Meet our team
The ONE TO ONE Literacy program began in 1989 as a collaboration between the Vancouver School Board and the Junior League of Greater Vancouver.
The Team
Program Manager
After living and working in France, Japan and Australia, he found his way to Vancouver and to the rewarding world of children’s literacy. As someone who believes in the power and possibility of language, he is excited by the chance to contribute to his community in a way that closely aligns with his education and experience. Alistair holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Bishop’s University and a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Ottawa. Alistair spends his free time playing softball, doing crosswords, and cheering on (often in vain) his Ottawa Senators and Toronto Blue Jays.
Contact Alistair Nagle by email
Executive Director
Carol joined ONE TO ONE as Executive Director in June, 2018. With an MA in Communications Studies from the University of Calgary and a Certificate in Executive Leadership for the Non-Profit Sector from Grant MacEwan University, Carol has served in leadership roles at a non-profit capacity-building organization, a post-secondary student advocacy organization and in numerous board and volunteer capacities across Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. A former arts and culture writer, Carol is passionate about how reading sparks curiosity and discovery.
Contact Carol Neuman by email
Fund Development and Communications Coordinator
Jaskamal (she/her) has always gravitated towards the world of not-for-profits. This is why she connected with ONE TO ONE’s mission as it focuses on prevention – to ensure no child is limited by their literacy skills. She is looking to play her part by leveraging her creative, business and community experience. She holds a BBA in Marketing Management and recently was awarded the Presidents Medal for Academic Excellence and Community Service by Langara College. For the past year, she was working as a freelance marketer and a support worker at Canucks Autism Network. At Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Jaskamal also sits on the Advisory Committee and leads the Outreach Committee supporting students in their final year of university.
Contact Jaskamal Singh by email
Volunteer Coordinator
Liz joins ONE TO ONE following a position with an English as a Second Language School in Vancouver. She earned a bachelor’s degree in human rights and international law from Carleton University, and has been an active member of her community since her teens. She has volunteered with children and youth, both in Canada and abroad, in literacy, yoga, art, and gardening and currently sits on the Board of Directors of MOBY Community Garden in East Vancouver. Liz has a passion for storytelling and community building, and is thrilled to bridge the two in her new position with ONE TO ONE.
Contact Liz Van Den Hanenberg by email
Program Assistant
Afton is excited to be the Program Assistant for the Tri-Cities. She is passionate about her work in the not-for-profit sector and particularly about bringing the joy of reading to children. She gets plenty of story time practice with her daughter, who is just starting to read. Afton holds a BA in Social Justice from the University of Victoria and a Diploma of Marketing Communications from BCIT. In her spare time Afton enjoys volunteering as a trustee at the Port Moody Public Library.
Contact Afton Bell by email
Program Assistant
Andrea holds qualifications in Journalism, English, Library Science and ESL. She spent 18 years working in South African community libraries, serving the learning needs of ESL families who experienced inadequate education under the Apartheid system. Andrea went on to work for the British Council in the UK, where promoting literacy was the core mission. She believes reading is the most important life skill and the foundation for all other skills, and sees regular one-to-one mentoring as the most effective way to ingrain these skills for life.
Regional Liaison
Program Assistant
Janice has a background in counselling and education from her careers as a dietitian and a college instructor. Janice revels in the joy and excitement that reading and literacy can bring to children. Her favourite experiences are the “lightbulb moments” where struggling readers become confident readers. Janice has enjoyed reading to and with her 4 children and loves making up one-of-a-kind bedtime stories. She is very involved in community sports and in her children’s schools.
Program Assistant
Linda is an enthusiastic advocate for kids and literacy. She brings to ONE TO ONE an extensive background as a classroom teacher, university instructor, workshop presenter, and literacy consultant. When asked about what drew her attention to ONE TO ONE, Linda said it was the opportunity to bring children and books together. When she is not reading with her granddaughter, Linda will be found every Thursday morning as a ONE TO ONE volunteer tutor reading with children in an inner city Vancouver school.
