16jan9:00 am9:30 amA NEW PACE CANADA PARTNERSHIP TO BRIDGE DIGITAL DIVIDE
On February 7th, PACE Canada in partnership with Marjorie Straw and the Barita Foundation, made an announcement of an exciting new campaign.
On February 7th, PACE Canada in partnership with Marjorie Straw and the Barita Foundation, made an announcement of an exciting new campaign.
Marjorie Straw and the Barita Foundation launched an initiative to support and bolster PACE Canada’s GoFundMe project, which seeks to acquire funding for an additional 1,000 OneTab devices for early childhood schools in Jamaica.
Unlocking the gateway to early childhood education, the OneTab device, endorsed by the Early Childhood Commission and the Ministry of Education, delivers an immersive learning experience designed exclusively for children between three and six years.
Foundation director Sancia Thompson, shared at Wednesday’s launch that the organisation is passionate about the growth of Early Childhood Education.
“We recognise that the formative years of a child’s life are crucial, laying the foundation for a lifetime of learning. It’s important that we set the foundation here,” said Thompson.
“As we embark on this noble journey, we invite fellow corporate citizens and private donors to join hands with us in supporting this cause. By contributing funds…it does bridge the digital divide that currently exists. There is no need for us to think about geographical locations or constraints, allowing every child to have access to quality education,” she added.
During her remarks, President of PACE Canada, Diana Burke, urged individuals to donate to the initiative, stressing that students need to have access to develop their digital skills and become a part of the technological age.
“Since our founding, PACE has always partnered with the Ministry of Education in Jamaica and the ECC. This collaborative effort is a testament to our commitment to not only just provide resources, money, books, computers, but to promote compliance with their 12 standards for early childhood excellence,” said Burke.
“There are over 2,000 early childhood education institutions in Jamaica and we have only so far impacted 200, so there is much more to do,” she later added.
The initiative was endorsed by the State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Marsha Smith, who noted that the donation of the tablets will create endless possibilities for Jamaican youths.
“What they can do with that technology at three to four or five years old is amazing and creates a necessary building block for the different skills that they need to add as they go up into the different stages in education,” said Smith.
She acknowledged that the early childhood sector is plagued with issues concerning funding and commended the Barita Foundation and PACE Canada for their efforts to develop Jamaica’s human capital.
“This is an opportunity to move from thought, from inaction to action in a real and positive way,” she added, urging individuals to donate.
January 16, 2024 9:00 am - 9:30 am(GMT-05:00)
President and Co-Chair, Adopt-A-School
Diana Burke is a respected Information Technology leader with more than 40 years of technology and business experience in the global financial industry, at various leadership and senior executive levels. Diana has strong technical knowledge of legacy and leading edge technologies with the ability to lead the architecture design and development for major financial systems such as Internet banking, point-of-sale, card services, banking machines and international wire transfers. She has a proven track record to effectively build and lead a team of highly skilled operational and technical professionals that was demonstrated through several corporate team annual and individual recognition awards.
During her career Diana was a senior information security executive with deep experience in the development of global strategies, organization, policies, standards, tools and techniques to effectively and securely support the businesses of a global leading financial institution. As a global Chief Information Security Officer she served on security advisory boards nationally, internationally and for Microsoft’s first Global Security Council.
Diana has been involved in community programs, leading diversity initiatives and as a Director or Chair of Boards for charitable organizations. This included the Past President of the People Bridge Charitable Foundation; President of the International Women’s Forum Toronto Chapter; Director at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; and various board positions at PACE Canada. She is a former member of the Ryerson University RBC Institute for Disability Studies and Research Advisory Board.
Diana has also attempted to enter politics twice as a nomination candidate for a Canadian federal party.
She has a BA in History from Queen’s University and is a 2018 Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow.
Executive VP and Co-Chair, Adopt-A-School
Leeann was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago. She acquired her degree in Information Systems Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. She served as an IT manager for Pegasus Services, and worked closely with Digicel, in implementing their nationwide smart home monitoring system.
Leeann slowly began to reconnect with her passion for the arts. This passion led her to join the board of the Inventions and Creativity Through Art Retreat Centre (ICTA) in Trinidad. Working closely with the UN-endorsed ICTA retreat center, she created an art program for children aimed at practicing sustainable development goals in their activities. As a facilitator at this center, Leeann combined her passion for the arts to creatively find inclusive education methods that equiped students with confidence and raised their self-esteem.
Her work with ICTA inspired Leeann to start her own art business, offering digital art, paintings, sip and paint events, and children’s mindfulness through art sessions. Leeann even received a scholarship from the UN’s University for Peace for certification in the course, Educating in Changing Times, where she was able to work hand in hand with individuals across the globe in creating her very own mindfulness through art program for children. This growing passion for early childhood development led her to Canada to pursue a diploma in Early Childhood Education at George Brown College. The College’s international placement options, particularly in Jamaica—a culture closely connected to her own—drew her to the program.
