Board of directors

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The CSA is a small group of volunteers who devote their time to the cause of helping people who stutter by providing information and offering support.

Board members

Eeva Stierwalt, National Coordinator

Location: London, Ontario
Email: eevastierwalt@stutter.ca

Eeva’s daughter, Alexandra D’Agostino, is a person who stutters and has been on the CSA board of directors and the conference planning committee for two years. Providing support for Alexandra over the years has given Eeva a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by people who stutter. Previously Eeva has worked as a long-time volunteer on the Steering Committee of the Innovative Interfaces Inc. Users Group, an international organization with university, public, special and school libraries as members. She lives in London, Ontario.

Members of the board are listed in alphabetical order.

Alexandra D’Agostino, Family and Youth Programming Coordinator

Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Email: alexandra_dagostino@stutter.ca

My name is Alexandra D’Agostino and I have stuttered since I was 7. I am a Registered Nurse, having graduated from Nipissing University’s Nursing Scholar Practitioner Program, and I also have a BA Combined Honours in Psychology and Anthropology from Wilfrid Laurier University. Music is one of my passions, (I play 7 instruments!), as well as helping people and volunteering. I have spent 5 years volunteering with the National Stuttering Association in the United States, where I spent 3 of those years serving on their Teen Advisory Council. When I was invited to be on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Stuttering Association in 2014, I was thrilled to be able to volunteer with an association that was closer to home. Being on the Board of Directors has been such an extraordinary, and honouring experience to have had the opportunity to help revitalize the CSA from the ground up. By volunteering with the CSA and NSA, I hope to change other people’s lives, as the two stuttering associations did for me.

Anna Huynh, Fundraising Coordinator

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Email: anna_huynh@stutter.ca

Anna Huynh is currently studying Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) at the University of Toronto. Being a person who stutters, she is passionate about supporting people with communication disorders. She is the President of Hear2Speak, a not-for-profit organization that supports speech-language and hearing healthcare, and is actively involved in SLP research. Anna is excited to be serving as the Fundraising Coordinator for the CSA. She is looking forward to getting to know everyone in the stuttering community!

Arun Khanna, Finances

Location: Thornhill, Ontario
Email: arun_khanna@stutter.ca

Arun has been involved with the CSA for almost thirty years. He handles financial matters and conference planning.

Carla Di Domenicantonio, Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) Liaison

Location: Burlington, Ontario
Email: carla@stutter.ca

I developed an interest in working with people who stutter following graduation from Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Toronto, which within a short time led me to seek a position dedicated to helping children, adolescents and adults who stutter. SpeakEasy Canada and the National Stuttering Project, two North American self-help and support organizations of the time, opened my eyes to the ‘real world experience’ of being a person who stutters, at home, work, play, and, most importantly, in therapy. The impact on my approach to stuttering therapy was profound. As the SLP Liaison for the CSA, I hope to bring the same ‘enlightenment’ that I gained many years ago to new and established Speech-Language Pathologists and speech-language pathology students across Canada, so that they, too, may feel better equipped to work with individuals who stutter, and perhaps even uncover a passion for working in this area. In addition to the CSA Board, I proudly represent Canada as a member of the International Cluttering Association and the Lidcombe Trainers Consortium.

Catherine Moroney, Secretary

Location: Pasadena, California

Catherine has stuttered all of her life and fully expects to continue to do so. She’s been active in the stuttering community (both in Canada and the US) for over 20 years and loves going to conferences to stay up and drink and talk all night long where there’s no worry about when that next block is going to strike and spoil the punchline. In her professional life, she’s a physicist and software engineer working for NASA on analyzing satellite data. She grew up and went to school in Montreal and Toronto and despite living in the US for many years, considers Canada to be home although she refuses to be dragged into a Montreal vs. Toronto flame-war!

