Horizons has drawn together a circle of consultants who have complementary skills, experiences, and interests. Our circle members meet to share information and resources. Circle members work together to augment the collective skills and knowledge we bring to any contract we work on.
Barbara Kaiser is the co-author of Challenging Behavior in Young Children: Understanding, Preventing, and Responding Effectively (3rd Edition, Pearson 2012) and Challenging Behavior Elementary and Middle School: Understanding, Preventing, and Responding Effectively (Pearson 2009). http://www.challengingbehavior.com
She has taught part-time at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and at Concordia University and College Marie-Victorin in Montreal, Canada.
Since moving to Nova Scotia in 1999 Barbara has been presenting workshops and keynote speeches to teachers, administrators, mental health professionals and resource personnel on the topics of Challenging Behaviour, Bullying and Positive Behaviour Support (PBIS) throughout the United States, Canada and in Singapore, Melbourne, and Mauritius.
Barbara worked as consultant with Horizons for the Annapolis Child/Youth Strategy (Bridgetown, 2005), and a regional project Addressing Youth Violence: An Intersectoral, Integrated Approach for Western Nova Scotia (2002), in the development of a comprehensive and holistic intervention designed to address and prevent violence among young people between the ages of 11 and 15. She created an instructional DVD series and related workshops, Facing the Challenge, based on Challenging Behavior in Young Children with the Devereux Early Childhood Initiative (Villanova, PA) She also developed a teacher training video program focused on managing children’s challenging behaviour, Challenging Behaviors: Where do we begin? with Family Communications Inc.(Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood) in the United States.
A Graduate of McGill University’s Masters Program in Educational Administration, Barbara was the founder and director of the first rural day care centre in Quebec, as well as an innovative non-profit community-based centre and after-school program serving 150 children in Montreal. Her programs became well known for their multi-age groupings and unique use of space, which empowered children and helped them learn how to make meaningful choices for themselves.
Barbara has co-authored several other publications including Partners in Quality series: Volume 1: Issues; Volume 2: Relationships; Volume 3: Infrastructure; Volume 4: CommunDities (Canadian Child Care Federation, 1999, 2000). HIV/AIDS and Child Care (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1995; Canadian Child Care Federation, 1995), The Daycare Handbook: A Parents’ Guide to Finding and Keeping Quality Daycare in Canada (Little, Brown & Company, Canada,1991), published in French as Les services de garde pour votre enfant (Editions Libre Expression, 1993). Canadian government departments such as Justice Canada, Health Canada, Human Resources and Development Canada, and the Child Care Initiatives Fund have supported several of these projects.
Bob Kanygin came to Nova Scotia in 1979 after spending 6 years in the NWT and Yukon. He retired in June 2008 after working in administration for 23 years for Capital Health and its predecessors (VG, QEII). He earned a graduate degree in Health Services Administration from Dalhousie and an undergraduate degree in Recreation from Acadia.
He is married to Joyce Halpern and they have a 23-year-old daughter, Erin who is currently living in Toronto. Bob loves to make music: he plays tuba with the Halifax Concert Band, bass guitar with Chebucto Big Band and the SwingShift Band. He has played bass guitar with several rock bands. He also plays guitar and banjo.
Bob has been a volunteer with many organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Help Line, Planned Parenthood, United Way, Capital Health Volunteers, Atlantic Jazz Festival, Atlantic Film Festival, Halifax Comedy Festival and NS Tattoo. He has a small business to develop MS Access databases called Bonnyfate Databases (www.bonnyfate.ca). He is also a part-time instructor with Mad Science.
For the past 6 years, Clare was National Director of Organizational Transformation for United Way of Canada Centraide Canada (National Office). In her role, she was the primary support to local United Ways in the implementation of the Standards of Excellence and the development of learning opportunities for the local leadership. Prior to her work at the National office she was an Executive Director for a Local United Way in the Province of New Brunswick.
Clare has spent 22 years in the nonprofit sector in leadership positions with extensive knowledge in governance structures, human resources, resource development and financial accountability. Her past work in the not for profit field have enabled her to strengthen her skills in turnaround and restructuring strategies in organizations that have been struggling through various capacity, amalgamation or crisis issues. She has worked in senior leadership position in the YMCA movement, Municipal Recreation departments and the University of New Brunswick.
