Our Team

Stephen Elliot

Co-Founder/Facilitator

Stephen Elliot is our co-Founder and facilitator. Stephen is the proud father of two boys and lives in Mississauga. Stephen has attended University of Toronto Ontario Institute for Study of Education (OISE) where he studied the Adult Learning principles. Stephen is a competitive speaker with Speaker Slam and Toastmasters International.

Stephen is a passionate skilled member of Toastmasters International and he has developed the educational program from his deep knowledge has gained as a Toastmaster and as a leader of professional teams in his career. Our classrooms are safe, fun learning environments where students and clients can practice and learn effective communication skills. Much of Stephen’s professional life was spent as a retail leader working for such companies as Starbucks, Nordstrom, and Petsmart.

 

Alyssa Muzaffar

Facilitator

Alyssa has always found herself drawn to the field of education in more than one context. She is an avid lifelong learner, curriculum content creator as well as facilitator. Since 2016, she has enjoyed teaching business courses to small and large classes in college settings, successfully teaching both diploma and post-graduate diploma-level courses related to Human Resources Management.

Alyssa previously held a number of progressive Human Resources positions in a variety of industries thereby earning her a broad range of experience and equipping her with a wealth of knowledge from which she draws to bring textbook theory to life in the classroom.

During her tenure at Scarborough Women’s Centre, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women to make long-term, positive changes with confidence, Alyssa provided essential life skills and personal development workshops and programs to Young Women in underserved areas of Scarborough. The development and empowerment of Women remains a passion of hers and the Young Women’s Program continues to thrive.

After completing her undergraduate degree at Queen‘s University, Alyssa pursued post-graduate studies in Human Resources at Seneca College and advanced certification in Human Resources at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. A trained Life Coach and Adult Educator/Facilitator, she also completed Image Management training at George Brown College and the International Image Institute.

In June of 2018, Alyssa earned her Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education at Centennial College. Most recently, Alyssa has completed a Master’s degree in Adult Education and Community Development, with a collaborative specialization in Workplace Learning and Social Change at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto.

Carolyn Ayson (DTM, PMP)

Facilitator

Carolyn Ayson is a Distinguished Toastmaster and Project Management Professional (PMP)®. A member of Toastmasters International since 2006, she has won numerous speech contests and mentored many others to succeed in public speaking.

She has spoken at numerous corporate and community events on topics such as career development, work-life and self-advocacy. Carolyn is the founding President of Speak Up at TD, the first known Toastmasters club in the Toronto area dedicated to supporting people with disabilities.

She is a mom to two boys, an avid runner and certified yoga instructor.

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