Speakers 2023

BC Summer Institute, 2023 Partnerships for Inclusive Learning is honoured to have such a knowledgeable and experienced group of individuals.

Dr. Rheanna Robinson

Dr. Rheanna Robinson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of First Nations Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia. Dr. Robinson was raised in the community of Smithers and is Métis and a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation. She has expertise in Indigenous Education, Indigenous Disability Studies, Indigenous theory and methods, and…

Dr. Carly Christensen

A graduate of the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Education, Dr. Christensen (she/her) has extensive teaching experience within unique educational settings in the United Kingdom, so-called Canada, and the so-called United States. These settings include urban secondary schools, a rural middle school, a special education school, an inner city all-girls secondary school, an Indigenous adult…

Dr. Ross W. Greene

Ross W. Greene, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and the originator of the innovative, evidence-based approach called Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS), as described in his influential books The Explosive Child, Lost at School, Lost & Found, and Raising Human Beings. He also developed and executive produced the award-winning documentary film The Kids We Lose,…

Tamara Strijack

Tamara Strijack is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who lives and works on Vancouver Island. She is co-author of the book, Reclaiming Our Students: Why Children Are More Anxious, Aggressive, and Shut-Down than Ever—and What We Can Do About It. Tamara has worked with children and adolescents in various roles over the last twenty-eight years. She…

Hannah Beach

Hannah Beach is an award-winning educator, author, emotional health consultant, and keynote speaker. She is the co-author of the best-selling book Reclaiming Our Students: Why Children Are More Anxious, Aggressive, and Shut-Down than Ever—and What We Can Do About It, a trauma-informed resource for teachers and parents rooted in the relationship-based approach, now being translated…

Sue Sterling-Bur

Sue Sterling-Bur is from the Nłeʔkepmx and Sto:Lo Nations and is the Vice President, Students for the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology(NVIT), the only Indigenous public post-secondary in BC. Her educational experience includes an Early Childhood Diploma, a Bachelor, and a Masters’s Degree in Social Work. She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at UBC, Okanagan…

Dr. John-Tyler Binfet

Dr. Binfet is an associate professor in the Okanagan School of Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. His research on school kindness strives to uncover how children, adolescents, and educators understand kindness in school and what they do to demonstrate kindness. Dr. Binfet is the lead author of the…

Dr. Leyton Schnellert

Dr. Leyton Schnellert is an Associate Professor in UBC’s Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy. His work attends to how teachers and teaching and learners and learning can mindfully embrace student diversity and inclusive education. Dr. Schnellert is the Pedagogy and Participation Research Cluster Lead in UBC’s Institute for Community Engaged Research (ICER) and Inclusive Education…

Dr. Brenda Fossett

Dr. Brenda Fossett is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who began her career teaching deaf students with developmental disabilities at the BC School for the Deaf. For twenty-five years, Brenda has provided support to children, youth, and adults with developmental disabilities in home, school, and community settings. Brenda has also provided instruction and training to…

Dr. Paul Malette

Paul Malette has been a director of CBI Consultants since 1990. He leads a team of 50 passionate professionals promoting inclusion and diversity across the lifespan. To date, CBI Consultants has supported more than 10,000 individuals with complex support needs worldwide. Dr. Malette and the CBI team are committed to implementing evidence-based inclusive practices in…

Dr. Shelley Moore

Originally from Edmonton, and now based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Dr. Shelley Moore is a highly sought-after teacher, researcher, speaker and storyteller. She has worked with school districts and community organizations around the world, in supporting and promoting equity for all learners. Her first book entitled, “One Without the Other” was released in July 2016…

Dr. Donna Kozak

Dr. Donna Kozak has been an educator for 39 years beginning her career in the primary grades, then working in inclusive education as part of an interdisciplinary team for students with learning differences. Donna worked with middle school students in a literacy intervention program for several years before focusing on supporting early years programs and…

Deborah Simak

As an experienced special education teacher and Administrator, Deborah’s focus has been on changing life outcomes for students with exceptionalities. Deborah has experience teaching students with exceptional learning needs in both segregated and inclusive secondary classrooms as well as holding leadership positions including District Principal of Learning Support Programs and later as Director of Learning…