Clare has a Bachelor of Recreation Management Degree from Acadia University so it's no surprise to see her hobbies and interests revolve around outdoor sports and health and fitness.
She lives in Quispamsis, New Brunswick with her family where she has recently April 2011 opened her own consulting business.
Andy has worked for three decades to create thriving local economies and communities. After nine years at the Acadia Centre for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Andy shifted his focus from small business to provide strategy and social enterprise development services to community sector organisations. He has since worked with 100s of community organisations — large and small, rural and urban ‒ throughout North America and abroad. As a volunteer, he currently serves as a member of the Sustainable Economy Commission of Nova Scotia and vice-chair of the Social Enterprise Council of Canada, and recently served as a founding director of the Social Enterprise Network of Nova Scotia and chair of the Centre for Local Prosperity. In early 2018, Andy left his full-time role at the firm he co-founded (Common Good Solutions CIC), to work as an independent consultant in the areas of social enterprise and local economic development. In addition to his role at his own firm, Andy provides consulting and training for the Co-operative Enterprise Council of New Brunswick, the Centre for Local Prosperity, and Common Good Solutions. He is also serves part-time as the Community Leadership Program director for the Canadian CED Network. Andy lives near the beautiful seaside village of Harbourville, Nova Scotia.
Craig is completing his Master’s degree in Applied Social Psychology. He served as the Site Coordinator at Dalhousie University for the Movember Foundation-funded Caring Campus Project, where he coordinated a longitudinal survey of students on their mental health and substance use, focusing on male student experiences. He also developed a knowledge translation strategy for the findings, and secured funding for the student-led intervention that is continuing beyond the formal project. His work is informing a paper for the Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health on using a contribution analysis framework for evaluating a health promotion project for men. Craig is a Board member for the Canadian Evaluation Society, Nova Scotia Chapter.
Elaine is an experienced external evaluator, who has conducted program evaluations in both British Columbia and Nova Scotia. For over 25 years she provided evaluation consultation to both government departments and community-based organizations in BC. Through her consulting practice, Rivers & Associates, she designed and implemented evaluations on a wide range of programs, with a particular interest in those focusing on families, children and women, health issues, immigration and settlement, and employment training. Her work also included the design of evaluation frameworks and monitoring systems, development of program standards, and policy analysis, organizational analysis, feasibility studies, and surveys.
Since returning to Nova Scotia in 2008, she has provided evaluation services for two Health Canada-funded projects; both projects focused on youth and drugs, and were delivered through the Tri-County Women’s Centre.
Prior to starting her evaluation career, Elaine worked in management sciences at AT&T in New York and Bell Canada in Montreal, as a policy and program officer with the Department of Communications and the CRTC in Ottawa and Vancouver, and as a senior investigator with the BC Office of the Ombudsman.
Elaine grew up in Nova Scotia, and received a BA in Sociology from St. FX. She also has an MSc in Communications Research from Boston University, and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Victoria.
She has considered retiring, but can’t quite seem to get the hang of it. She lives in Wolfville, grows beets in the Acadia community farm, reads whatever she likes, and walks as often as she can.
An experienced researcher, evaluator and project manager, Joanne Hussey is the President and owner of Common Knowledge Research and Consulting based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Before starting her own business Joanne worked as a Research Consultant with Hollett and Sons Inc., a consulting firm based in Shoal Harbour, NL, specializing in research, planning and evaluation. Joanne has also worked as a researcher, policy analyst, and research coordinator. From 2005 to 2007 Joanne was the Coordinator of the Healthy Balance Research Program. Funded by the Institute of Gender and Health this interdisciplinary research program on women's unpaid caregiving was a joint project of the Atlantic Center of Excellence for Women's Health, the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women and the University of Ottawa. This position included planning, managing and implementing a broad range of research, evaluation and dissemination activities, using research to develop policy recommendations, and facilitating and building consensus among stakeholder groups including provincial and federal governments, researchers and diverse community members.
