Diane Mensch

Chair

Diane Mensch (B.A./B.Ed./M.Ed.) has a long history of English teaching in diverse settings, and administration of EAP and other programs. For 17 years, she taught abroad in schools in Chad, Namibia, Tunisia, and South Africa, including ESL teaching to diverse populations of both children and adults. Her teaching in Canada has included public and private schools, colleges and university. Since 2010, Diane’s focus has been on adult education in ESL, ELT, and EAP programs, starting with LINC and moving into EAP teaching at St. Lawrence College, Queen’s University, and the Royal Military College. Since 2016, Diane’s work has been at Queen’s University’s School of English. This has included work as Academic Manager, overseeing the programs and instructional staff, developing the curriculum, re-writing and updating policies, and working with the administrative team to ensure a thriving array of programs and courses, but also ongoing work as a teacher, which is her passion.

Diane served on the TESL Kingston Chapter executive for five years, and was particularly active on the Program Committee, working to organize useful and vibrant workshops and to facilitate positive collaborations among the TESL Kingston members.

As a TESL Ontario Board Member, and its current Vice-Chair, Diane’s commitment to excellence, professionalism, and collaboration are the groundwork for everything she takes on. Working on behalf of our TESL Ontario members, and those that we serve, Diane’s focus will always be on finding solutions and supporting positive advancement for all concerned.

Christopher Smrke

Vice-Chair

Christopher Smrke, M.A., OCELT, ICTEAL has been involved in English Language teaching for over 15 years. He has experience as an administrator and has taught in a variety of sectors including LINC, the private sector, the public sector, as well as teacher training. He has created and taught courses ranging from general ESL and test preparation to teaching methodology and pedagogical grammar.

As an administrator during the COVID pandemic especially during the reinstatement of in-person classes, Christopher worked with a small team to draft and implement academic policy and practice that ensured the safe operation of the school and its classes. These policy and practice documents were consistently revised and put into practice as government guidelines changed to make certain that all stakeholders were able to continue operating with little disruption.

Christopher strongly believes in members supporting members, and because of this, he has presented at multiple conferences including at TESL Ontario (2015, 2017), TESL Ottawa (2016), and TESL Toronto (2015, 2022) along with proposing and running PD sessions at the various schools he has worked at. It is this commitment to the industry that led him to volunteer for the TESL Toronto Executive for 6 years and take on roles as President (2017-2019) and Communication Committee Chair (2019-2021). During that time, he also chaired TOSCON20 and TOSCON21 which were some of their first fully online conferences.

Overall, Christopher has a strong belief in collaboration and experience leading teams to help empower and create impactful growth opportunities for all stakeholders.

Ban Al-Saffar

Treasurer

Ban holds a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA TESOL) from Trinity Western University-BC. She has two TESL certificates and has been teaching ESL/EAP/LINC classes in Canada since 2010. She also has international experience in teaching English to speakers of other languages in different countries. She has worked for different language institutions such as The University of Winnipeg, Red River College, Waterloo Catholic District Schools (St. Louis Adult Learning and Continuing Education Centres), and McMaster University, and is currently an EAP professor at Conestoga College. She is a Theory and Methodology certified instructor and continues to provide practicum placements for TESL student-teachers.

She started volunteering for TESL Ontario in 2016 and was the TESL WW Affiliate Chapter Representative for two years, then served as the TESL WW President for four years. She has been continuously dedicated to the success of the TESL Community by facilitating in-person and online PD/AGM events for local members.

She is passionate about empowering the ESL and TESL communities in Ontario as she believes in the value of these communities. She embodies the mission and vision of TESL Ontario by going above and beyond to support involved professionals and industry partners such as community centers and English language institutions. In 2021, Ban received a certificate of appreciation from the Government of Canada for her participation and hard work with the YMCA Mentorship Program to support and guide internationally trained professionals in the K-W area.

