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Alejandra Zamora is a well-established Mexican-heritage newcomer to Kingston. Alejandra holds a B.A. in Social Anthropology from the Autonomous University. She has been working with youth for over ten years, as a teacher, social service worker, and community leader. She recently received the Ban Righ Foundation's Inspiring Women Leadership Award, for her tireless efforts to empower and elevate vulnerable people in Kingston, especially racialized women, and youth. She currently works at KEYS Job Centre as Refugee Child and Youth Integration Advisor, where she supports newcomer families navigate the educational system, so that their children can thrive in school, in spite of the multiple barriers that they face. Ale is a powerful anti-racist and anti-oppression facilitator, and has delivered highly successful workshops to youth, community members and leaders in Kingston, always advocating for positive changes to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable. |
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Alison McDonnell, Superintendent of Education (BIO PENDING) |
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Andrea Barrow is Limestone’s Equity and Inclusion Consultant for grades 7 to 12. Andrea provides instructional and coaching support in classrooms in response to issues related to human rights, equity, and inclusion. She collaborates with elementary and secondary staff and schools to support capacity building through professional learning, coordinating, and facilitating student and/or staff events. Her role is to build educator awareness and promotion of positive learning environments that support equity and inclusion and that are culturally responsive and relevant for students. |
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Carlos Merchant is a Limestone parent, DJ, and entrepreneur from Newburgh, ON. He is excited to achieve a safe, equitable and diverse environment for the community. |
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Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant is a Professor in the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University, as well as Director of the Canadian Opinion Research Archive. Her research focuses on gender, elections, and political representation, as well as the measurement of social identities in survey research. She is the author of Gendered News: Media Coverage and Electoral Politics in Canada (UBC Press), which won the 2016 Pierre Savard award from International Council for Canadian Studies. Her most recent volume is Women, Power and Political Representation: Canadian and Comparative Perspectives (University of Toronto Press). Elizabeth has served on the boards of several women-serving organizations in Kingston. |
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Ellen Heinke Ellen is a Child and Youth Worker with Immigrant Services Kingston and Area (ISKA). Ellen is currently on hiatus. |
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Ellyn Clost-Lambert (Co-Chair) is a Research Analyst with Limestone. She is passionate about using data to move people to action and affect social change. Her research and evaluation experience includes visual histories, reconciliation and decolonization, human rights, and equity (with a focus on systemic racism, gender and youth), mental health and wellness, and Canadian and global political and social economy. Prior to coming to Limestone in 2020, Ellyn worked with Pathways to Education as a researcher and facilitator for 10 years. She is a parent of a Limestone student, who took this photo. |
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Elected in 2018, Garrett Elliott is a School Board Trustee representing Portsmouth, Trillium, and Meadowbrook-Strathcona districts. is wife is an elementary teacher in the board, and their two children attend elementary and secondary schools within the board as well. As a Trustee, Garrett is a member of the Audit Committee, Awards Committee, and the Technical Advisory Group (observer). |
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Jane Hotner is currently an occasional teacher with LDSB, with a BA in Behavioural Psychology. Her undergraduate thesis focused on the preservation of racial, ethnic, and cultural identity after adoption finalization. Jane is a parent of one elementary school student and one secondary student within the Limestone board. |
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Jessica Abraham is an elementary educator in the
Limestone District School Board. She has worked in education internationally
and has more than ten years of experience teaching in Ontario. She has her
specialist qualifications in Special Education and in Teacher Leadership. Jess
is a member of the Black, Indigenous, and Racialized staff affinity
network led by the Board's Equity Team. |
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Laura Gillam (Co-Chair) is a parent of a Limestone student and has been a LDSB Research Analyst for over ten years. She has a diverse work background in mental health and addiction research, community acquired brain injury services, and building capacity in data-informed decision-making. She is currently engaged in graduate studies focusing on Indigenous Education and Program Evaluation. As a collaborator in the community with a learner's stance and strong equity lens, she is dedicated to empowering all learners, young and old, to thrive as individuals. |
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Dr. Lee Airton is an Assistant Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies in Education at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. In 2021, Dr. Airton and their research team launched www.gegi.ca, the first bilingual self-advocacy resource for K-12 students who are experiencing gender expression and gender identity discrimination at school. Dr. Airton's first book, Gender – Your Guide: A Gender-Friendly Primer on What to Know, What to Say and What to Do in the New Gender Culture offers practical steps for welcoming gender diversity in everyday life, and has been adopted as a key professional development text in teacher education programs, school districts, public sector and private sector organizations. With Dr. Susan Woolley, they recently edited Teaching About Gender Diversity: Teacher-Tested Lesson Plans for K-12 Classrooms (Canadian Scholars Press), the first such anthology to be published. Dr. Airton's research program on gender diversity, human rights, policy, law, teaching, and learning has received 10 merit-based research grants since 2018 alone. Their research explores how the Ontario K-12 education system is responding to the inclusion of gender identity and gender expression protections in human rights legislation, and how to make the collection of gender-based data in large studies more reflective of how gender is read and negotiated. Dr. Airton also leads an action research project in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University, collaborating with staff to remove barriers for transgender and/or gender non-conforming teacher candidates. If you are a teacher in Limestone and feel as though you and your school would be good hosts for a transgender and/or gender non-conforming teacher candidate on practicum, please get in touch! www.leeairton.com. Lee is currently on hiatus. |
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Melissa Baker-Cox (BIO PENDING) Pathways and Equity Consultant
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Scot Gillam is the current Superintendent of Learning for All and Indigenous Education for LDSB. He formerly served as Associate Superintendent of Safe and Caring Schools and has been an educator with Limestone for the past 26 years.
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Dr. Setareh Ghahari is an Associate Professor at the School of Rehabilitation Therapy. She is an occupational therapist, and her research goal is to improve access to services for marginalized populations. Using a community-based research approach, she focuses on addressing immigrants' and refugees' health and education needs. |
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Yusuf Abdulkareem is Limestone’s first Human Rights Officer. He joined the board in November 2022. |