Ronnie Miller, B.A.; M.A.; M.Ed.; Ph.D.
Dr. Miller received his M.Ed. in Educational Administration, and Ph.D. in History & Philosophy of Education from the University of Toronto – OISE. Dr. Miller has taught history at the high school and university levels and is the author of two books published by academic presses. Over the last 25 years Dr. Miller has been involved with private schools in South Africa, Australia and Canada. Dr. Miller is the Executive Director of Professional Development Seminars.

Through his work for Professional Development Seminars, Dr. Miller has provided numerous in-services and workshops to both teachers and administrators of many Native Schools across Ontario. Dr. Miller is the coordinator of project initiatives to provide First Nations schools with complete curricula that both meet Ministry of Education expectations and are also meaningful and relevant for First Nations students and communities.

Jim Sebastian B.A.; B.Ed.; M.A.; M.Ed.
Jim Sebastian completed his B.A. in Modern Languages and Literature and his B.Ed. at the University of Western Ontario, and his M.Ed. in Curriculum and Administration at the University of Toronto.

During his 35 years as an educator, administrator, public servant, and management consultant, Jim has developed a very significant knowledge base and sound, practical experience with international and Canadian-based education and training programs at the high school and post-secondary levels. From 1989 to 2005, Jim worked as an Education Officer in the Ontario Ministry of Education. His responsibilities included curriculum policy development and, most recently, oversight of both policy and operations relating to the inspection of Ontario-approved private schools within the province and internationally.

Jim has had extensive experience in managing a number of large-scale projects at the provincial level. He was appointed by the government to plan and implement the divestiture of direct service education programs previously offered by the Ministry of Education. He has managed several key government funding programs, including Ontario’s $50 million fund to restructure district school boards.

Alan Wolfish, Q.C.
For 25 years Mr. Wolfish worked as a legal director in the Ontario Public Service where he served under three different governments. Alan was the Director of the Legal Services Branch for both the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the Ministry of Education. As director, Alan led a team of lawyers and educators that provided legal services and strategic advice with respect to policy development, legislative drafting, litigation and media relations.

In 1993, Alan was honoured with the Amethyst Award for outstanding performance in Ontario Public Service. In 1981, in recognition of his accomplishments, he was appointed Queen’s Counsel.

His publications have been diverse and he has been a guest speaker and panelist at numerous conferences and workshops in the private and public sectors. He is co-author of the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005 Annotated.

Alan serves as Government Relations and Education Law Consultant to clients needing assistance in dealing with various government ministries and public agencies. Alan has acted as Trustee of investigations for the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Operative Team:

RESEARCH

Tim Paci, M.A.
Mr. Paci is a lecturer in the Department of Drama and Speech Communication at the University of Waterloo, where he coordinates the Department’s public speaking program while teaching courses in interviewing and organizational communication. Mr. Paci also teaches literature in the Departments of English at the University of Waterloo and St. Jerome’s University in the University of Waterloo, and teaches English as a second language at the English Language Institute at Renison College in the University of Waterloo and at the University of Waterloo Writing Centre. In addition, Mr. Paci has taught university English and public speaking to First Nations students at the Six Nations Polytechnic on Six Nations Reserve. Mr. Paci is the co-founder and owner of the Business of Writing, a written and oral communications consulting company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and history and a master’s degree in English from McMaster University and has completed further graduate work in literature and discourse analysis.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Helen Rees, B.Ed.
Helen received her B.A. Honours in Communication Studies (Linguistics, Psychology & Child Language Development) from the University of Glamorgan. In 1983, she received her Post-Graduate Certificate of Education from the University of Wolverhampton, and in 1988 a Diploma in Science Education from the University of Wales. In 2004 Helen completed the Ontario Special Education Specialist AQ program at Brock University.

Helen worked for 17 years as a teacher in South Wales UK, and as of 1999 she works as an itinerant resource teacher for the Halton Board of Education. Helen also teaches high school English courses in a private school in Ontario. Her current responsibilities in her itinerant role, includes facilitating presentations and workshops to teachers on strategies and programming for special needs students.

Denise Lafontaine, B.Ed, ESL Specialist, Special Education Specialist
Denise received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in English at the University of Windsor. In 1989, she received her B.Ed from Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario. Her continued development as an educator led her to two specialist certificates.

Denise’s experience includes teaching elementary, secondary, and adult education. In addition to this, she has developed several curriculum documents for adult learners and the ESL sector. Her education has taken her to China, the Czech Republic, the Yukon and various northern communities in Ontario. Much of her career has involved working with New Immigrants to Canada and First Nation’s Groups.

Advisory Team:

Michael Staruck, B.Ed.
(Michael) Mick Staruck received both his BA and B.Ed. from the University of Windsor, and his First Nations Principal’s Training at Six Nations Polytechnic in Ohsweken, Ontario. For the past seven years, Mick has served as the principal of the Eenchokay Birchstick School in Pikangikum First Nation. Beginning in September, 2009 Mick is the principal of the Wasse-Abin High School in Wikwemikong First Nation on Manitoulin Island.

Mick brings to our team a wealth of both practical and academic knowledge of First Nation Schools across Northern Ontario. He understands and appreciates the challenges that students and their teachers and principals encounter while working together to create a positive school environment, focusing on student success and growth, completion of high school credits and high school graduation. Mick is closely involved in the assessment and evaluation of the pilot for the newly developed ENG2P program, including its compatibility with school success plans.

Sandra Wolf, BS Ed.; MA Ed.; Ph.D.
Dr. Wolf received her BS Ed. from the University of North Dakota in Secondary Education, English Language and Literature, with an emphasis in American Indian Literature. She received her MA Ed. from Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff, in Special Education, with an emphasis in Learning Disabilities and Bilingual Education. Dr. Wolf earned a PhD in the Social, Multicultural, and Bilingual Foundations of Education, Policy and Practice, from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 2004. She was a Bilingual Education Fellow within the US Department of Education Title VII Program, while at UC-Boulder.

Dr. Wolf has been a classroom teacher and educational program administrator for over thirty years. She currently teaches Aboriginal Education courses, graduate research methods and foundations courses, and elementary education courses within the Aboriginal Honours Bachelor of Education degree program located in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University.

Dr. Wolf’s research interests and expertise are in the areas of Aboriginal education; education for equity and social justice; the anthropology, history, and sociolinguistics of education; and Indigenous research processes. Much of her work has focused on the areas of identity and agency, particularly in the practice of scholarship and warriorship. Sandra Wolf is Ojibwe from Turtle Mountain in North Dakota.