From 2004 to 2005 Joanne was a Policy Analyst with the Early Childhood Development Section, Family and Children's Services, Nova Scotia Department of Community Services. The primary focus of this position was developing and coordinating a public consultation regarding the 2005 Federal Provincial Agreement on Early Learning and Child Care.
In 2003 Joanne authored a report for the Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada. The Royal Commission was established to conduct a critical assessment of Newfoundland and Labrador's strengths and weaknesses and bring forward recommendations as to how to renew and strengthen the provinces place in Canada. Joanne was contracted to research and write a report on issues facing women and make policy recommendations with reference to the Royal Commission's mandate. The report is entitled The Changing Role of Women in Newfoundland and Labrador, available at www.gov.nl.ca/royalcomm/research/pdf/hussey.pdf.
In 2002 Joanne was the Project Manager and Researcher responsible for designing and implementing a research project for the Gander Status of Women Council in response to the Federal Government's review of the Divorce Act. This involved working closely with womens organizations to conduct focus groups with women across Newfoundland and Labrador including Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Nain. The final report is entitled In Whose Best Interests? Women, Custody and Access in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Joanne has a Master's degree in Gender Studies and Social Policy from the University of Leeds, UK, and has completed professional development training in evaluation, public participation and process frameworks. She specializes in: analysis of social policy and social programs; program evaluation; gender-based analysis; and qualitative data analysis.
Joanne lives in Halifax, NS, with her partner, their two children and a miniature wiener dog. If she ever had any free time she would spend it doing yoga, writing poetry, baking muffins and knitting ill-fitting sweaters.
Joanne is currently managing a national project for the Human Resources Council for the Voluntary and non-profit sector. This project is focused on raising awareness and developing strategies on labour force issues that are affecting the sector in partnership with sector leaders and provincial governments. Joanne also provides consulting services to nonprofit organizations on a range of issues including work with the Odebrecht Foundation in Brasil.
Prior to this work Joanne Linzey was the Vice-President of Community Impact for United Way of Canada/Centraide Canada, reflecting the organization's commitment to creating lasting, measurable change in community conditions.
A key part of her portfolio in 2005-2007, Joanne was executive lead for Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC). ANC was a collaboration of five national non-governmental organizations working in five so- called distressed Canadian neighbourhoods. This action research project, funded by the federal government, was citizen centred and designed to help improve the quality of life in these neighbourhoods. ANC created an enormous body of knowledge of promising practices on both citizen engagement and neighbourhood renewal.
Prior to assuming a national role, Joanne was Chief Executive Officer of United Way of Halifax Region (UWHR) for 11 years where she fostered an asset-based approach to the organization's community work and led the organization through transformational change. With more than 30 years of diverse experience working with the volunteer sector, Joanne was the founding director of ABC Canada Literacy Foundation.
From 2000-2005 she worked as a consultant on CIDA-funded community development projects in southern Brazil, supporting the development of effective asset-based community collaborations. She has also worked for the federal civil service; serving for ten years in the former Secretary of State department in Whitehorse, Yukon, Ottawa, Ontario and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Her current volunteer activities include Chair, Peter Gzowski Foundation for Literacy, mentoring nonprofit executives and serving on the steering committee of The Coady Institute and the ABCD Institute of Northwestern University, Chicago, developing a forum on "Deepening the Practice of Asset-based and Citizen-led Development".
Joanne, a dedicated gardener and reader, lives with her husband in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.
Kaylee is an experienced educator and curriculum developer who supports children, youth and adults on the autism spectrum (ASD). Her professional journey has included a wide collection of alternative education & teaching experiences, supporting people with intellectual disabilities & their families in the various settings (home, school, & community), participating in research & evaluation contracts, and developing curriculum & training to educate professionals about best practices for the people they support.
Her passion to support people on the autism spectrum began as a youth when her two younger siblings were diagnosed with ASD, and she quickly learned that every person has a different way of thinking with different disAbilities. She received her B.Sc (Psychology & Statistics) from Dalhousie and a B.Ed (Elementary) from MSVU. She has developed both in-person and online curriculum using updated research and evidence-based intervention & strategies. She has helped to develop respite support curriculum for the “Respite Services Training” (SafeGuards Training for Children’s and Adult Services), and autism curriculum for the “Autism Know How Training” (Autism Nova Scotia).
