Faculty

       

Sobhi al-Zobaidi. Sobhi is an award-winning filmmaker, multimedia artist and journalist. His art work was recently exhibited at Martin-Groupis-Bau in Berlin, and Bozar museum in Brussels. His films were screened at film festivals such as Rotterdam, Locarno, Sarajevo, Carthage, Amnesty International, Goteburg and others. Currently, he is working on doctoral research at SFU, where he focuses on issues relating to space, memory and dispossession.  

 

Dwayne Beaver. Dwayne is a versatile Writer/Producer/Director whose film work spans drama, documentary animation and new media. He has directed over 40 episodes of television including Road Hockey Rumble for which he won the Leo for Best Direction in a Comedy, Variety or Musical Series. His dramatic experience includes CTV's Robson Arms; Alice, I Think and APTN’s Moccasin Flats. As an animator, he directed on the series Shadow Raiders for YTV. His feature film drama The Rhino Brothers garnered numerous awards. Dwayne’s teaching experience includes Langara College of Applied Art, Vancouver Film School, The Summer Institute of Film & Television in Ottawa and CEDIM University in Monterrey, Mexico. In 2011 he won a Gemini award for Best Direction in a Reality Series for the show "Conviciton Kitchen' and he was appointed as 'Rogers Multicultural Teaching Fellow' at UBC. He is currently completing his Master's degree in Communications, and teaches in the Communications and Indigenous Independent Filmmaker's Program at Capilano.

 

Susan Bell. Susan’s experience spans over 20 years teaching communications in academic and corporate environments, both nationally and internationally. Prior to joining Capilano University in 2000, Susan taught communications courses focused on business writing, public speaking and presentation skills, cross-cultural communication, contract and technical writing, and English as a second language for major corporations including: Air Canada, Tourism British Columbia, Human Resources Development Canada, Royal Bank, Eli Lilly Japan, and Sumitomo Bank of Japan. Her education includes studies in Communications/Broadcast Journalism at Concordia University in Montreal, and a Master’s degree in Education from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby. Susan currently teaches courses within the School of Business and Faculty of Tourism and Outdoor Recreation.

 

John Burns. Over 20 years, John has held a perplexing variety of publishing jobs. Low point: designing newpaper escort ads; high point: current position as executive editor of Vancouver magazine. In his spare time, John edits and reviews books, hosts a monthly podcast series, and writes teen novels. His master's degree in theatre and film probably explains the drama to be found in his writing courses.

 

Charles Campbell. Charles edited the Georgia Straight weekly for 11 years, and worked at Vancouver Sun for five years as entertainment editor and an editorial board member. He is currently a freelance writer and editor whose recent projects have ranged from features for Western Living, Vancouver, and BC Business to reworking a BC historical novel by the late voice of Casper and Gumby. He’s a contributing editor to The Tyee website, where he created Tyee Books. Campbell was a journalism fellow at the University of Toronto’s Massey College in 2001 and has taught in the writing programs at the University of Victoria and SFU. He has collaborated on projects that have won more than 60 awards.

 

Maryse Cardin. Maryse is a successful public relations practitioner with more than 15 years experience and is an enthusiastic communications instructor. She co-owned an award-winning full service PR agency for several years in Vancouver, and has worked on communication campaigns in Asia, Europe and North America for a multitude of corporate and non-profit clients. She lived in Tokyo where she worked for the Japanese partner of the Worldcom Group, a consortium of PR agencies worldwide. Maryse has a degree in journalism from Concordia University and has earned her Masters degree in Mass Communications from University of Leicester. She believes in serving her local community, and provides probono workshops and training sessions for non-profit organizations

 

Sue Dritmanis. As a senior editor and writer with more than 20 years experience, a former president of the Western Magazine Awards Foundation, and an independent publishing consultant, Sue brings enthusiasm and expertise to the Communications Department and the Magazine Publishing Program. She has nurtured new writers and guided seasoned editorial staff at such publications as Canadian Living, Vancouver, Western Living and Travel Etc. magazines. Sue has a Bachelor in Fine Arts (Creative Writing) from UBC and a Master's in Education at SFU, specializing in post-secondary curriculum development and instruction.

