Program Co-Directors

 

Charlene VanLeeuwen, Program Co-Director

Charlene’s introduction to Shad goes way back to when she attended Open Day at Shad Waterloo in the 1990’s. When Shad first came to UPEI she got involved running some sessions and was hooked!  The next year she returned as Program Co-Director. Her three children attended Shad at Laval, Carleton and Western and later went on to work as Shad team members, so there’s a strong family connection to Shad.

Charlene completed her Bachelor of Applied Science at the University of Guelph in a co-op program, which ignited her interest about learning in community settings. This led to degrees in education from the University of Ottawa and the University of Prince Edward Island. She completed her Ph.D. in Educational Studies at UPEI, conducting research into community-based learning in Kenya. Charlene has been an instructor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences at UPEI for over 15 years. In addition, she recently wrapped up a contract as a post-doctoral researcher at Royal Roads University as part of a team examining digital teaching and learning in post-secondary education. As Coordinator of the Teaching and Learning Centre at UPEI, teaching and learning is intertwined in much of what Charlene does, it’s one of her passions.

Outside of work, Charlene is an avid reader of mystery novels and a knitter.  She’s also an active volunteer in the community dedicating MANY hours to the local soccer club and spending LOTS of time on the pool deck as an official for swim meets. She currently sits on the board of a local organization that works with farming communities in Kenya, where the majority of farmers are women. She shares a love of gardening with her husband, where they happily share their mini greenhouse (built from repurposed windows) and divide up the gardens where Charlene gets the flowers and he has the veggies.

Last year Charlene was PD for Shad Vega and had a fantastic time with ShadOnline 2020. She is REALLY excited to be returning to Shad UPEI as Program Co-Director for 2021.

Maria Kilfoil, Program Co-Director

Maria’s experience with Shad also goes way back to when she was a student, and had a family connection to Shad UNB in the 1990’s. Maria completed her Bachelor of Science in Physics at the University of New Brunswick, which ignited her interest in research and led to graduate degrees in Physics and included carrying on her doctoral research at Massey University in New Zealand. She completed her Ph.D. in Physics at Memorial University of Newfoundland, conducting research into the surprising mechanics of our biological cells. She also did a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University, in Engineering and Applied Sciences. Maria has been an instructor in the Department of Physics at UPEI since September 2020. In the past she has been a professor of Physics at University of Massachusetts at Amherst and at McGill University, where she has taught a range of courses in physics, and built her research lab, where she mentored students in designing and building physics experimental apparatus to study research questions. In addition, in 2018 she wrapped up a contract as a Senior Physicist in a startup in Halifax where she created a prototype for a biomedical device to hit the market this year. 

In the past three years Maria has expanded her interest in learning in community settings in her most recent role prior to this, and recently wrapped up a contract creating and managing a makerspace, a role that connected her expertise with entrepreneurship. In this role she has also delivered outreach programs to school-age kids, and workshops in which the technology and art are embedded with one another to increase engagement and accessibility. 

Outside of work, Maria is an avid cyclist and hobbyist builder of things combining computer coding and textiles.  Maria grew up on a potato farm in New Brunswick and that’s where her love of building things and implementing designs was seeded, and she enjoys getting the chance to return to those passions. She currently sits on the board of a farmer’s market in Western NL. She also very much enjoys cross-country skiing and in general outdoor activities. 

Maria is super excited to be integrating into the Shad community as Program Co-Director at Shad UPEI  for 2021!