Dyslexia Canada announces the appointment of Alicia Smith as the organization's new Executive Director
TORONTO, July 15, 2022 /CNW/ - After an extensive national search, the Board of Directors has selected Alicia to take on this important role and lead Dyslexia Canada as it continues to champion its mandate to ensure that every child in Canada with dyslexia has access to fair and equitable education.
Alicia is a collaborative, strategic and passionate advocate for dyslexia, most recently serving as the International Dyslexia Association – Ontario Branch's President. In this role, Alicia led IDA Ontario in a great period of growth. With the support of our board members and volunteers, Alicia helped to create the Literacy Alliance, worked closely with the Ministry of Education, provided guidance to the Ontario Human Rights Commission's Right to Read Inquiry, released 'Lifting the Curtain on EQAO Scores', and organized a multitude of webinars and workshops, including the Literacy Leaders Series, among many others.
"On behalf of Dyslexia Canada's Board of Directors, I would like to welcome Alicia to our organization. We have every confidence that she will make a tremendous contribution as Executive Director" says Keith Gray, Founder and Chair of Dyslexia Canada. "Momentum has started to build across Canada as we are seeing provinces make changes to curriculum, implement early screening and initiate human rights inquiries. We are excited to have Alicia on board as we continue to push for change in every province and territory."
"We wish to congratulate Alicia Smith on her new role as Executive Director of Dyslexia Canada" says incoming IDA Ontario Vice President, Joanne Bertrand. "Ms. Smith will be missed, but we look forward to continuing our collaboration with her in her new role with Dyslexia Canada. Together, our mission to effect the change necessary, so that all persons learn to read will move ahead."
Alicia will assume her new role on July 25, 2022.
The Dyslexia Canada Board also wishes to recognize our outgoing Executive Director, Christine Staley for her leadership and commitment to Dyslexia Canada. As its first Executive Director, Christine assisted the organization in gaining registered charity status, built an amazing team of dedicated staff and volunteers, created the first Canadian awareness campaign, Mark it Read for Dyslexia and developed a peer to peer mentoring platform for caregivers. We thank Christine for her contributions and look forward to continue to working with her in various capacities as we continue to champion the needs of Canadian children with dyslexia.
Keith Gray
Founder and Chair, Dyslexia Canada
ABOUT DYSLEXIA CANADA
Dyslexia Canada is a national charity committed to ensuring that every child in Canada with dyslexia gets a fair and equitable education.
Dyslexia Canada was formed in 2016 to ensure that there was a national voice and forum to advocate for all Canadian children with dyslexia. By partnering with professional organizations, experts and advocates, Dyslexia Canada strives to drive systemic change by engaging and educating the public and establishing legislation specific to recognizing and remediating dyslexia.
SOURCE Dyslexia Canada
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