Meet the Team

Tony Carrigan, BA, BEd, MA (TESOL) UBC

President

Tony has more than thirty years of experience in ELL assessment and instruction in public schools and in post-secondary institutions in Canada, England, and China. He has been a sessional instructor in ELL methodology and in Intercultural Studies at the University of British Columbia,  Simon Fraser University, and Kwantlen Polytech University. For two decades, Tony was a public school district coordinator responsible for developing and managing one of Canada’s largest K to 12 ELL assessment and instruction programs. Tony has also spent more than a decade in International Education programs and in China/Canada educational partnerships, particularly in Shenzhen, China where he has given keynote presentations and numerous lessons on a range of subjects including EFL assessment and instruction and Canadian teaching practices and beliefs.

Daphne McMillan, BEd, MA (TESOL) UBC

Vice-President

Daphne has extensive expertise and has provided leadership, locally and internationally, in English language assessment and instruction. Her professional responsibilities have included: School District Curriculum Coordinator ESL (ELL), sessional instructor UBC and SFU in ELL methodology, advisor and consultant to international education programs, And Professional Development presenter to teachers and administrators in China. She has broad experience in designing and administering ELL/EFL assessments to a wide age range of students, both in British Columbia and in China.

Ricardo Rosado-Trujeque, BA (Communication) MSM (ANAHUAC)

Director

Ricardo has over twenty years of experience leading technology projects and start-ups. He has extensive experience in the design and development of content and technology solutions. In the area of Education, Ricardo has developed a diversity of solutions for several institutions, including UBC, Carnegie Mellon, The Justice Institute of BC, and Vancouver School Board/Genesis.

Advisory Board

Dr. Lee Gunderson, BA, MA, PhD

Advisory Committee Member

Lee is a Professor and former Head of the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia. He received the David Russell Award for Research, the Killam Teaching Prize, and the Kingston Prize for contributions to the National Reading Conference. He was awarded the British Columbia Deans of Education Media Contributor of the Year Award, the UBC President’s Award for Education through the Media, the BC TEAL Lifetime Contributors Award, and an Honorary Life Membership in the Learning Disabilities Association of Vancouver. Dr Gunderson has been an ongoing advisor with CMGE.

J. A. Bruce Beairsto, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD

Advisory Committee Member

Bruce was Superintendent of Schools in the Richmond School District, which has a large immigrant population with English being the first language in less than half of students’ homes. He is currently an adjunct professor in the Education Faculty at Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University and a consultant in Education who provides training for educators in both Canada and China.

Ida Ollenberger, BEd, Diploma in SpEd, TESL Certificate

Advisory Committee Member

Ida has been an educator in several districts in B.C. at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels. Her experiences include classroom teaching, ELL specialist, and membership on various collaborative resource teams, including the BC Ministry of Education’s 2016 ELL Standards Working Group and the Metro ELL Network. Currently she is a District ELL consultant in New Westminster where her responsibilities and expertise are in ELL assessment and instruction.