About Us

Lisa Thomas is the Program Coordinator and a Teacher Consultant for the Provincial Outreach Program for the Early Years (POPEY), and has been with POPEY since its inception in 2014. She has 23 years of experience as a classroom teacher and teacher consultant in BC, and completed her BA, BEd, & MEd at UBC. In her role with POPEY, Lisa supports K-3 educators with workshops and resources that support best practice in literacy instruction. She’s passionate about literacy, teacher collaboration, and supporting all students to be happy, confident learners.

Jacquie finds professional joy in coming alongside teachers as they grow in their practice and find new paths of delight in their teaching journey. Her first love as a new teacher was fostering literate communities in her primary classrooms. She has recently come full circle back to that intriguing and rewarding focus after years of deepening her learning as a teacher of young children in all their capacities. She find personal joy in spending time with her grandchildren, hanging out with her husband and dog, and watching things grow in her garden.

Calico Clark joined the Provincial Outreach Program for the Early Years (POPEY) team as a Teacher Consultant in 2023. Calico has a wide range of experience, teaching both in BC and abroad, including work as a classroom teacher, curriculum coordinator and literacy coach. While working in Singapore at the Canadian International School, opportunities in curriculum leadership were a catalyst for her passion for literacy instruction. Calico is committed to ongoing professional learning and keeps up to date with current research in the field of literacy. She enjoys working alongside colleagues to support best practices in reading and writing instruction.

Jennifer Kelly joined the Provincial Outreach Program for the Early Years (POPEY) team as a Teacher Consultant in 2019. Jen has 20+ years of experience in education as a primary teacher, a literacy intervention teacher, and a district literacy helping teacher in the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District. She completed her Ph.D. through UBC with a focus on professional learning for teachers. Jen is the author is a new book coming out in October 2023 titled, Active Reading Classrooms. With a passion for literacy learning in the early years, Jen is able to infuse theory and practice when working with primary teachers.

With 27 years of experience in Kindergarten to Grade 3 classrooms, Marianne Vande Pol brings a deep commitment to early childhood education and joins the POPEY team with a wealth of expertise. Passionate about creating inclusive, play-based learning environments, Marianne has taken on a leadership role in School District No. 73, as a District Coordinator, providing professional development, facilitating workshops, and offering in-district training for educators, community partners and families. Her expertise in literacy instruction, the Early Learning Framework, and the First Peoples Principles of Learning supports educators in implementing research-based strategies and best practices in their classrooms. 

Megan Zeni joins the POPEY team in a .80 position from School District #38 (Richmond) where she continues as the Early Learning Teacher Consultant one day a week. Megan has extensive experience as a teacher leader in pedagogies of place and play and is completing her PhD in the Faculty of Education at UBC. Megan’s dissertation research was situated within a provincial community of practice examining curricular intent, alongside the pedagogical choices of elementary school teachers, in B.C. schools. Megan brings over 25 years of experience as an elementary school teacher, curriculum consultant, and inter-disciplinary researcher to the team.