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Contact Us
Contact Information:
Kitchener: 519-743-6090
Cambridge: 519-621-7993
or E-mail: click here
Staff Profiles
Carol Risidore -Executive Director - Carol joined TLG as Executive Director in 2005. Her role involves overseeing the operations and management of the agency as well as implementing the policy decisions of the Board of Directors. Prior to entering the Adult Literacy field, Carol had a business career with Shopper’s Drug Mart and was an Organizational Change consultant. Carol has served on the boards of Project Read, Laubach Literacy Ontario and Hamilton Literacy Council. Carol has spent seven years as a tutor, master tutor, trainer and apprentice supervising training in the literacy field. In her spare time, Carol lawn bowls competitively. She also spends as much time as she can with her Granddaughter.
Joyce Baker - Executive Administrative Assistant (Kitchener) Joyce has over 13 years administrative experience and has been with The Literacy Group for 6 years. She provides ongoing clerical support to the Executive Director. Joyce maintains the Literacy and Basic Skills Information Management system and assists with the collection and entering of monthly statistical reports for the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. She is also responsible for tracking statistics for the Continuous Improvement Performance Management System (CIPMS). Computers are Joyce's passion; whether it’s producing one-page flyers, designing our newsletters or creating brochures. On weekends, Joyce enjoys spending time with her very special Grandson.
Marilyn Buehler - Bookkeeper (Kitchener) Marilyn has over 17 years of financial accounting and bookkeeping experience and has been with The Literacy Group on a part-time basis for almost 4 years. Her role at TLG is to account for the money of the organization and produce financial records for the Executive Director, the Board of Directors and the external auditors. When not at TLG, Marilyn can be found with her daughter and twin boys. Her children keep her and her husband extremely busy taking them to and from school, sporting activities and social events.
Cathy O'Brien - Volunteer Manager (Cambridge) Cathy has been with TLG since August 2004. Cathy works out of the Cambridge office and at present runs two computer training groups and oversees the daily operations of the office including: outreach, fundraising events and volunteer development. Cathy is a certified Laubach Trainer and assists with the training of new volunteers. Cathy started in Literacy back in 1985, directing the first literacy program offered with the YMCA in Toronto. At that time, she was on a number of advisory teams with various community groups to help expand their literacy programs such as Beat The Street with Frontier College and St. Christopher House in downtown Toronto. Cathy has her B.A. in Sociology and Political Science and has accomplished Level 1 of the YWCA Life Skills Training Certification. She has attended a number of workshops on Essential Skills, Learning Styles/Behaviours, and Volunteer Management. When Cathy isn’t busy with work, she tends to her teenage children and her and her husband’s sales business.
Heather Lee - Intake Coordinator (Cambridge) Education and teaching are Heather’s passion and she is extremely pleased to be part of The Literacy Group. Heather is a graduate from the University of Toronto and has both an Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Teaching. As the intake coordinator at the Cambridge office, Heather is often the first contact new learners have with The Literacy Group. Her role is to assess new learners and help them develop a goal and a plan for their learning. Once started in our programs, Heather continues to work with learners who are engaged in one-to-one tutoring, providing continuing support and advice. Heather is also the chair of the Fundraising Committee and organizes events such as the For the Love of Reading Read-a-Thon, the Rodding for Reading Car and Motorcycle Show, and the Gift of Literacy Christmas drive. In her spare time, Heather can be found curled up with a book, listening to music and singing, decorating her house and attending car shows with her husband.
Julie Sigrist - Small Group Facilitator (Cambridge): Julie joined TLG as a Volunteer Adult Literacy Tutor in 2009. Less than a year later, she joined the staff as a part-time Administrative Assistant. It didn’t take long for Julie to realize she found the right place for her. She started working on her Teacher of Adults: Literacy Educator certificate at Conestoga College. In May 2011, Julie became a Small Group Facilitator with TLG. Julie feels that she has found her niche and is able to combine many of her passions including reading, writing, teaching, and using the computer. She is thrilled to be working with an organization that offers people life-changing opportunities.
Tanya Horton - Office Administrative Assistant (Cambridge): Tanya began working at our Cambridge site as an Administrative Assistant in early 2010. In June of 2009 she took a program that would help her gain new skills, so that she could start her career working in an office. The program involved a four-month placement working in a nonprofit organization; the program helped her get the experience she needed. She did her placement at The Volunteer Action Centre of Kitchener and it turned out to be very rewarding. Her placement made her realize that she wanted to get a job working in the nonprofit sector, because she believes volunteering is so important to the community. Tanya is also a certified Laubach Literacy tutor with TLG and tutors a student for 2 hours per week. She wants to help adults improve their quality of life and become more independent. Tanya says she is very pleased to be working with such a great team at TLG. In her spare time she enjoys reading, writing and painting.
Sue Damon - Intake Coordinator (Kitchener) Sue handles learner intake, assessment and orientation and supervises matches with tutors. Sue has a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, certification in elementary education and recently completed the Adult Literacy Educator certificate through Conestoga College. She is married and has three young adult children. In her spare time, Sue is a freelance writer, enjoys reading and piano, and is active in church work. Sue loves her job and her co-workers and can’t think of anything else she’d rather do.
Karen Morgan-Bowyer - Program Manager Karen's role at TLG involves working with our Program Coordinators and Group Facilitators to identify the learning needs of the students we serve and providing program opportunities for them. She is certified as a TOEWS and a CAMERA assessor. Karen has facilitated several Essential Skills pilot projects including Employment Track Express: a computer program TLG offers for laid-off workers, Adding to my Skills: an Essential Skills math program and Spotlight on Change: a program for women over 40 wishing to re-enter the workforce. Karen graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature and Religion and Culture. She has a Teacher of Adults: Literacy Educator certificate from Conestoga College and is currently completing her Master of Education degree (specializing in Adult Education) at Nipissing University. Certified by Laubach, Karen continues to volunteer as a literacy tutor. In her spare time, she can be found listening to her 11 year old daughter’s imaginative stories and chasing after her very energetic 6 year old son.
Kim Jensen - Small Group Facilitator Kim joined TLG in July 2009 as a volunteer Adult Literacy Tutor. In October 2009, she started as a part-time Group Facilitator. Kim is currently enrolled in the Teacher of Adults: Literacy Educator program at Conestoga College. Kim is also a Family Literacy facilitator for the Get Set Learn program. Certified by Laubach, Kim continues to volunteer as a small group tutor at Aldaview-Connections in New Hamburg. Kim spends much of the remainder of her time transporting her two young sons to hockey and lacrosse practices and games. Helping others is a big part of who Kim is and she tells us that working with TLG has allowed her to do just that.
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