As an educator and support provider, she has supported individuals on the autism spectrum in their home, school, vocational and community settings. Kaylee has completed several evidence-based interventions & certified trainings such as Early Intensive Behaviour Intervention focusing on ABA principles, PECS and other visual supports, STAR Training (DT, PRT & Functional Routines) and has completed the University of North Carolina’s Autism TEACCH program. Additional intervention trainings include DIR Floortime Play and Therapy Training, Interoception & Mindfulness Training, and Healthy Sexuality Facilitators Training.
Kaylee’s professional journey has always incorporated a supporting and teaching role, and she provides a range of services to members of the ASD community and their families. These include: development and implementation of collaborative program plans, utilizing effective assessment tools (T-TAP, FACTER, CAPS), planning & conducting professional development related to ASD, promoting awareness & acceptance culture in the community, supporting & promoting the use of assistive technologies, and assisting with various transitions during the lifetime- school to school, and school to small option home.
John Colton is an Associate Professor at Acadia University's Department of Community Development, Director of the Centre for Rural Sustainability, and is an Associate for The Natural Step - a sustainable development training organization. With degrees from the University of Washington (BA Geography) and University of Alberta (Ma Geography; PhD Recreation and Sustainable Tourism) and professional experience managing and operating wilderness expeditions throughout northern Canada and Alaska, he works to lend both theory and practice through applied community development projects. John's research interests are in Aboriginal Tourism Development, Nature-Based Tourism, Environmental Issues and Sustainable Community Development. John has worked with the following communities: Little Red River Cree First Nation in northern Alberta (1996-1999), Lennox Island First Nation in Prince Edward Island (2001-2005), Taku River Tlingit First Nation in northern British Columbia, and the Wildcat First Nation, a Mi'kmaq community in southwest Nova Scotia. He is the east coast sustainable tourism development evaluator for National Geographic's World Legacy Program. Recent publications include two book chapters: one addressing the links between aboriginal ecotourism development and community development (CABI) and aboriginal tourism in the context of aboriginal sustainable forestry management (Captus Press).
John has been an ecotourism guide for 20 years in western and northern Canada, leading 14-21 day river and sea-kayak expeditions for ecotourists and National Geographic film teams. He has extensive experience in training ecotourism guides and served on ecotourism curriculum development committees for several ecotourism and aboriginal ecotourism programs in Alberta and Ontario.
John's recent projects include a business and strategic plan for the Nova Scotia Festivals and Events Council, marketing and product development plan for the Hector Exhibit Centre in Pictou, Nova Scotia; and an economic impact study on the restoration of wharves in Harbourville, Nova Scotia funded by ACOA. John also directed the development of the addendum to the 10-year aboriginal ecotourism strategy for Lennox Island, PEI.
Nicole has a Masters’ Degree in Public Administration from Dalhousie University, and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Sociology from Saint Mary’s University. As a recipient of the Faculty of Graduate Studies Achievement Scholarship and Tom Merklinger Award, she has educational and practical background in policy and planning, public sector management, particularly evaluation and organizational behavior and culture.
Her 10 years’ experience in the federal government has enabled her to work with communities and stakeholders on in a range of subject areas including strategic planning, event planning, facilitation, program evaluation, policy analysis, integrated planning, risk management, needs/options analysis, and project management. Nicole is an experienced facilitator, presenter and adult educator and has worked with a variety of groups from external community organizations, government and not for profits.
Nicole has worked in government organizations such as internal common services, real property planning, fisheries and health and social areas including health promotion/population health, sexual and reproductive health and promoting mental health. She has a special interest in social, legal and health programs targeting women, children and marginalized groups.
Her passion for human rights and public policy began with her love of children and her deep respect for the many women and children internationally and locally, who are marginalized. Nicole has become an advocate of participatory research, policy development, evaluation and citizen engagement.
Nicole lives in Enfield, Hants County with her family. She enjoys outdoor recreation, theatre, music, baking and gardening.
