Richard Monette B.Sc. B.Ed., M.A.
Executive Director
Richard Monette is a social innovator with more than 35 years of experience across education, sport psychology, and organizational development. His work focuses on helping people and organizations do meaningful, purposeful work in real-world conditions and constraints.
As part of the leadership team at B2ten, Richard created and leads Active for Life (AfL), a national not-for-profit initiative that provides practical, evidence-informed resources to support parents and educators. AfL initiatives include Learn Through Active Play (LTAP), a professional development program that helps early childhood educators make learning through active play a regular part of daily practice in childcare settings, supporting children’s development and readiness for school and a better learning and work environment. Through the support of the private sector, LTAP is offered free of charge to Canadian educators, childcare centres, and post-secondary institutions
A certified teacher in 4 provinces, Richard developed the first sport psychology curriculum approved for high school credits in Alberta. Richard obtained a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Québec and a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Calgary. Married with 2 grown children, Richard lives in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies in Cochrane, Alberta.
Rhiannon Russell
Content Manager
Rhiannon has been on the Active for Life team since 2019. As content manager, she assigns articles (pitch her ideas at [email protected]!), writes our newsletters, and updates our website. She’s a graduate of the journalism program at Ryerson University. Based in Whitehorse, Rhiannon likes running long distances, riding bikes, reading books, and playing with her dog.
Michael Brynjolfson
Product Manager
Michael has been a contractor with Active for Life since 2012. Over this past decade, he has used what he has learned about physical literacy, fundamental movement skills, and multisport to help shape his kids into what are turning into very athletic young teens. When not working on production and tech for AfL, Michael has found a lot of value in sports, completing an Ironman in 2015 and getting his first black belt in shotokan karate in 2022. He hopes many other parents feel inspired by the work of Active for Life and the impact physical literacy has on the overall development of children.
Dingo Hart
Art Director
Dingo has enjoyed being part of the Active for Life team since 2012. He enjoys fly fishing, hiking, camping, and spending time with his family. He’s proud to advocate for physical literacy and has seen its positive impact first hand watching his daughter grow into an adult.
Marta Orellana
French Coordinator
Marta Orellana is an experienced professional copy editor, proofreader, writer, and translator. She is also a French immersion elementary school teacher with over 17 years of experience in the classroom. Marta holds a bachelor in French and Spanish, a bachelor in French education, a master in cross-curricular learning, and a certificate in editing. Marta lives in North Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family. Her two young children and high-energy husky keep her busy in the trails and local mountains.
Émilie Roy
French Social Media Specialist
Emilie Roy has been contracting with Actif pour la vie since 2016 as a social media manager to promote French-language resources for Canadian parents. A high-level cyclist, her goal was to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but she retired from the sport in the summer of 2019. Her greatest achievement was the birth of her daughter in November 2020. She has been working full-time for the past eleven years to support high-performance athletes in her region and to promote amateur sport. She has recently resumed her training at the new velodrome in Bromont, Quebec., and who knows where it will take her.
Lizbeth Smeaton
Outreach Manager
Lizbeth has been contracted as the outreach coordinator for Active for Life since its inception in 2012. Liz assists in the creation of print resources and promotional items and coordinates selected resources for clients. She has supported and successfully guided many organizations to promote physical literacy. Liz’s background includes advertising and sport and event marketing, as well as working as vice-president of development for the Banff Television Festival and interim executive director of the Banff Childcare Centre. In her spare time, you can find her outdoors walking, hiking, or biking with her husband and spending as much time as she can with her two children and friends.
Angelina Mighty Osborne
Learn Through Active Play Co-Manager Operations
Angelina Mighty Osborne is a dynamic leader with a profound commitment to social impact and community empowerment. She has over 12 years of dedicated experience in the non-profit sector working with organizations to conduct research, identify gaps in services or programs, and develop strategic plans to address organizational needs. Social justice and equity has been the driving force behind her mission to provide resources and opportunities for those who have been historically underserved. Leveraging her expertise in psychology and her extensive experience in the field she believes in addressing root causes and dismantling barriers to access as well as creating lasting impact for generations to come while seeking to create a more just and equitable society for all.