 

Mary Giovannetti. Mary obtained a Master’s of Arts in Education from Simon Fraser University and a Bachelor of Education from Mount Saint Vincent University. Her passion for teaching highlights her research interest: the scholarship of teaching and learning. She teaches organizational behaviour and a wide variety of communications courses. For five years, she held the position of Editor of Teal News, a publication for teachers of English as an additional language. Mary has spearheaded media campaigns for one of the largest family festivals in the Lower Mainland and political campaigns at the municipal level. In addition, she has taught on executive programs and worked as an educational consultant in Canada and abroad. She was seconded from her position as Chair of the Communications Division to become Acting Dean of Business from January to June 2009 and Acting Dean of Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Howe Sound from January 2010 to June 2010. Mary is presently pursing her Ph.D. studies in Education at Simon Fraser University.  

 

Edward Hamilton. Divisional Co-Chair and Communication Studies Diploma Program Convenor. Edward’s areas of teaching and research include history of technology and media, media and technology studies, philosophy of history, cultural studies, popular music and history of the university as a social institution. He holds degrees in English and Communication, having completed his doctorate in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University. His Ph.D. was written in the area of philosophy and history of technology with a focus on educational technologies and debates over higher education reform. He has also contributed to SSHRC and BC-Campus research projects dealing with online education. He is an alumni member of Dr. Andrew Feenberg’s Applied Communication and Technology research lab at Simon Fraser University and has published and spoken internationally on issues in the development of online education, philosophy of technology, academic freedom, and the history of the university.Ted's areas of teaching and research include history of technology and media, media and technology studies, philosophy of history, cultural studies, and popular music. His education was in English Literature and Communication, having completed his doctorate in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University. His Ph.D. was written in the area of philosophy and history of technology, with a focus on educational technologies and debates over higher education reform. He also has also contributed to a SSHRC-sponsored research project on the experiential dimensions of online education, and is an alumni member of Dr. Andrew Feenberg's Applied Communication and Technology research lab. He has published several articles in academic journals and scholarly books, art commentary, as well as short fiction.

 

Christine Hoppenrath. Christine holds a Master's degree in Education and a B.A. in Sociology, both from University of BC. She also holds a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language. Christine's areas of expertise include instructing English as a second language, training ESL instructors, and teaching business writing. She has taught at the post-secondary level for 22 years including overseas in Japan, Korea and Hungary.

Christine also works as a consultant delivering workshops to instructors and reviewing new academic textbooks. She has written an ESL textbook and delivered numerous presentations in the area of writing, critical thinking, academic skills, and integrating social issues in the ESL classroom.

 

Michael Markwick. Michael brings twenty years of experience, including work in the senior management group of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, to his examination of democracy, social diversity and communication. In both his teaching and community engagement practices, Michael has helped students, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal governments, non-profit organizations and businesses build their capacities to tackle the full spectrum of contentious social issues. On the North Shore, this work includes the transformation of the Dundarave Festival of Lights into a celebration of arts and culture geared to ending homelessness in our community. His research into the impact of the war on terror on democratic communication earned him a doctorate "with distinction" from Simon Fraser University.

 

Susan Peake.  After 20 years working in the private sector, Susan began a career in post-secondary education and spent seven years working for Capilano University in China as an instructor and an administrator. Susan has now returned permanently to Vancouver and is teaching in ESL and Communications at Capilano University's North Vancouver campus.

 

Elizabeth Rains. Publisher of Pacific Rim Magazine, Elizabeth began her career as art director at Canadian Equestrian Magazine. Her journalism background includes work as a reporter for the Vancouver Sun, editor of several consumer and trade magazines, and author of a parenting book. She freelances as a magazine writer, corporate communicator, and publishing consultant through her company, Ocean Cove Media.

Elizabeth has twice been president of the Magazine Association of BC. She is active in the Editors’ Association of Canada and the College Media Advisers Association, and she speaks frequently at industry events. She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from Carleton University, as well as certificates in Graphic Design and Web Publishing.

