Sonya Cosman
Vice Chair
Sonya is a strong supporter of community initiatives, believing that helping all individuals to be their best, in ways that matter to them, ultimately contributes to a happier community overall. With a varied professional background including adult training, project management, people leadership, technical planning and contract management, her many experiences bring a well-rounded perspective. Personally, an avid – although sincerely amateur – runner and cyclist, as well as a keen hiker.
Max Neang
Treasurer
Max is a graduate of Brock University and works in public accounting. He enjoys his profession and works with clients from sectors including not-for-profits, manufacturing and retail. He joined TLG in November 2019 because he believes in the importance of education and learning, which his immigrant parents have taught him to value. In his down time he likes to stay active by running and playing basketball.
Andrew Swatridge
Secretary
Andrew Swatridge was inspired to join TLG, when he saw the difficulties that individuals with literacy gaps face when attempting to gain employment. Andrew currently works in Human Resources for NAVBLUE, an Airbus Company. Andrew is a Certified Human Resources Professional and graduated from the University of Waterloo, with an Honours Arts and Business Degree; majoring in Psychology, with a specialization in Human Resources. In his spare time, he enjoys playing squash, piano, and chess.
Divya Sarin
Director
Divya is a Management Consultant who likes to give back to the community by volunteering tutoring hours. Her interest in literacy programs is stems from coming to Canada as an immigrant and seeing literacy programs advance communities around her. She is inspired and would like to make a larger impact for literacy by using her experience and skill set to contribute to the growth of TLG within Waterloo Region.
Prashanth Promod
Director
Prashanth is a visionary leader, a data science professional and a budding philanthropist. He graduated from Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, India and believes in challenging conventional thinking and leveraging analytics to drive decisions. Prashanth has also served as Chairman of Sangarsh, an annual fund-raising concert focused at aiding the needy sections of the society. He believes that literacy is not a privilege to a few but a right for all and is working towards transforming lives into smiles. In his spare time he enjoys cycling and exploring new places.
Zara Dawood
Director
Zara graduated from the University of Waterloo, with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is passionate about social planning and the impact it has on individuals. She utilizes her passion by working in social services as a job developer. Working on removing barriers to employment faced by individuals. Her interest in literacy and education programs is rooted in her background of growing up in Pakistan. Drawing from her experiences, she sees the profound effects literacy has on a society as a whole. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling, boxing and cooking.
Diana Elkin
Director
Diana is a career intelligence and security professional and the founder of Method Intelligence, a threat intelligence and strategic security analysis organisation. Previously, she has occupied a variety of positions throughout her career and has worked with the Department of National Defense, Halton Regional Police Service, and Research in Motion. Diana has always been passionate about promoting literacy and seeks to apply her project management and fundraising experience to help others. She regularly provides resume building services in the community in order to help individuals obtain gainful employment. In her spare time, Diana enjoys arts and writing.
Angie Hesslink
Director
Angie is an experienced Customer Experience Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. Skilled in Business Process, Analytical Skills, Coaching, Contact Centers and Management. Angie is looking forward to supporting TLG with the skills and abilities she has developed in business.Much of her career has been focused on creating and delivering training, in various forms to employees and customers. She has witness the profound effect learning can have on an individual and so partnering with TLG is an exciting and perfect fit.
April Souwand
Director
April has been a volunteer tutor for The Literacy Group for almost two decades. She has recently retired from her career as a professional land use planner, and now dedicates some of her free time to helping out on The Literacy Group board of directors, in addition to being a one-on-one tutor. With her experience and education as a municipal land use planner, some of her key skills include communication and policy development. She is very passionate about the importance of literacy in our society, which she feels has become even more important in the digital age. Some of her other pursuits include golf, dog agility, horseback riding and travel. She is pictured here with her miniature schnauzer “Louie” who she competes with in dog agility trials.
Margot McCurry
Director
Margot has had a lifelong passion for literacy. As an educator and as a volunteer, she has experienced the joys and rewards of assisting students become confident readers and writers. She is a graduate of University of Waterloo, Carleton and Western and continues to be a “life long learner”. She has participated in many boards and volunteer associations including Soroptimists International. As a board member, Margot seeks to support the work of the team at The Literacy Group. She enjoys many outdoor activities, especially those involving water.