Leeann’s journey into early childhood education took a significant turn when she was accepted to the Jamaica 2024 project, where she completed her final educator placement in Jamaica. This experience was transformative, reinforcing her belief in the foundational impact of play-based learning on children’s development. In June 2024, Leeann graduated with honors from George Brown College with a diploma in Early Childhood Education and became a registered early childhood educator in Canada. Her introduction to P.A.C.E. Canada began during her Jamaica placement, quickly piquing her interest as the organization aligned with her personal mission of advancing the early childhood education sector in the West Indies.
Her commitment to early childhood education also saw her volunteering in 2023 in Tanzania, Africa, where she worked at Golden Star Daycare. This experience forged lasting relationships and highlighted the global need for strong early childhood foundations. Leeann continues to support Golden Star Daycare, contributing to its sustainability and future growth.
Now a dedicated board member of P.A.C.E. Canada, Leeann aims to contribute to the early childhood education sector in the West Indies by sharing knowledge and advocating for practices that support children’s holistic development. Leeann believes there is a wealth of resources and insights that needs to be shared to create environments where children can thrive. As she looks forward to contributing to organizations like P.A.C.E., she is excited to bring her insights and experiences to support early childhood education in Jamaica and beyond.
Secretary
Marguerite South is an Onboarding and Payroll specialist for Canada with Aquent LLC, a global leader in talent and recruiting for marketing, creative, and design.
In her role, Ms. South leads new hires through a talent onboarding experience; employment paperwork, employment screenings, fulfillment of client requirements and provides the talent with a comprehensive in-person orientation. In addition, she plays a significant role in solving business problems and accomplishing a wide range of projects and services for internal and external clients.
Marguerite has over 15 years of People and Operation management experience and has held several leadership roles throughout her career with the RBC Financial Group, Symcor Inc and the Cornerstone Group of Companies
She is passionate about helping others, building relationships and partnerships. A believer in giving back to the community, Marguerite has volunteered with PACE Canada and other Community organizations. She has taught adults basic reading and counting skills at East End Literacy, a community-based literacy organization in Toronto and volunteered as art instructor at the Art Heart Community Centre in the Regent Park community. She has helped to deliver gifts with The Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund and participated in several PACE Canada Community events.
Marguerite is happiest when creative. She produced and installed a Painting and interactive Art Installation for the Alzheimer’s’ Walk for the Cure. She designed and painted the exterior of the PACE Tech di Bus. Her latest creative adventure is designing and dressing the Leaside Community Moose.
Ms. South attended Immaculate Conception High school in Jamaica. She furthered her studies and graduated from Ontario College of Art and Design in 1991, where she specialized in Fine Arts and photography; and completed her 3rd Year as Independent Studies in Florence, Italy.
Treasurer
Helen Emanuel has been a member and Adopt-A-School Sponsor of PACE Canada since 2011. She has supported schools in Manchester and St. Elizabeth and is regular participant at PACE events over the years.
Helen retired from Scotiabank after a career spanning 40 years. During this period, she held a variety of positions with increasing responsibilities. These included leading Strategic Projects, implementing new initiatives and managing accounting and administrative teams. Helen worked effectively and collaboratively with various business lines, staff, customers and partners across Canada, always meeting deadlines and respecting budgets. Over the years, she developed strong communication skills which were paramount to the success of managing large teams and implementing change.
She volunteered with various organizations throughout her career including fundraising for multiple United Way initiatives, participating in Junior Achievement and representing Scotiabank for 3 years with YWCA Women of Distinction fundraisers. Since retirement she has volunteered at a Seniors Home and as the Treasurer of her Church.
Helen is a live theatre buff and is looking forward to enjoying stage shows again.
She holds a BA from McMaster University and an MBA from Dalhousie University.
Director
Gail Hunter is Professor, Coordinator in the Bachelor of Early Childhood Leadership program at George Brown College. Gail’s early career experience included Early Childhood Educator, Child Care Supervisor, and Toronto District School Board Child Care Advisor. In her role as Child Care Advisor she worked with school communities, child care supervisors, non-profit boards, and licensing inspectors. In this capacity she facilitated child care start-ups and provided ongoing workshops and supports to child care centres.
In 1991 Gail joined the George Brown team as a Professor/Coordinator of ECE.
During this time she was instrumental in bringing to fruition two new programs: Winter Intake ECE Diploma and the Early Childhood Leadership Honours Degree.
On top of her teaching Gail played a pivotal role in establishing the George Brown and P.A.C.E. relationship. This relationship blossomed into the current joint Jamaica – George Brown affiliation. 17 years later she continues to be involved in the project through fundraising, supporting students and doing presentations.
Gail was an active Board member of Jesse’s Centre for Teen Parents for five years, in her last two years she held the position of President. During her time on the board Gail focused on issues ranging from diversity, poverty, housing, education, and fundraising.
