National Board of Directors | The Word On The Street

Ceta Ramkhalawansingh - Board Chair, Toronto

Don Chapman - Vice-Chair, Kitchener

Helena Aalto - Treasurer, Toronto

Mark Milner - Director, Vancouver

Alexandra Moorshead - Executive Director, ex-officio board member

Board Member Bios (in alphabetical order)

Helena Aalto works for the Editors’ Association of Canada and ABC Canada Literacy Foundation. She has an extensive career in the Canadian book industry, including senior marketing and communications roles at Chapters, Kids Can Press, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, and Coles Bookstores. She serves on the boards of the Canadian Coalition for School Libraries, The Word On The Street Toronto, Freedom to Read Week, and IBBY Canada. Her consulting clients include the Association of Canadian Publishers, Ontario Media Development Corporation, Cultural Careers Council Ontario, Key Porter Kids, and Access Copyright. Helena serves as Treasurer of The Word On The Street Canada Board.

Don Chapman is Manager of Special Events for the City of Kitchener, where his team is responsible for a wide range of festivals, events and community programs. Don has been involved with The Word On The Street since its establishment in Kitchener in 2002 and is one of the founding partners of the Waterloo Region One Book One Community initiative - a feature of The Word On The Street Kitchener program. Don is Vice-Chair of The Word On The Street Canada Board.

Carolyn Marshall is Principal of The Research Store and Partner with Bloom Non-Profit Consulting Group. She has worked in the charitable and non-profit sector for the past decade and holds the Certified Fundraising Professional designation from CFRE International. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA). In addition to her volunteer role with The Word On The Street, Carolyn acts as a mentor with AFP and is a regional representative for APRA Canada. Carolyn has been a supporter of The Word On The Street Halifax since its inception and plays an active role in the organization’s continued success as a board member.

Mark Milner has been an active board member since in 2001 and is currently Chair, The Word On The Street Vancouver. Mark was invited to read at Poets' Corner at The Word On The Street Vancouver before joining the festival’s board. He has published short fiction and poetry in a number of literary journals and anthologies and holds degrees in English Literature from the University of Calgary (BA - 1992) and University of British Columbia (MA - 1997). While studying at the University of Calgary he founded a student magazine (SansCrit) and was the president of the Dandelion Magazine Society (also in Calgary), which published Dandelion and blue buffalo. Mark further contributed to Calgary’s literary scene as co-founder of a successful literary reading series. Mark works for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, as a Manager of Road Safety Programs.

Alexandra Moorshead is the Executive Director, The Word On The Street Canada, prior to which she was Festival Director of The Word On The Street Toronto for three years where she grew and diversified the organization’s revenue base, oversaw the development of a number of new artistic programs and attracted new audiences to the event. Alexandra's work prior to The Word On The Street included producing large community events and managing the marketing of a group of Canadian-owned consumer and trade magazines. Through her consulting firm, Moorshead & Associates, Alexandra has co-ordinated a series of workshops and a writing contest which resulted in an anthology of stories by adult literacy learners that promoted literacy and gave a voice to those who are learning to express themselves through the written word.

Ceta Ramkhalawansingh is the Board Chair, The Word On The Street Canada and is the City of Toronto’s Manager, Diversity Management and Community Engagement, City Manager’s Office. She has worked in literacy, publishing, women’s studies, human rights, race relations, education and land use planning. During International Literacy Year, she co-chaired the Mayor’s Working Group which sponsored a city wide learners’ conference on literacy, produced a clear language guide and a book of learner’s writings. She was a member of the inaugural Advisory Board, The Word On The Street Toronto in 1990. Ceta has served on a number of community boards, including The Word On The Street Toronto. As Board Chair, the Learnxs Foundation, she had oversight for the publication of a wide range of books and learning materials targeted to schools.