Meet Our Team

Pauline came to Lanark County from the Orleans area back in July of 1994. After getting over the culture shock, she embraced it by volunteering to get to know the community and meet new people. She first volunteered with the United Church Women’s Group and the Women’s Institute. Pauline then found herself as secretary on the Children’s Resources On Wheels Board of Directors.

From there she joined the Adult learning & Training Centre in 2005, undertaking clerical duties part time, and jumping at the chance to work full time. Three years later Pauline was promoted to Executive Director. It was by happenstance that she stumbled across the literacy field, and having no prior concept of reading being a problem with adults in this day and age, or that there were services within the community that were addressing it. Pauline has found a new appreciation for Lanark County, its people and great sense of community and belonging. She learns just as much from the people the Centre helps as they do from the help the Centre gives them. During her four-year residency in Brockville, she volunteered her time at the local library sharing her knowledge and skills helping others improve their skills and boosting their self-confidence and self-esteem.

Pauline moved to the town of Smiths Falls a year ago, and is loving it! She has made new friends and loves the community interaction and friendliness she has come across. Her love of Elvis and cats is known to all, her passion is in metaphysics, always looks forward to riding her motorcycle with her son and father. She has picked up a new interest in earning her Canadian Fund Raising Executive Certificate to continue her love of helping others carry on the wonderful services they provide to the wonderful community she lives in.

Andrea is a native from the Smiths Falls area, a graduate of SFDCI and is currently the Office Administrator/Program Assistant at the Adult Learning & Training Centre. Andrea brings with her 20 years of customer service and administrative experience. Andrea has worn many different employment hats over the years; however the road always comes back to administration. Andrea enjoys working with people one on one and making their experience worthwhile while adding a dash of fun. Andrea enjoys social media on a personal level while using it as a tool to keep everyone up to date on what the Adult Learning & Training Centre is up to. Finding new ways to assist adult learners gain independence or advance their employment opportunities makes Andrea feel she is creating a difference in someone’s life.

Andrea is the office deejay and self-appointed movie expert – try quizzing her next time you drop in! Andrea is the first face you will see when visiting the Adult Learning & Training Centre, and she looks forward to answering any of your questions.

Ellen moved to the Smiths Falls area with her husband, 25 years ago in the spring of 1998. Hearing the great academic reviews, of the rural Lombardy Public School they decided to settle in the Lombardy area to raise their family.

Wanting to be able to stay at home to raise their family, Ellen left her employment in the “big city”. Opting for the more chaotic life of raising two children, as opposed to the “9-5” work schedule that she was used to.

When her oldest child set off to school, Ellen found that she had more time on her hands during the day and a toddler that needed some friends, so she decided to help other families raise their children by opening a home daycare.

Throughout the years the Laforest family welcomed many children into their family home and came to love each smiling face as if they were their own. Many families in the Smiths Falls and Lombardy area have become an adopted extension of their family.

Ellen lives by the quote “everything happens for a reason”, so when her youngest child decided to venture out on his own, she decided it was time to say goodbye to her child caregiving years and re-enter the outside workforce.

Knowing that she needed to upgrade her digital technology skills, she reached out to Ontrac a local employment service organization for assistance which brought her to the Adult Learning & Training Centre.

During the months following the start of Ellen’s training with ALTC, her instructor came to realize that Ellen’s work ethic, wacky sense of humour, and common sense approach to learning and people would make her a great fit for the team.

So going back to the quote “Everything happens for a reason”. It truly does! Ellen would never have met our great team if she hadn’t decided to change her career path. ALTC welcomed Ellen into their family in the fall of 2022 as Tracey and Andreas’s Assistant/Program Assistant. Ellen brings with her many years of caring and nurturing as well as a different approach to how people understand and learn new things. Always willing to learn and improve her knowledge of things, Ellen is always here to offer her assistance to staff and learners.

Ann moved from the UK to Toronto late 1988 , she still has her accent and dry sense of UK humour, she will happily share her love of her country of birth , through her humour and the occasional treat.

She moved to the Ottawa area in 1998 and finally settled in CP in 2002.

She originally worked in accounting for not-for -profit organizations but all her volunteering was with low-income children. Once in Carleton Place, she started volunteering with people living with intellectual disabilities. While volunteering with these two groups , she made the decision to enroll in an Addictions, Mental Health and Community Services Worker diploma program and graduated with honours in 2016.

This career shift led her to work with individuals in the shelter system, where she realized that poverty has many causes and often leaves people unable to envision positive futures. She took courses in homelessness, poverty, and Indigenous Awareness Training. She has extensive experience supporting individuals and families from vulnerable populations, including children and youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and adults labeled with intellectual disabilities.

For two years, she ran a self-help service, discovering her passion for helping people uncover their abilities, especially after they had often been told they couldn't achieve their goals.

A chance comment by a friend led to her reaching out to Pauline at Adult Learning and Training Center and she was offered the opportunity to facilitate the Getting Ahead program. After running the program for 2 years left to take up a position with youth. Staying in touch with ALTC led to the opportunity to return to ALTC in her current position. She finds she learns something new , about herself , the community and the people she has the privilege to work with daily.

In her down time, she spends time with her dog, she likes to travel and has recently rediscovered a passion for painting . She volunteers at the CP foodbank and occasionally, when time allows, on a distress line. She loves going to live theatre and musical events and finds plenty of opportunity for both in The Valley.