Gail works closely with Red River College and U of T’s Atkinson Centre, by facilitating Science of Early Childhood Development Resource (SECD) workshops. She develops workshops for diverse audiences including colleges, universities, ministries of education, and early childhood focused agencies internationally and locally.
Gail’s educational background includes a B.A. in Social and Political Thought, a Diploma of Early Childhood Education, a Certificate in Psychology of Human Relations and a Certificate in Teaching and Training Adults.
Director
Mark Fullerton retired from the Information Technology (IT) industry in March 2014, where his last job was an Internet Consultant. In this role he worked on proposals for a broad range of clients and assisted them with the implementation of new software. Some of these projects included the implementation of social media tools within the organization in order to improve collaboration across organizational boundaries. He also did a lot of technical writing.
Wanting to put these skills to good use after he retired, there was a good fit with the Communications Committee at P.A.C.E. He had intended to start off as a committee member, but once the role of VP Communications opened up, it did not take much effort for Sandra and Diana to convince him to join the Board.
Mark’s other recent volunteer work was at the Thornhill Seniors Club where he led the Technology Corner and the Camera Club. In this capacity he assisted members with computer related problems, and in turn have asked them to donate to P.A.C.E. and the Wolmer’s Auditorium Fund. Both Mark and his father, Kenn, were graduates of Wolmer’s Boys’ School in Kingston, Jamaica.
Director
Colette Kane is the Manager of two of George Brown College’s School of Education lab schools. The Queen Street Child Care Centre is located in the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Parkdale Child Care Centre is housed inside Parkdale Junior and Senior Public School. Prior to becoming a Manager at the college, Colette was part of the Early Childhood Education team at George Brown since 1989 as a Toddler and Preschool teacher.
For a number of years, Colette has taught in the Continuing Education Program at the College and continues to be faculty coordinator for students completing placements. Currently she is involved in an International Project, which takes 2nd year E.C.E. students to Jamaica for a month to work in a Basic or Infant School and completes their fourth placement. Colette obtained her diploma in Early Childhood Education from George Brown College and is currently completing her 4th year in the Early Childhood Leadership Degree program at George Brown College in partnership with Ryerson University.
Communications (Executive Committee)
Shannon Green was born and raised in Canada and has always felt a special connection to her heritage; being born to Jamaican immigrants. The disciplined, island upbringing has led Shannon on her pathway to becoming a successful businesswoman, mother, wife and 2021 title holder of Mrs. Universe Jamaica.
Shannon is the founder and CEO of Green Lending Corporation a boutique mortgage brokerage and administration company. She also leads her Lady Entrepreneur initiative with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Women Empowerment to help women reach their maximum potential, especially with their financial and independent goals.
Her energetic business drive has propelled her to start Caribbean Pageants which will highlight and empower women throughout the Caribbean to share their voice, as she believes everyone has a story to share.
Shannon has always been passionate about education, self-development and has always sought out a way to enhance her business initiatives. Her educational background stems from a licensed paralegal, an immigration consultant certificate, licensed mortgage broker and most recent endeavour is accounting certification.
In her spare time she likes to spend time with her family, read, travel and fence.
Shannon will be helping PACE to move forward on new fundraising initiatives.
Membership (Executive Committee)
Maxine Bailey is the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director of the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre and the Volunteer Coordinator for the organization from April 2009 to present. The Miles Nadal JCC is an institution that is over 85 years old and is dedicated to serving the community, cultural, educational and recreational needs of downtown Toronto.
Maxine is also the Annex Family Festival (AFF) Coordinator. An annual street event presented by the Miles Nadal JCC and the Bloor Annex BIA. Boasting over 20,000 attendees and 120 vendors, it is one of the city’s top street festivals with amusements for all ages; featuring music performances, a children’s village, craft and food vendors, and activities for the whole family.
Ms. Bailey has over 10 years of progressive administrative experience gained with TVOntario, an Educational Broadcaster that provide unique, relevant, high quality programs and services, plus more than 15 years with one of Canada’s premier arts and cultural organizations – Harbourfront Centre.
In the area of voluntarism, Maxine is one of four founders of We Are O.N.E. (Opportunities Nurturing Education). They started fundraising in 2010 and raised over $35,000 to date to provide toilets, water tanks, a computer lab, and in February 2017 a school bus for a girl’s school in Tamale, Ghana. She served on the board of the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) and co-chaired the annual gala presentation of the Harry Jerome Awards (1989-2000).
In addition, she is a member of the Jamaican Canadian Centre; volunteered for the Jamaica 50th Celebration – Jamaica Land We Love Gala; The University of the West Indies Benefit Gala 2017, and other non-profit organizations.
Ms. Bailey attended St. Mary High School in Jamaica, 1973 and furthered her Diploma studies in Administration at Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology, 1979. Other training includes Professional Development in: Business Communications, Time Management and Effective Supervision.