Rolene is a research and planning professional, with more than 10 year's experience, most of which has been in the Institutional Research for higher education field. Institutional Research supports an evidence-based decision making model, which is becoming increasingly important in both the public and private sectors. Rolene successfully uses data to inform transparent, accountable, and strategic policy decisions.
Rolene has a great deal of experience in small and large group session facilitation, with particular emphasis on the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) method. Rolene is a certified Appreciative Inquiry facilitator and trainer, and has conducted several 4-day AI training sessions with varied trainees. She has then mentored these trainees to become certified AI facilitators themselves. Rolene appreciates the collaborative and iterative nature of AI, and the sheer volume of information (and commitment) that is generated in a short period of time.
Rolene's graduate-level background in Applied Social Psychology, with its emphasis on evaluation and statistics, lends itself well to the work of Horizons Community Development Associates. As a proud Nova Scotian, Rolene is eager to contribute to the meaningful development work being done in the province.
For more information on Rolene, including a CV, please visit (http://www.rolene.ca)
Anne is a energetic and joyful facilitator, educator and patterns researcher with a passion for creative processes and appreciative approaches.
As a facilitator, she helps community organizations, not for profits and entrepreneurs gain clarity, design powerful visions, and define actionable steps to reach their goals by helping them dive deep into meaningful conversations and collaborative processes. She also enjoys incorporating music and other artistic approaches in her facilitation. Anne has facilitated for organizations in Canada and abroad, including Slow Food in Canada, Farmer's Markets of Nova Scotia, and Heartwood Center for Community Youth Development. Her facilitation practice is informed by an MA of Education, her previous work as a teacher trainer, as well as trainings in Design Thinking, Appreciative Inquiry, Dynamic Governance and the Art of Hosting.
Anne has also coached beginner facilitators and teaches Facilitation at Acadia University.
As a researcher, Anne especially enjoys helping organizations find success patterns and synthesizing their implicit knowledge in accessible, visually supported principles. Her research practice is informed by the Pattern Language approach of Christopher Alexander, her work as a Research Fellow at Duisburg-Essen University in Germany, and research positions at Acadia.
Carolyn is a sister, aunt, friend, Raging Granny, social worker, and a Settler Canadian of British descent, living and working within Mi’kma’ki.
Since retiring from a 25-year position with the School of Social Work, Dalhousie University in 2016, Carolyn has expanded her engagement in her local community. As a social justice educator and community activist, she brings experience in teaching, group facilitation, program planning, and project development. She has engaged with a variety of social issues (gender equality, electoral reform, anti-poverty work) but at this time in her life she is particularly passionate about joining with other non-Indigenous people as they explore their roles and responsibilities for truth and reconciliation with Indigenous people.
While at the School of Social Work, Carolyn taught a wide range of practice courses, oversaw curriculum revisions, and filled several administrative roles. In May 2012 she was awarded the Teaching Excellence Award from the Faculty of Health Professions at Dalhousie, and in October 2015 received the Dalhousie Alumni Association Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has multiple publications related to social justice pedagogy and critical reflection and has presented at numerous workshops and conferences. Prior to her work as a professor she practiced in child welfare, mental health, and women’s services with various Valley organizations.
She was an active member of the Canadian Association for Social Work Education sitting on the Board of Directors, serving as President co-chairing the Educational Policy, and serving as Project Lead on a five- year consultative process to revise the Standards of Accreditation for Canadian Schools of Social Work.
Carolyn has Bachelor of Education Degree, a Master’s and PhD in Social Work Education. She lives outside of Wolfville where she swims, boats, reads, gardens, weaves, plays with clay, and welcomes visitors.
Angela is a community development practitioner with a focus on innovative approaches to education and health promotion in diverse contexts. Her past experiences include program development and management in Canada, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Zimbabwe, working with a variety of stakeholders.
Through participatory processes she has developed effective multi-media education campaigns; spearheaded urban sustainability projects; led qualitative research projects; and conducted thorough evaluations. She has worked with organizations and institutions such as the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation; Falls Brook Centre; Friends of the Earth International; Girl Child Network; the YWCA; Nova Scotia Agricultural College; and Dalhousie University.
Her professional experience is rounded out with a Master of Arts in International Development Studies, and training in Adult Education.