Regional Liaison
Board of Directors
Director
Director
Director
Treasurer
Sandy joined the Board of ONE TO ONE as Treasurer in April 2011. She is a born and bred Vancouverite and a UBC Commerce alumna. She practiced accounting in both public and private firms before retiring to raise her 3 boys. In addition to being an active school volunteer while her boys were growing up, Sandy spent several years on the Board of the Arbutus Club as well as on subsidiary house and hockey committees. It is Sandy’s pleasure to be a part of this organization and to partner with so many people passionate about literacy and the many benefits derived from helping our youth to reach their fullest potential.
Chair
Born and raised in Vancouver, Elaine has been a volunteer in her community for over two decades, dedicating much of that time to supporting children’s education and literacy. Prior to joining the Board in 2015, she was a tutor through ONE TO ONE at an inner-city Vancouver school and experienced how gratifying it was to help children gain confidence through reading.
Elaine is a marketing executive with 15+ years of experience in multi-channel, integrated marketing, with a specialization in digital/direct. As Vice President of Marketing for Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, she leads the company’s national marketing and communications initiatives.
Director
Lori is currently working as the Director of the BC Teachers’ Tutoring Service. In addition to her board work with ONE TO ONE, she is Treasurer of the Community Volunteer Connections Board in the Tri-Cities. Lori is also an active volunteer in her son’s kindergarten class and is always running to keep up with his extracurricular activities. Her past experiences are in marketing, operations management and corporate training and development, and she has a long time passion for literacy and education, with teaching education and experience in Alberta.
Past Chair
Sue Hoff is a retired Human Resources and Administrative Manager with a career primarily focused in the legal and accounting communities. Her experience also includes management and administrative experience with a private trade school and a local school board. In addition to her Board activities with ONE TO ONE, Sue was recently on the Board of the Van Dusen Botanical Garden Association. Sue prefers to believe that she has “refired” rather than “retired” and now devotes much of her time to her many interests including a love of reading, travel, and staying fit.
Director
Natalie joined the board in 2017, bringing with her considerable experience in the BC school system. Originally from Quebec, Natalie has been a French Immersion teacher since 1989. She is a trained resource teacher, and is currently an elementary school principal with the Vancouver School Board.
Natalie is passionate about literacy and is a former District Literacy Mentor for the VSB, and toured the Province as a Literacy Mentor for two years. Having discovered the ONE TO ONE Literacy program in 2011, Natalie immediately implemented it in her own school. Outside of her professional life, Natalie is a mother, traveller and painter.
Secretary
Jacquie is a mother of three, two with learning disabilities. She brings to the Board her first-hand experience and appreciation for the many challenges children experience if not given the right support, especially in their primary years. Before motherhood, Jacquie ran an occupational therapy & kinesiology rehabilitation company that helped people suffering from injuries including brain trauma. An entrepreneur at heart, Jacquie consults as a personal life coach, with a special interest in supporting women. She coaches her daughter’s soccer team, and likes to bake while listening to podcasts, run the North Shore trails with a friend, and get at least a few pages read before sleep.
Director
Jennifer is a lawyer with over ten years of experience advising for-profit, not-for-profit and Crown corporations on diverse corporate and commercial matters, including board governance.
Originally from Coquitlam, Jennifer studied and worked in Washington, DC and Toronto before returning home to the Vancouver area. Jennifer is currently Senior Legal Counsel and Associate Corporate Secretary for the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. She is also a long-time volunteer with the YWCA of Metro Vancouver High School Mentorship Program and the Georgetown University Alumni Admissions Program.
Vice-Chair
Barinder comes from B.C.’s Interior and has been a volunteer in her community since her school days. Her volunteering runs from on-the-ground experience to serving on boards. Literacy has always been a focus, whether it is spending hours at the local library either reading or volunteering, leading book clubs or supporting literary causes. Barinder has her own consulting business in the healthcare industry with a focus on policy, strategic operations and implementation.