we(e) founders

Lou Hood  |  Mike Hood  |  Alan Morissette  |  Tim Barber  |  Dianne Galus

Lou Hood

Lou is a mother, a reader, a writer, and a communications specialist living in Ottawa, Canada. Her 20 year professional career has spanned all aspects of marketing, advertising and communications. She's a marketing grad from Concordia Commerce and a UBC MBA. An avid traveler, Lou is acutely aware of the discrepancies in quality of life from one region to the next. As a firm believer that education is at the root of a sustainable future, and that literacy is central to education, Lou is a vocal proponent of education projects that serve as a "hand up" to less developed countries. She founded we(e)press as a way of doing just that. She believes that education for all is a serious game changer, and Lou is committed to doing her part towards the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, in particular MDG2, which promises universal primary education by 2015. ps my beluga girlfriend is Kavna from the fabulous Vancouver Aquarium    lou@weepress.org

Mike Hood

A career Air Force Officer with over 4000 hours flying on the CC130 Hercules, Michael has travelled extensively supporting many of Canada's global humanitarian missions. His personal experiences delivering aid on behalf of the United Nations and the Red Cross in areas as varied as Ethiopia, Sudan, Afghanistan and Haiti, have left an indelible mark on him. Committed to the notion that education will be a key enabler in breaking the poverty chain, he brings to we(e)press an enthusiastic energy born through his global experiences. Mike has also worked closely with the Canadian International Development Agency and the Department of Foreign Affairs on a Canadian "three-D" strategy for Afghanistan, supporting aid delivery through the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kandahar. He holds a Masters of International Relations.

Alan Morissette

Alan is a career educator, entrepreneur and family man who lives in Ottawa, Canada. He has been married for over 40 yrs and is the father of 3 children and the grandfather of 5 boys. As an educator, he has been a teacher at secondary and elementary levels in Canada and for the Canadian military schools in Europe. He has held a number of leadership positions as a principal in Ottawa. He continues to educate in Ottawa schools and to consult with varied artists to help them develop their career plans and realize their project goals. Alan worked as an educational consultant to the National Literacy Secretariat project called "HIT THE BOOKS" which was sponsored by the Canadian Teachers' Federation in cooperation with the Toronto Blue Jays professional baseball team. He is an enthusiastic promoter of interesting literature and literacy opportunities for all children.

Having visited schools in Europe and traveled to Africa, he sees the need to help less fortunate children around the world to have access to education and many books. He enjoys reading literature that have strong imaginative and spiritual themes especially in the fantasy and science fiction realms. Alan continues to work on varied and pioneering fundraising projects in Ottawa and Canada that help those segments of society who have not yet been recognized as in need by the general public.

                                              
Tim Barber

Tim is principal of Blue Sky Strategy Group and co-founder of Canada 2020, Canada's newest Progressive Centre whose events have featured Vice-President Al Gore, economist Jeffrey Sachs, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Salman Rushdie, Wired Magazine's Chris Anderson, author Tim Flannery and author activist Dambisa Moyo, as well as Ministers John Baird and Josée Verner among other prominent speakers. His public service experience includes working in the Privy Council Office, Federal-Provincial Relations Office, Employment and Immigration, the Senate of Canada, and in the offices of both the Minister of International Trade and the Deputy Prime Minister. Tim holds a BA (Hons.) in Politics from Acadia University and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Concordia University.

Dianne Galus

Dianne is a mother, reader, photographer and executive with over 18 years of experience in the Canadian public service.  She has expertise across a diverse range of social and economic policy and program development and holds a Masters in Public Administration. Ottawa is her home. Acutely aware of the privileged quality of life some hold, simply by circumstance of birth, she believes that literacy can be the great equalizer.  Every child has a story to tell.  As such, Dianne is an ardent supporter of the we(e)press philosophy, which helps empower children in the developing world to find that voice. www.shootstories.ca