Celine De Almeida

Member-at-large

Celine De Almeida (M.Ed., DELTA) has worked across several sectors of the ELT industry, including private language schools, LINC, language assessment, post-secondary education, and teacher training in Canada and Europe for over a decade. She is a strong advocate for professional development and believes teachers are lifelong learners. Her experience across these settings has given her a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing English language teaching professionals and language learners alike.

Az an active member of the TESL Toronto Chapter, Celine served on the Executive for six years, including a 2-year term as President, and subsequently as Chapter Representative. She also chaired TESL Toronto’s annual conference, TOSCON, for three consecutive years, helping the conference evolve from its final online edition in 2022 to large-scale, fully in-person events in 2023 and 2024. Outside of TESL Toronto, you may recognize her as the moderator of the TESL Ontario Connect Fireside Chat, a role she will undertake for the fourth consecutive year at the 2026 conference.

Celine brings a collaborative and practical approach to leadership. As President, she worked with a 16-member Executive to strengthen member engagement, support and mentor new volunteers, and deliver professional learning and networking opportunities to those within and outside of her Chapter. She values creating space for different perspectives and turning discussion into action. As her time on the TESL Toronto Executive comes to a close, Celine hopes to bring her chapter-level governance experience, sector knowledge, and commitment to professional community to the TESL Ontario Board and contribute to the profession at the provincial level.

Farnaz Karimian

Member-at-large

Farnaz Karimian, MA, OCELT, is a dedicated educator, curriculum designer, and academic leader with over 14 years of experience in English language education at Ontario colleges and universities, private language schools and LINC programs. She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics, as well as certifications in TESL Methodology and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). In her career, she has taught EAP, Communications, and TESOL courses; designed curricula; trained educators; and developed programs grounded in UDL and Critical Digital Pedagogy (CDP). She designs courses that frequently integrate social justice, digital literacies, and Indigenous and SDG themes, aiming for education that is accessible, inclusive, and responsive.

Her six years on the TESL Toronto Board, including two as President, reflect her deep commitment to community service and professional growth in the field. Farnaz has driven concrete change by leading large-scale professional development events, creating a Brand Guide embedding EDI principles in communications and design, and chairing Employment Events that helped members find meaningful work, build networks, and strategize growth in the field. In recognition of her leadership and service, she was named TESL Ontario’s Volunteer of the Year in 2024.

Farnaz is known for her ability to bring people together — to listen, collaborate, and translate ideas into concrete initiatives that strengthen the profession. As a TESL Ontario Board member, she is committed to advancing TESL Ontario’s mission by amplifying members’ voices, strengthening professional development opportunities, and supporting colleagues across the province in navigating an ever-evolving ESL landscape.

Plamen Kushkiev

Member-at-large

Plamen is a passionate educator and strong advocate for equitable and humanistic learning spaces. Holding a doctorate in higher education (UK), a TESL Ontario diploma, CELTA, TEFL, and TESOL postgraduate certificates, Plamen adopts research-informed, human-focused approaches to language education and professional development to serve his ELT community. He was awarded the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award 2024 by George Brown Polytechnic’s president and TESL Ontario’s volunteer of the month in May 2026.

An active member-at-large, Plamen was elected as membership secretary and proposed T4T conference co-chair since he joined the TESL Toronto board in 2024. His productive collaboration with the board members has resulted in the first community of practice for ELT educators, creating a dialogic space for members to share, learn, and grow together as a community.

Deepening his commitment to continuous professional development and teacher advocacy, Plamen was elected a member of TESL Ontario’s Colleges and Universities committee in January 2026 and TESL Ontario ambassador in May 2026. He has since co-facilitated a webinar and is collaborating with fellow committee members on a TESL Ontario conference presentation. Plamen draws on his rich pedagogical expertise from Canada and abroad, a solid research background, and various presentations as a keynote and featured speaker to exemplify TESL Ontario’s vision to support, represent, and inspire language professionals.

As a recognized member of the ELT community in Ontario, Plamen strives to forge stronger relationships among members, support relevant learning initiatives, and inspire fellow educators to shape the landscape of language education in the province.