Our Team

Meet the
Xspace Team

The success of Xspace is dependent on an excellent team. From searching out the highest quality courses to our personalized facilitation style to offering flexible study options, everything we do is about delivering the best educational experience possible for our students.

Leadership Team

Dean Coder

Mr. Dean Coder – Honorary Principal, Vancouver Campus

Mr. Dean Coder has devoted much of his career to developing, teaching, and leading “distant learning” and online education. He has done innovative work with rural schools in BC to refine models of distance education delivery, and has spent held numerous leadership positions including Principal of Kamloops Open Online Learning School, Vice President of GlobalEd, and Director of International in SD73. Dean has also been involved in projects including leading the Provincial Education Portal called LearnNow BC, as well as the International Online Learning initiative. Dean is an invaluable part of the Xspace team, as he advises on Xspace’s programs based on his wealth of experience in the online education industry. Dean is currently the Director of Instruction in SD27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin).

Mr. Brian Naka – Principal, EBUS Academy

Mr. Brian Naka is currently the Principal of EBUS Academy in SD91 (Nechako Lakes). EBUS Academy is the oldest and one of the largest distributed learning schools in British Columbia, with over 1000 grade K-12 and adult learners from around the province.

Brian Naka
Brian Naka

Mr. Brian Naka – Principal, EBUS Academy

Mr. Brian Naka is currently the Principal of EBUS Academy in SD91 (Nechako Lakes). EBUS Academy is the oldest and one of the largest distributed learning schools in British Columbia, with over 1000 grade K-12 and adult learners from around the province.

Ms. Hedy Li – Academic Director

Ms. Hedy Li has worked with high school ELL students for over 10 years both in BC offshore schools in China, and in public and private schools in Canada. She has an M.Ed. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of British Columbia and is a certified teacher in BC and Ontario. Hedy is passionate about second language acquisition and is constantly searching for ways to implement the most current pedagogical learning strategies into Xspace’s instructional model. Hedy currently focuses on the overall design of the Xspace instructional model and the implementation of Xspace programs in Vancouver and overseas.

Mr. Stephen Baker – Principal, Virtual High School

Mr. Stephen Baker is the founder and principal of Virtual High School in Bayfield, Ontario. VHS is the oldest online school in Ontario, and has gained numerous awards over the year for their courses. It offers Ontario Secondary School Diploma credits to thousands of students around the world each year.

Stephen Baker
Stephen Baker

Mr. Stephen Baker – Principal, Virtual High School

Mr. Stephen Baker is the founder and principal of Virtual High School in Bayfield, Ontario. VHS is the oldest online school in Ontario, and has gained numerous awards over the year for their courses. It offers Ontario Secondary School Diploma credits to thousands of students around the world each year.

Mr. Alex Liang – Partnerships Director

Mr. Alex Liang has over 12 years of work experience in the international education field in Canada at both the secondary and post-secondary levels. He has held various positions from international student counsellor, international education marketing manager to international program Vancouver campus founder of School Districts 73 and 91 in BC. Alex deeply believes that all ELL students deserve to take center stage in their international education, and know that real ELL student-centered learning can only be made possible through the use of technology.

Instructional Team

The course teachers and class facilitators in Xspace’s programs have ample experience in K-12 teaching and course development.  They are passionate about education and working with ELL students.  Meet some members of our instructional team below!

Karen Chu
Ms. Karen Chu

B.A., M.Ed.

Teaching Specialization: English, History

Samantha Paasche
Ms. Samantha Paasche

B.A., M.A., TESOL

Teaching Specialization: English, History, Economics, Business

Thomas Hynes
Mr. Thomas Hynes

B.Sc.

Teaching Specialization: Math, Physics, Chemistry

Mr. Miswar Syed

B.Sc., M.Sc.

Teaching Specialization: Math, Physics, Chemistry

Ms. Chantelle Boyles

B.A.

Teaching Specialization: English, History

Mrs. Almie Pallar

B.A., M.A.

Teaching Specialization: English

Ms. Magali Santana

B.Sc., M.M.St.

Teaching Specialization: Math, Physics

Ms. Nafisa Hriti

B.Sc., M.Sc.

Teaching Specialization: Math, Physics, Chemistry

Rina Chua
Ms. Rina Chua

B.A., M.A., Ph.D.

Teaching Specialization: English, History, Economics

Katy Churcher
Ms. Katy Churcher

B.F.A., TESL

Teaching Specialization: English

Roba Sharkas
Ms. Ruba Sharkas

B.A.

Teaching Specialization: English

Jackie Groat
Ms. Jacqueline Groat

B.Sc., M.Ed.

Teaching Specialization: Math, Physics, Chemistry