DIRECTORS
Matthew R. LawrencePresidentMatthew graduated with Honours in Marketing & Advertising from Georgian College. He also has a technical certificate in Radio & Television Broadcasting from the National Institute of Broadcasting.
He has been a professional actor for 25 years and has entertained audiences all over the world with his troupe the Canadian Improv Showcase. He married a school teacher in 2001 and discovered an untapped joy of working in education. In 2010, along with his wife, he turned a lifelong passion for ancient history into the Knights in the Classroom. Matthew was nominated for an Ontario Colleges Premier's Award for Outstanding College Graduates in 2013 and won the East Gwillimbury Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year Award that same year. O.E.I. was nominated for another award by the East Gwillimbury Chamber of Commerce in 2020, this time under the Arts & Culture category. |
Andrea Hertach LawrenceChief Education OfficerAndrea is an exceptional teacher and a published author. She has her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from York University and a Masters of Education from O.I.S.E. (University of Toronto). She spent 31 years in the classroom and is now thrilled to help bring to life on a day-to-day basis the programmes she helped to create. Bringing hands on learning to students is her key focus. Andrea wants participants to leave all O.E.I. workshops, demonstrations and performances with authentic experiences. She hopes to share her zeal for learning with kids of all ages (young & old alike) all over the world.
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Elizabeth DavisDirectorElizabeth Davis is superintendent with the YRDSB with over 30 years of experience in education. She has an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from York University and a Masters of Education in Learning from York University. She has contributed to 3 books on teaching and leadership, with a most recent focus on developing resilience in children, deep thinking and inquiry instructional strategies.
Her passion for cultivating optimal learning environments for students has been inspired by her experience as a Literacy Teacher Mentor, a special education resource teacher, a Community Class teacher and homeroom teacher. She is the proud mother of two children and loves travelling, history, being outdoors, and is a self-proclaimed Twitter addict! |
Alan HarringtonDirectorAlan Harrington is your prototypical healthy unilingual Canadian male boomer.
In the mid 1980’s, Canadian culture was experiencing changes such as computerization being introduced in the business world. Alan began his professional career applying and migrating business processes to the new electronic platform. Applying legacy systems to innovation relies upon finance and accounting fundamentals as the overarching control factors, but also requires a creative component. Improv in the mid-eighties was also new, and a scarce commodity. Alan joined Second City as a student to soak up the basics. Soon he was able to combine his creative business acumen and improv skills to become a regular improv performer. Since joining the Canadian Improv Showcase in 2001, he has enjoyed success entertaining live audiences across Ontario, Hollywood and even Singapore. Alan has most recently been recognized for his outstanding volunteer work in the community as an executive on several not-for-profit charities. |
Tamara S. MadyDirectorA 25 year veteran secondary school teacher, Tammy Mady has had extensive experience developing and adapting program in the Arts for students from Grade 7-12.
Now retired, Tammy runs her own business as a workshop facilitator and entertainer, along with working with O.E.I. Onsite Education Inc. to help develop programs for schools through the Knights in the Classroom and the Canadian Improv. Showcase. Tammy has also moved forward with chasing a lifelong dream of acting professionally, by entering the Toronto entertainment industry, auditioning and growing her acting resume. She volunteers in her community through the Royal Canadian Legion, Sweet Adelines singers, and local theatre groups. She has the unusual skills of being a bagpipe player and a motorcycle instructor. She also loves to travel. Tammy is passionate about experiential learning, life-long learning and community connections in education, making her a valuable resource on the O.E.I. board of directors. |