Board of Directors

Koosha Golmohammadi has over 12 years’ experience in operational advanced analytics and driving business value. Koosha holds a PhD in computer science from the University of Alberta as well as an M.Sc. and a B.Sc. in software engineering. Throughout his career, Koosha has worked in different capacities as an analytics leader, consultant and data scientist leading several teams and project portfolios and leveraging data analytics. His experience and expertise ultimately led to his current role as director of advanced analytics at Manulife John Hancock.

As a lifelong learner, Koosha is passionate about supporting teachers and learners. He has contributed to initiatives with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), including the teacher in-service program, teaching engineering concepts to elementary students. In addition, he served as chair of computers and communication of IEEE Northern Canada Section from 2012 to 2017 and co-founded the Data Social Club, a non-profit to promote data science, in 2017.

Andrew Vaughan is an experienced criminal lawyer practicing in the GTA and a long-term member on Legal Aid Ontario’s Extremely Serious Criminal Matters Panel. Andrew holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Calgary and received his law degree at Queen’s University.
Throughout his career, Andrew has mentored students and early-career lawyers to navigate workplace culture and demands while working as a firm manager himself. Throughout Andrew’s career, he has contributed to many charitable organizations. This includes serving as a member of the board of directors at Humewood House, a not-for-profit organization providing housing and support to youthful single mothers and vulnerable young pregnant women.

As a board member, Andrew intends to lend his well-rounded legal expertise, advocacy skills and passion for adult education to support AlphaPlus in achieving its mission.

Tannis has been involved in adult literacy since the early 1980s, when she first volunteered as a tutor in a library-based program. She was actively involved in initiatives to develop relevant reading materials through publishing learners’ writing and with advocacy efforts that encouraged the provincial government to offer support to programs teaching basic education to adults. With a background in editing, she was inspired by plain language initiatives in other countries and, keen to make information accessible to the broadest possible audience, worked for several decades as a plain language editor and trainer.
Early in her career, while working as a program co-ordinator at a community-based program in Toronto, Tannis first learned about action research. She was involved in a groundbreaking national project sponsored by the Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women, Listen to women in literacy. She was also on the national steering committee for Developing a Framework for Research in Practice in Adult Literacy in Canada and was the founding editor of the national journal Literacies: Researching Practice, Practising Research (2002 to 2009).
Tannis holds a doctorate in adult education and community development from the University of Toronto.

Farra is an assistant professor at the University of Winnipeg, where she teaches literacy and language arts education for the faculty of education preservice program. She has over 15 years of experience teaching language, literacy and communications across the public school, community college and university sectors. She has designed and delivered teacher education courses on cybersecurity and protecting against cyberbullying.
As a researcher, Farra has completed a dissertation on how educators from Ontario’s Literacy and Basic Skills program conceptualize adult literacy learning, as well as research on second language assessment and language education policy. Currently, Farra is investigating how approaches to differentiation in literacy education can support inclusion and learner autonomy.
Farra is concerned with how digital literacy can be reimagined and transformed to support greater social participation.

Susan has been active in adult education since 1986 across a variety of roles and has developed a broad and deep understanding of the field. She has worked as a literacy and basic skills (LBS) assessor, instructor and LBS manager for the Toronto District School Board, and as an assessor and LBS instructor for the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
As a past Vice President on the board of directors, Susan helped the Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy dramatically improve its visibility and the services it provides to the adult education sector.
Susan has developed numerous LBS resources. These include learning resources for Community Legal Education Ontario and a comprehensive Zoom manual for adult educators that’s now being used across Toronto as well as other regions across the province. She has also trained more than 200 LBS, language instruction for newcomers to Canada (LINC) and English as a second language (ESL) instructors on how to use Zoom in the classroom.

Tariq is an accomplished executive in the public and non-profit sectors, with more than 20 years of experience leading medium to large organizations in Canada and Afghanistan. His expertise spans organizational development, large-scale transformations, and program and policy initiatives. His career began in the humanitarian sector in Afghanistan and then moved to the government and the United Nations there. From 2009 to 2016 Tariq served as the deputy minister of programs and policy for the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, and executive director of the National Solidarity Program. He played a crucial role as a key partner to the international community, supporting Afghanistan through military and diplomatic missions, and implemented national development programs.
Since immigrating to Canada in 2017, he has held significant roles in the Ontario Public Service (OPS). Initially serving as the director for the Refugee Resettlement Secretariat under the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, he later moved to the role of Regional Director in the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, overseeing the delivery of Employment Ontario programs in the GTA and Eastern Ontario.
Tariq has two masters degrees, an EMBA from Preston University in Pakistan and master of international development administration from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. He is also an active member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Alan has been the executive director of AlphaPlus since 2015, but his involvement with the organization dates to its founding. He was one of the original staff members who migrated from George Brown College and from the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library to support the Ontario fledgling adult education library that ultimately became AlphaPlus.
 
In a wide range of roles, Alan has spearheaded changes at AlphaPlus to address the evolving needs of literacy learners and practitioners. His agile approach to strategic planning and continuous improvement has kept AlphaPlus relevant, accessible, accountable and inventive.
 
As a leader in the literacy field with comprehensive knowledge of the affordances and limitations of educational and administrative uses of technology, Alan advances an understanding of information literacy and blended learning that moves the field forward.
 
As a leader of AlphaPlus in its capacity as an Ontario LBS support organization, Alan guides our work with adult learning programs to understand, research, plan and integrate emerging digital tools to meet the needs of staff and learners effectively and creatively.
 
And as a leader within AlphaPlus, Alan has created an imaginative workspace. He encourages professional learning and exploration that empowers the staff to experiment and innovate, and he embraces every opportunity to forge fresh partnerships that may lead to collaborative initiatives with other organizations.