About Us

Catherine began her 40-year career in health care, working for the Victorian Order of Nurses in Toronto. This was followed by an innovative program entitled “Baby Basics “which she developed & implemented with a colleague. The program provided education and support for new mothers. Catherine transitioned to the acute care sector where she managed a variety of portfolios, including Social Work, Preadmission, Operating Room Bookings, and the Emergency Department at the University Health Network, a large teaching hospital in downtown Toronto. She found geriatric care particularly rewarding and moved on to Baycrest Centre where she became a Director of Nursing, before relocating to Vancouver. Catherine’s next position was Executive Director at Haro Park in downtown Vancouver. Haro Park provides long term care, assisted living and independent housing all on the same campus. Her next move was to Fraser Health Authority where she worked with the CEO on special projects designed to enhance the care of seniors.

Catherine has published and presented on a variety of healthcare issues. Her teaching includes: “Leadership in Long Term Care” at BCIT, an online course for which she developed the curriculum. She taught “Health in the Community” at the University Health Network for medical students and was on the faculties of Medicine and Nursing at the University of Toronto, Catherine is now semi-retired, enjoying consulting work, volunteering for George Derby Centre and Classrooms Without Walls, where she is the Adult Advisor for Winds of Change. In her spare time, Catherine enjoys her grandchildren, paddling and cycling in that order!

Rose joins CWW from the United States, where she works at a financial institution on international banking and sanctions risk. Her passion for education stems from a decade of working with refugee communities in the U.S. and abroad, starting as an English teacher for adult refugees in 2015. In 2016, she founded the Student Association for the Advancement of Refugees (SAFAR, or the Arabic word for "journey") which continues to provide social services to resettled refugees in her hometown of Winston Salem, North Carolina. Since then, she has volunteered with various organizations providing mentoring and professional coaching to newly arrived Americans in Chicago, Boston, and Washington D.C. Outside of work, Rose enjoys dancing, listening to her husband play piano, and reading books on American history.

Andrew is a 1982 graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College. During his 40-year career Andrew provided veterinary and consulting services to some of Alberta’s largest cattle operations. In 2008 Andrew helped develop some unique veterinary ultrasound products which are distributed worldwide under the ReproScan label. Since that time, Andrew has provided in person and online veterinary ultrasound training on 5 continents. He has been in several business ventures including a farming operation in Saskatchewan and a veterinary diagnostic laboratory in Lethbridge.
Andrew is a member of the Rotary Club of Lethbridge East. He has served as club president and was the lead on a project that provided over 4,000 Chromebooks and supporting hardware to the schools in Dominica. He helped establish the Rotary Ag Scholarship which has awarded 14 agriculture students with $10,000 scholarships.
Andrew is excited to join the CWW board and to contribute to its impact around the world. Andrew is married to Geri and they have 2 daughters.

Andrea is Head of Senior School at Kingsway College School in west Toronto, Ontario. She has been part of KCS since 2002, serving as an educator, senior administrator, and champion of the community effort to make the 2021 launch of the KCS Senior School a reality. Previous positions at KCS include Assistant Head, Academics; Director of Curriculum; and teaching assignments that include French, science, art, and reading. Since beginning her career in 1989, she has taught students from pre-school to high school at both public and independent schools in Japan, Ottawa, and Toronto.
Andrea earned her Honours Bachelor of Science degree at Dalhousie University in 1987, with a major in psychology and minor in French. In 1988 she earned an Advanced Diploma in French Studies at the University of Strasbourg in France. In 1999, Andrea completed a Master of Arts in Educational Administration at the University of Ottawa. Post-secondary studies, language immersions, and time living in France and Japan cultivated a deep appreciation for global cultures, perspectives, and possibility. With this foundation, Andrea has dedicated her career to pushing boundaries in education so students are best able to thrive at school and beyond.
Andrea is proud to support the mission of Classrooms Without Walls. A related interest is her advisory role supporting Strength in STEM, an online education not-for-profit launched by two remarkable teen Afghan girls living as refugees, students of CWW, and determined to "teach and transform a generation." When time allows, Andrea enjoys gardening for the fresh air, the quiet, the view when good, and the ability to change it up when not.

In 2010, following a 25-year mining career, in Engineering, Operation and Human Resources, Martin Parnell started his "Quests for Kids" initiative. Over the next five years he completed 10 "Quests." These included running 250 marathons in one year, setting five Guinness World Records in endurance events and summiting Mount Kilimanjaro in 21 hours. At the end of 2014, he had raised over $1.3m for the humanitarian organization Right To Play and 27,000 children had been given the gift of hope. Martin has published three books: “MARATHON QUEST”, “RUNNING TO THE EDGE” and “THE SECRET MARATHON-Empowering women and girls in Afghanistan through sport.” He is also Executive Producer of “THE SECRET MARATHON” documentary. Through books, films, TEDx speaker, articles, keynotes and workshops, Martin shares his message of having a “Finish the Race Attitude – Set goals, overcome obstacles and achieve outstanding results.” Martin has been a volunteer with CWW since July 2023 and joined the Board in July 2024. Martin is a member of the Rotary Club of Cochrane, married to Sue, and has three children and three grandchildren.Throughout her career, Lina has taught at various schools in Ukraine, including roles as a vice principal for five years. In 2015, she relocated to Dnipro, where she taught part-time and later worked with IT professionals at WizardsDev IT Company. In 2022, Lina moved to Calgary, Canada, where she volunteered at the CBE Welcome Centre before joining Access Academy Private School as a teacher assistant and CBFY as an English instructor.
Currently, Lina works as a settlement worker in schools with the Calgary Bridge Foundation For Youth in Calgary, helping immigrant students adjust to their new environment. Outside of work, she is a devoted wife and mother of two sons, and in her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, playing the piano, reading, and watching old movies, balancing her career with a fulfilling family life.

Jennifer Briscoe was called to the Ontario Bar in 1985 and the Quebec Civil Bar in 1988. She begam her practice as a Prosecutor for the Department of Justice in Ottawa then transferred to Montreal and thereafter to Toronto in 1996. As well, she was a member of the Flying Team in Canada’s North throughout her career. Jennifer gained substantial experience in International Assistance, more particularly Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance which included representing the Department of Justice in Germany, Italy and the United States of America. The International assistance involved consulting and cooperation with various police agencies including Interpol, F.B.I., and Scotland Yard in relation to criminal prosecutions in Hong Kong, France, Australia, Holland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Bahamas, England, U.S.A, the former Czechoslovakia and Japan. Throughout that time, Jennifer was actively involved in trial work including complex mega prosecutions and worked as in house counsel for the Toronto Police Service. She currently serves as an agent for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. She has served as board member for Safehaven, the Canadian Bar Association and the Junior Associates of the Montreal Museum.