Dennis Potharst, Volunteer Coordinator

Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Email: dennis_potharst@stutter.ca

Dennis joined the Canadian Stuttering Association in March 2020 and is a person who stutters since he was a child. As a marketing and communications professional, he enjoys using the written and spoken word to express thoughts, ideas, and concepts, and is eager to contribute to the many projects undertaken by the CSA. He is honoured to join the Board and is excited to help raise the profile of the CSA both regionally and nationally. Born in Sudbury, ON and raised in Calgary, AB, Dennis now calls Halifax, NS home..

Lauren Linkie, Assistant Regional Support Group Coordinator

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Email: lauren_linkie@stutter.ca

My first introduction to the stuttering community was at the annual CSA conference in 2014 while a graduate student of the University of Toronto Speech-Language Pathology program. The conference inspired my interest in stuttering and since that time I have travelled across North America and Europe to learn how to be a better ally and advocate for people who stutter. I feel privileged to have made many friends in the community and I am excited to play a small role in developing the CSA as a resource for connecting and supporting people who stutter. In my free time you can catch me with coffee and a book or listening to live music in Vancouver, BC.

I won’t be running support groups myself, but will be helping and supporting those interested in starting up and running support groups across the country, as I develop this new role on the CSA Board.

Lisa Wilder, Webmaster and Editor

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Email: csa-info@stutter.ca

I got involved with CSA when I helped out with the National conference in 2007, as I had fond memories of the conferences I attended in the 1990s. A lot of people who stutter are reluctant to get involved in support groups, but it can make a difference. That’s why the conferences are, to me, the most important thing we do, enabling real-life encounters with other people who stutter. I think it’s remarkable that CSA has been around for so long purely on the dedication of volunteers. I work as a technical writer, graphic designer and content marketing specialist. I’ve also been known to fiddle around painting, writing, reading, taking dance classes and doing yoga.

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Email: michelle_weinshtein@stutter.ca

Michelle is an undergraduate student in her final year at Western University for Medical Sciences. She attended her first CSA conference in 2019 and was granted the CSA Scholarship for a student who stutters. She was quickly invited on the board in 2020 as the Social Media Coordinator. Michelle hopes to continue her studies in the health & wellness field, with a general goal in making a profound difference in an individual’s life. When she isn’t busy studying- she enjoys reading, meditating, and going on walks.

Nathan Rattansey, Regional Support Group Coordinator

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Email: nathan_rattansey@stutter.ca

I was first introduced to the stuttering community at a CSA event hosted by the University of Toronto showing a special screening of My Beautiful Stutter. The screening was followed by a panel discussion from individuals who stuttered which was an incredibly moving experience. As Regional Support Coordinator, I coordinate self-help groups nationwide, connecting and supporting people who stutter. I also act as a Grant Advisor to the CSA, where I explore new sources of funding for CSA initiatives. In these roles, I am committed to raising awareness around stuttering and the unique challenges people who stutter have to overcome. If you have any inquiries about the CSA, the work we do, or how you can get involved, I can be reached at nathan.rattansey@stutter.ca. Do not hesitate to reach out! As someone who grew up often feeling alone in my speaking trials, I have personally found it helpful talking to other individuals who stutter and sharing in their experiences and perspectives).

Suhail Ravjani, Volunteer Coordinator

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Email: suhail_ravjani@stutter.ca

My name is Suhail Ravjani and I have stuttered, covertly, since childhood. When I attended the CSA conference in 2018, the events/workshops and the network of fellow stutters inspired me to be open and accepting of my stuttering. Following this inspiration, I started my volunteering journey at CSA in 2019 and recently was honored to be accepted as a CSA Volunteer Coordinator and Board member. I am a CPA by profession, full time dad of two teenagers and love playing badminton and watching cricket.

Advisory Board members

Advisory Board members are previous Board members interested in continuing to provide advice and support to the board members.

Members of the advisory board are listed in alphabetical order.

Casey Kennedy

Location: Toronto, Ontario

Daniele Rossi

Location: Toronto, Ontario

David Stones

Location: Stratford, Ontario

Jaan Pill

Location: Stratford, Ontario

Last updated: 2021-04-14