OUR STAFF
EESE is proud to have staff that are passionate about making a difference in students’ lives through tireless dedication to education. Get to know each of our team members below.
LOUISE GIESBRECHT
Executive Director
Louise Giesbrecht is a graduate of the University of Manitoba with her BA and CPHR and Intercultural Communication designation. She brings a wealth of experience in the areas of newcomer integration and cultural diversity awareness. Her professional roles in the private and public sectors have included Manager of Diverse Workforce Development, Employment Equity Officer for University of Manitoba, Executive Director of the Alliance of Manitoba Sector Council.
OUR TEACHERS
Passionate Educators
ALLYN FRANC
Teacher
Allyn (she/her) holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Social Anthropology from Dalhousie University and a Master of Arts in Education with a focus on Curriculum Development and Design from Common Wealth Open University. She earned her CTESL (Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language) from the University of Manitoba.
Allyn taught English in South Korea for four years and has been teaching at EESE for over 20 years. She studied Mandarin for four years at the Manitoba Academy of Chinese Studies and continues to deepen her knowledge through Duolingo and Chinese podcasts.
In her free time, Allyn enjoys boxing, puzzles, and gardening. Her exceptional teaching skills and dedication are reflected in the love and respect she receives from her students.
KELLIE MARTIN
Teacher
Kellie has been a teacher at EESE since 2011. She has taught Listening, Speaking, Reading and Pronunciation. As well she has worked as a facilitator in the Returning Reading program. Kellie has over 20 years of experience in the Education field. She has worked in a wide variety of programs and with a wide variety of age groups including children, adults and seniors. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Winnipeg and her CTESL certificate from the University of Manitoba. Kellie is passionate about teaching newcomers and is known for both the warmth and humour she brings to her lessons.
LAURIE NEMEZ
Teacher and Returning Studies Facilitator
Laurie graduated from the University of Manitoba with her B.A. (Psychology and English) and B.Ed. (English and French) degrees. She enjoyed teaching French as a second language to elementary and middle years students in public and independent schools for over 20 years. After teaching English as a Foreign Language on three volunteer trips to Haiti, Laurie was inspired to pursue a future in Adult EAL, completing her TESL Certificate at the University of Winnipeg. She has taught English to adult newcomers at the RETSD (River East Transcona School Division) and Academic English to international students at the University of Manitoba. Laurie is an enthusiastic and caring teacher who is passionate about helping her students develop skills that will enrich their lives and help them realize their academic and professional goals.
HILDA BERGEN
Teacher and Returning Studies Facilitator
Hilda received her Bachelor of Arts (in drama and music) and Education degrees from the University of Winnipeg. After teaching in the private and public schools (Grade 3 – 9) for a number of years, Hilda obtained a TESL certificate from University of Manitoba in order to work with adult newcomers. As a teacher and facilitator, Hilda derives a lot of joy in supporting students in achieving their language goals for workplace or academic purposes.
BLANCHE KINGDON
Teacher
Blanche graduated from the University of Manitoba with her B.A. (Sociology and History) and B.Ed. (History and General Science) degrees. She holds a TESL Certificate of Adult Education at Red River College Polytechnic (RRC Polytech) as well as a TESL Certificate.
Blanche comes to EESE with many years of experience in the ESL Field, with over 20 years of experience developing and teaching a range of ESL culture and communication programs and courses at RRC Polytech. In recent years, her focus was developing and teaching courses for internationally educated health professionals. During her time at RRC Polytech, she also served as an Applied Researcher/Test Developer and undertook the analysis of English Language Proficiency in a multitude of professions, occupations, and college programs. She was also a co-developer of CELBAN.
Blanche is very committed to providing adult learners with a supportive classroom in which they can improve their skills to help equip them for their next plan of study or work.
TRACEY CRITCHLEY
Teacher and Returning Studies Facilitator
Tracey graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Manitoba and has over 20 years experience teaching a wide variety of programs to adults in Canada and abroad. She taught ESL in Germany for 7 years at the beginning of her career, and recently completed her CELTA certification in Barcelona, Spain. Tracey is an enthusiastic teacher who strives to create a fun and engaging classroom environment that promotes language learning and celebrates the unique skills and experiences of her students.
JEFF SINCLAIR
Teacher
Jeff’s teaching philosophy can be summed up as “The Three L-s”. It stands for “Laughing, Listening, Learning”. Simply put, if the class is laughing and enjoying the lesson, they must be listening closely, and therefore learning the material. Humor plays an important part in Jeff’s lessons, which isn’t a surprise as he has been a comedic performer for over two decades. He has appeared at the CBC Comedy Fest multiple times, on CBC’s LOL, as well as other radio and TV programs around the world.
Jeff completed an intensive in-person CELTA course through Cambridge University and Lexis Training Centre, graduating with a "Pass A," a distinction achieved only by the top 5% of CELTA graduates. He also spent ten years teaching English in Seoul, South Korea. Upon his return, he took up a position with EESE and has been with for 6 years. He has a wide range of experience having taught in person and online, including specialty classes on the IELTS, TOEIC, and CELPIP tests.
Developing rapport with his students is essential to Jeff in order to ensure students are comfortable and confident in his class. He believes this to be vital to learning a new language.
HANNAH WIENS
Teacher and Returning Studies Facilitator
Hannah graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from Canadian Mennonite University, completed her Certificate of TESOL at Providence University College, and is working towards completing her Bachelor of Education at the University of Calgary.
Hannah has a diverse range of experience in ESL teaching. She has taught a variety of courses both online and in-person in several settings around Canada. Her favourite course at EESE to teach is Pronunciation Skills! She also thoroughly enjoys working as a facilitator in the Returning Studies program because of her love for reading and writing.
Hannah’s passion for language, history, and culture has developed through her experiences of traveling the world, which she hopes to do more of in the future. She describes her teaching style as student-centered and down-to-earth.
