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LYNELL ANDERSON
Senior Researcher, HELP

Lynell is a BC-based Certified General Accountant and a Senior Researcher within the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP), an interdisciplinary collaborative research network of six BC Universities.  HELP’s mission is to create, promote and apply new knowledge to help children and families thrive.

Bringing almost 30 years of financial consulting, volunteer and research experience to HELP, Lynell has worked with various levels of government as well as children, women, family and youth-serving organizations and advocacy groups. 

Lynell’s research interests include: public investment in early human development, with a particular emphasis on early childhood education and care; gender equality; public accountability and citizen engagement; community development and mobilization. 

SALLY BRINKMAN
Senior Research Fellow, Curtin University’s Centre for Developmental Health & Telethon’s Institute for Child Health Research

Sally is a social epidemiologist with the majority of her research focusing on societies impact on child development.  Sally spearheaded the use of the Early Development Instrument (EDI) in Australia being the first to pilot the instrument outside of Canada. Sally’s primary role is the Epidemiologist for the national implementation of the Australian EDI Program.

 The EDI is now being piloted and adapted in various countries and much of Sally’s work is now consulting to the World Bank working with the EDI and various other child developmental instruments in developing countries.

DR. MARNI BROWNELL
Senior Research Scientist, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy; Associate Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba

Dr. Brownell is trained as a developmental psychologist.  She uses the administrative health and social service databases housed at MCHP to examine child health and well-being, with a particular focus on the social determinants of health. 

KIM BURNS
Data Analysis Coordinator, Ontario Early Years / Autism Intervention Program

Born and raised in North Bay Ontario, Kim is a Sociologist working in research and evaluation for Hand.TheFamilyHelpNetwork.ca; an agency that provides developmental, behavioural and mental health services to children, youth and adults living in Northern Ontario. In particular, Kim provides research and evaluation support to the Ontario Early Years programs in Parry Sound/Muskoka and the Autism Intervention Program in Northeastern Ontario. 

DR. DAVID BUTLER-JONES
Chief Public Health Officer

Dr. David Butler-Jones is Canada's first Chief Public Health Officer. He heads the Public Health Agency of Canada which provides leadership on the government's efforts to protect and promote the health and safety of Canadians.

Dr. Butler-Jones has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and has been involved as a researcher in a broad range of public health issues. He is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba as well as a Clinical Professor with the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine.

From 1995 to 2002, Dr. Butler-Jones was Chief Medical Health Officer and Executive Director of the Population Health and Primary Health Services Branches for the Province of Saskatchewan.

MARSHA CANN
Data Analysis Coordinator, Simcoe County

Marsha has been the Data Analysis Coordinator for Simcoe County for the past six years during which time she has worked with her community to implement the EDI electronically and add value and applicability to the results.  As the mother of three young children she sees the importance of the early years everyday firsthand.

DR. MARIETTE CHARTIER
Assistant Professor, Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba; Research Scientist, Healthy Child Manitoba and Manitoba Centre for Health Policy

Firmly rooted in the prairies, Dr. Mariette Chartier lives in Lorette, Manitoba with her husband and has two grown daughters. Her career extends from clinical nursing, to mental health research, to early childhood policy development. Her current research interests are population health, mental health, child abuse and neglect, prevention and early intervention programs for children, health risk behaviors, youth suicide, perinatal health and francophone health. Dr. Chartier has utilized the Early Development Instrument in her work with Manitoba’s provincial evaluation of a universal system of support for families and on a longitudinal study examining the influences of child care in Manitoba.

WENDY CHURCH
Program and Policy Consultant, Health Child Manitoba

Wendy Church is the HCM lead with Parent Child Coalitions, which have been established in all rural and northern regions and in Winnipeg, to promote, develop and enhance community based programming for the well-being of Manitoba’s children, families and communities.. Her work with these regional coalitions and with the Provincial Healthy Child Advisory Committee led to an opportunity to be part of the Community Fellows Program with the Council for Early Child Development.

DR. JEAN M CLINTON
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience at McMaster, Division of Child Psychiatry

Jean Clinton is on staff at McMaster Children’s Hospital and an Associate in the Departments of Family Medicine at McMaster; the Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Toronto and Sick Children’s Hospital and the Offord Centre for Child Studies. Through her work with Hamilton’s Best Start Network she leads the Primary Care Engagement Strategy for the enhanced 18 month well baby strategy. She was a member of the “Getting it Right at 18 Months Expert Panel” for Ontario’s Best Start initiative and is the lead for the provincial education subcommittee. Jean is a fellow for the Council for Early Child Development.

Dr. Clinton is renowned locally, provincially, nationally and more recently internationally as an advocate for children’s issues. Her special interest lies in the crucial role relationship and connectedness play in brain development. She speaks to many groups on the importance of relationships, early child development and brain development, parenting and asset building. Jean champions the development of a system of early learning and child care for all young children which she believes plays a vital role in promoting healthy human development. Jean is a fellow for the Council for Early Child Development.

ANNE COOPER
Superintendent, Revelstoke Board of Education

Anne Cooper began her teaching career in 1978 and has completed 26 years working at the district level in two provinces.  She holds a Bachelor of Education degree, from the University of Calgary and a Master of Education degree from the University of Oregon.  Anne has served as Superintendent with the Revelstoke Board of Education for the past ten years. 

Anne is actively involved in a large number of community committees, most notably the, Early Childhood Development Committee, the Revelstoke Literacy Action Committee, the Screen Smart Committee and the City Social Action Planning Committee.  Anne has received a Distinguished Service Award from the BC School Superintendents’ Association and is a frequent presenter regarding Early Learning and District Literacy Planning.