Hilary Bartlett
Learn Through Active Play Co-Manager Strategy
Hilary Bartlett is an early childhood educator, advocate, and lifelong believer in the power of play. Having worked directly with children and later alongside educators, leaders, and sector organisations, she understands both the joys and challenges that shape the early learning profession. She joined Learn Through Active Play because it reflects what she values most: practical, meaningful approaches that support educators while enriching children’s experiences. Whether facilitating learning, building partnerships, or developing resources, Hilary is always looking for ways to help educators feel inspired, capable, and connected to the important work they do every day.
Jim Grove
Marketing Copy Specialist
Jim was one of the first people in Canada to bring the concept of physical literacy to public awareness starting in 2006 with Sport for Life. Since that time, he has consulted to different national sport organizations in Canada and abroad on physical literacy and the design of Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) plans and programs, most notably the Canada Soccer LTPD player development pathway and the South Africa Sport for Life framework. In his spare hours, he has been a coach and program director in community soccer since 1998, working with players and teams from U5 to U18 and adult divisions. He has degrees in English and education, and he works as a private communications consultant in health, education, and sport.
Jean Fraser
Social Media Manager
Jean has been part of the Active for Life Marketing team since 2023 with the launch of ActivePlay.ca. She brings more than 15 years of experience in marketing and communications with small businesses and nonprofits. Jean is passionate about supporting caregivers in their journey to be more active. After all, kids will follow your lead! As a dance instructor, Jean believes building active play into your daily routine is within everyone’s reach.
Katie Konopczynski
Project Manager
Katie believes in growing strong leaders in early learning, supporting them to develop their practice and bring more joy into their work with children. With over 20 years of experience working in child care centres across Alberta and British Columbia, Katie brings a deep understanding of child development, program planning, and educator support to her work at Learn Through Active Play. She holds Bachelors degrees in Psychology and Education, and has spent much of her career designing and delivering professional development for child care teams. She is passionate about helping educators feel confident and supported as they create active, engaging, and playful learning environments.
Carol Chu
Social Media Community Coordinator
Carol Chu is an experienced communications professional with experience launching and growing a wide variety of businesses and nonprofits. She enjoys being creative and strategic to create communications that engage and drive action. Carol is passionate about sports and recreation and has coached ice skating for more than half of her life. When she’s not at work, you can find her climbing, cycling, skating, or hiking.
Madison Cooke
Designer
Madison Cooke is an artist, designer and educator whose work combines art therapy, music, movement, and technology to create engaging learning experiences for children and youth. As an instructor with the Boys & Girls Club, she led activities focused on music, dance, digital storytelling, rhythm play, psychology and physical activity. Her sessions followed the philosophy “Your Body is an Instrument”. She creates hands-on experiences for children to build self confidence and discover their own creative interests and abilities. Madison studied Integrated Media at OCAD University, where she developed a multidisciplinary creative practice spanning visual arts, digital media, photography, electronics and interactive technology. She is particularly interested in the connections between music, dance, physical activity, and early childhood development. She is also a former Irish Dance Champion, squash player and snowboarder.
Joe Momah
Advertising Specialist
Joe is the advertising specialist for Active for Life and Learn Through Active Play, helping connect parents, caregivers, and educators with resources that support active, healthy kids. With a background in digital marketing and advertising, he focuses on creating and improving campaigns that help both programs reach more people and grow their impact. Outside of work, Joe enjoys staying active through running and spending time with his family.
Mike Zanni
Developer
A web developer with Active for Life since 2013, he brings his passion for digital problem-solving to the tech side of the platform while putting physical literacy into practice at home in Squamish. Raising two active kids and involved in local sports, he truly lives the Active for Life lifestyle. In his spare time, you can find him out on the local bike trails or heading off on his next outdoor adventure.