 

Azza Sedky. Azza has been a faculty member at Capilano University since 1989. Prior to that, she had worked at the University of British Columbia and the Pacific Marine Training Institute. She taught overseas at Kuwait University for 18 years before she came to Canada in the mid 1980's. She holds a Ph.D. (1983) in literature from Ain Sham University, Cairo, Egypt.

Azza's expertise first centred around EFL and ESL, but she soon moved into literature, in particular drama. She currently teaches communications and ESL at the university level. In this capacity, she teaches workplace writing, academic writing, technical writing, public speaking, presentation skills, and much more. She also teaches all levels of ESL skills.

Azza has been affiliated with BC TEAL, the TEAL Charitable Foundation, and TESOL in various capacities since 1988. She has filled the positions of treasurer, secretary, and member at large of TEAL and Treasurer of the Foundation.

 

Jack Silberman. Jack has a B.A. (English Literature) from Middlebury College, studied documentary film production at MIT and earned a Master’s degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. He has been producing, directing and writing documentary films for 30 years for Canadian, American (PBS) and British television networks, as well as for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, the National Film Board of Canada and for international organizations such as Unicef, the United Nations Development Program, the Canadian International Development Agency and the Aga Khan Foundation. His films have won more than 60 national and international awards.

 

Kym Stewart.  Kym Stewart is a Ph.D. student in the Faculty of Education at SFU. From 1997-2004 she was a researcher at the SFU Media Analysis Laboratory where she studied the role of media in Canadian families lives; specifically the impact of advertising on young children’s imaginative play, sedentary lifestyles and aggression. She also spend one year in South Korea conducting research on Korean youth gaming and PC-Bang culture.

For the past five years Kym has focused on coordinated and developed media education programs for elementary school teachers and students. These media education consultation experiences in Northern BC and the Lower Mainland have provided the basis for her Ph.D. research which focuses on the exploration of Kieran Egan’s theory of Imaginative Education (IE) as a foundation for media education.

 

Bill Van Luven.  Bill has been teaching business communications and scriptwriting courses at Capilano University for many years. Bill was the Creative Director of Vancouver's Planetarium and has received numerous awards for his science-based and dramatic writing, including the CBC Prize in Playwriting. He is a Fellow of the Praxis Film Development Centre and a member of the Writer's Guild of Canada.

 

Lydia Watson. Lydia holds a Master's degree in Education from UBC.  She has taught a variety of courses at the post secondary level for five years. Currently, she teaches Communications for the Outdoor Recreation Management Program in the Mountain Bike Operations and Scuba Certificate programs at the Sechelt campus. Her current interests centre around finding the tools students need to succeed in their first year at university.


Ki Wight.  Ki has held positions such as producer, production manager, story consultant, and development and business affairs executive on feature films, television series, documentaries, and new media ventures. Ki’s production credits include Co-Producer of the Gemini Award-winning CTV movie ELIJAH (by executive producer and writer Blake Corbet), Associate Producer of FIDO (by writer/director Andrew Currie) and THE THAW (by writer/director Mark A. Lewis), and Business Affairs Executive of Kari Skogland’s UK/Canada co-production FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING (Brightlight Pictures/Future Films). Prior to entering the film and television industry, she worked for several years as a visual artist and non-profit arts administrator. Ki holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and a Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Simon Fraser University.


Martin (Marty) Wittman. Marty has taught at Capilano for over thirty years (full and part-time). During these years, he has provided communications courses for virtually every program area and at the various satellite centers. His students have always benefitted from his years of involvement in business and not-for-profit sector. As an entrepreneur, he started an automotive franchise operation in the Lower Mainland, and then later founded and directed a private training college where he negotiated and coordinated numerous contracts with federal and provincial agencies.

He and his wife Jackie spearheaded the movement in British Columbia to integrate disabled children into the public school system. He has worked tirelessly as a volunteer and board member with such organizations as BC Association for Community Living, Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network, and BC Centre for Ability.

  

Carla J. Wolf. A multimedia artist with Whistling Girl Media, Carla brings to the program 15 years' experience working with production media and software. Carla’s enthusiasm and range of skills, as well as her patience and positive attitude in the classroom make her classes a joy.