STAFF PHOTO GALLERY   Administrators Mathew Collingwood: President & C.E.O. As one of the founding partners, Matt Collingwood has been with Tamwood since its conception. Born in central Canada and educated at the University of Ottawa, Matt has called Vancouver home since 1990. His prior experience in business and finance has contributed to the success and growth of Tamwood. Most of Matt's time is spent traveling between campuses and ensuring that his vision for Tamwood is being carried out, but meeting students and speaking with other Tamwood team members is something that he never loses sight of and tries to accomplish every day. Tamsin Plaxton: Co-Founder and Director of Marketing Although her formal education was in law and economics, Tamsin's dream of running a language school and summer camp was born out of her experiences as a summer camp counsellor in Switzerland and a bicycle tour guide in France, two jobs she did during her summer vacations while at university. Tamsin and Matt started the company in 1992 and Tamsin left her career as a lawyer in 1997 to take on the role of Tamwood's Director of Marketing. Tamsin is personally responsible for student recruitment in Europe and the Americas and for the development of all marketing materials including this web site. Santiago Endara: Latin Sales Coordinator Santiago was born in Quito, Ecuador, a beautiful country with snowy mountains, sandy beaches, unexplored jungles and the Galapagos Islands. His background is in Sales and Marketing and before arriving in Vancouver, he worked for a market research firm, a newspaper and a snack factory. He majored in Marketing and Business Administration. As a former part time D.J., he has a great passion for all types of music; alt rock, classic rock, reggae, and ska. He would love to exchange his music with other students from different countries and increase his collection! He enjoys sports, especially football and misses going to the stadium to sing the songs of his home team. He is always very happy to help students and will try to make their stay at Tamwood College an unforgettable experience. Yasu Komukai: Japanese Marketing Coordinator Yasu was just like one of you some ten years ago. He was an exchange student in the U.S. and he went through what all ESL students experience. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and worked in sales & marketing in Japan. He has continued his sales career in Canada over the last 7 years. He is happy to help all students and he will make his time available for you anytime. His goal is for every student to have a great experience at TAMWOOD. Lydia Lee: Business Development - Europe & Asia As the Business Development representative for Tamwood International for all our partners in Europe and Asia, Lydia Lee combines her passion for marketing and customer relations to ensure a seamless experience for both our partner agents and the students when they arrive. Prior to joining the Tamwood team, her background included sales and marketing experience in hospitality, publishing, and real estate development. Her favourite thing about being in the Tamwood family is to see how much the students grow during their time here and meeting new students from different countries. Katie Laughlin: Work Programs Coordinator Katie Laughlin was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, and works for both Tamwood and GO International as Work Programs Coordinator. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. She processes all new applications for the work and study programs and provides advice on living and working in Canada to participants. Before arriving at Tamwood she worked in the event planning industry, specializing in registration and 'people systems'. With a passion for helping people, she enjoys coaching and teaching others, as well as helping people to solve problems. She loves meeting our participants from all over the world and introducing them to the city and our culture. Claudia Wu: Work Placements Coordinator Claudia was born and raised in Toronto and received a Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto. As the Work Placements Coordinator, she is responsible for helping Work Program participants with the interview process and continuously works with host employers to bring new opportunities to GO International programs. With a passion for traveling and exploring new cultures (traveled to 30 countries and counting!), Claudia has backpacked solo across Asia, Africa, Europe, North and Central America. Having recently moved to Vancouver, she can usually be found biking around/exploring the city or playing volleyball during her spare time. Claudia loves learning about new cultures and is looking forward to meeting participants from around the world. Mike Chan: Programs Advisor for GO International Mike Chan was born Calgary but grew up on Vancouver Island. He is the Programs Advisor for GO International and works with participants who are looking for work once they arrive in Canada. He also manages the GO International Outbound program to assist Canadians interested in going abroad. Mike's background is focused around marketing, where he also holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Victoria. He loves sports and particularly enjoys playing ultimate Frisbee throughout the year and is always happy to have a chat with anyone interested in the Vancouver Canucks! Having travelled to parts of Europe, Asia and Central America, Mike also loves to learn about new cultures and is excited to meet people from around the world! Kaz Futawatari: Campus Manager You all made an incredibly good decision to come learn English here in Vancouver!!! Take advantage of every opportunity you have, especially the ones that you would never ever even think of doing if you were back home. This is your time to let go, experience a different side of life, find out who you are, be challenged, make tons of friends, get lost and then find your way home, be scared, but realize that you are in a safe place, and just learn and love learning. You are amazing for choosing to be here and I am SO EXCITED to meet all of you! Marjatta Hilden: Financial Controller Marjatta was born in Finland but has spent most of her life in Vancouver. Her entire career and education has been in finance and she has been the financial controller at Tamwood since 1998. Since last year she has also taken on the responsibility of registrations which has given her the opportunity to interact more with the students which she very much enjoys. Elizabeth Azeroual: Homestay Coordinator Elizabeth was born and raised in Vancouver and has a B.C.I.T. Certificate in Administrative Management and a V.C.C. Certificate in Accounting, she has worked in Business Administration for fifteen years. As our Homestay Coordinator, Elizabeth does her best to match students to hosts and acts as a liaison between these parties. Connie Ip: Work Placements Coordinator Connie was raised in Vancouver and had worked in Japan and Hong Kong before. From her overseas living experience, she understands new culture can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time and she is more than happy to assist you in all aspects. Connie will be helping students of Tamwood with their internships and co-ops. She enjoys many outdoor activities such as snowboarding, golfing and camping. Her travel to Asia and Europe has enriched her appreciation of diverse cultures and life.