining the Child and Youth Care Program effective, Fall 2021 as a full-time Professor.  Carlos is a Registered Psychotherapist and Canadian Certified Counsellor. For over 10 years he has worked with children and youth, and he has worked extensively with the Indigenous community in Toronto. He holds a Master’s degree in Creative Arts Therapies, Drama Therapy Option and he has also trained in talk-based counselling and support methods. In addition to offering direct support, Carlos has facilitated training for front-line workers on topics such as mental health awareness and trauma-informed practice, strategies for offering support, cultural humility and anti-oppressive practice, crisis intervention, and worker self-care.  Carlos has been teaching part-time in the CYC Program at George Brown College since 2019. He is joining us from his previous full-time position with Shkaabe Makwa at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, where he offered training for Indigenous helpers across Ontario. 

Natalie Wood, MA

Natalie is a full time Professor teaching in the SSW Program at George Brown College. Her areas of interest are Community Development, Community Economic Development/ Social Purpose Enterprise, Research and Proposal Writing, Communication and Interviewing, Values and Ethics, and the use of the Arts as a tool for research and empowerment of marginalized communities. For over 20 years she has worked in a variety of positions both managerial and front line in the social services field with marginalized communities such as, adults with dual diagnoses, women with concurrent disorders, trauma and abuse survivors, and women with mental health issues who are living in long-term poverty. She is also a community researcher, working as an art consultant on projects related to homeless women and trans-women and new immigrants and their experience of work, with the Arts and Social Work Research Institute at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. She has co-written a number of articles and presented nationally at conferences related to community-based and arts-based research in the social work field. Selected awards include a Community Based Research Award of Merit, from the Centre for Urban Health Initiatives & the Wellesley Institute 2007, the New Pioneers Award for contribution to Arts and Culture, 2006 and the City of York Civic Recognition Award for using the Arts to work with marginalized communities, 1997.

William Woolrich

William joined the George Brown College as a full-time Community Worker Professor in the Fall of 2018. He now teaches in the Social Service Worker program. He has been teaching part-time in higher education since 2002. He worked as the Graduate Program Coordinator for the School of Social Work at York University for nine years and prior to that, he managed a supportive housing program for people involved in the psychiatric system. He also has several years on the front-line, working as a social worker for a community based mental health team. In addition to a BSc. from the University of Toronto, and a BSW and MSW from York University, in 2019, he completed a diploma in Post-Secondary Education: Community, Culture and Policy and a PhD in Education: Language, Culture and Teaching at York University where his research focus was on values based education for students engaged in administrative positions in social service organizations. His past research includes funded and unfunded publications and conference presentations on: psychosocial impact of assistive devices; supportive housing; social media and education; and university-community engagement.

Cristine Yhap

Cristine is an Alumni of George Brown College and graduated from the Child and Youth Worker program in 1993. She returned to university and obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Child and Youth Care and Master's Degree in Early Childhood Studies from Ryerson University. Cristine has spent over 25 years working with various agencies throughout Toronto including The Children's Aid Society, The Hincks-Dellcrest Children's Centre, Covenant House, and Central Toronto Youth Services (CTYS). Cristine took a sabbatical for a year and moved to the US, where she taught young children in the public school system and volunteered for Red Cross to help families relocate after the San Diego Wildfires Hurricane Katrina. She returned to Toronto and reconnected with George Brown College to teach part-time in the Child and Youth Care Program while working at CTYS supporting youth involved in the criminal justice system reintegrating from custody to community. Cristine is a passionate Child and Youth Care practitioner and professor. She believes that inclusion and anti-oppressive practices are necessary and is a strong advocate for social justice in our communities.