Please join us in a very warm welcome to IBBY Canada’s New 2021/2022 Board Members
Dina Theleritis, 1st Vice-President
Josiane Polidori, 2nd Vice-President
Josiane has over 35 years of experience in publishing and art administration. After completing studies in French Literature at McGill and the Sorbonne, she worked as a publicist at Libre Expression, the Royal Canadian Mint and Musée canadien des civilisations before becoming Publishing Officer at the Canada Council for the Arts where she managed the Governor General’s Literary Awards, International Translation program and the National Book Festival. She joined the National Library of Canada (now Library and Archives Canada) as Head of Children’s Literature where she organized the 2003 Fun of Reading International Forum on Canadian Children’s Literature.
Josiane was president of IBBY Canada from 2004-2006 and has been a juror both for the French and the English TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. She is currently Chair of the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award.
Maral Maclagan, Recording Secretary
Maral is a publishing and media professional with over 25 years of experience in the field. Armed with a degree in Language and Linguistics from Queen’s University, she started out as an editor in the French division of educational publisher Copp Clark. Eager to make the switch to children’s trade books and media, Maral then joined Annick Press, first as Marketing Manager, then moving to Rights—the field she loves most. Maral has also worked in the film and television industry, with Emmy award-winning production company Devine Entertainment and at TVO and its distance learning section, ILC.
For the last 10 years, Maral has been head of Rights and Contracts at Scholastic Canada Ltd., collaborating with global affiliates and worldwide publishing partners.
Marcela Mangarelli, Regional Councillor Prairies
Marcela is a publishing professional with years of experience in the field. Originally from Argentina, she has lived in Canada since 2003, where she has worked in different publishing houses. For the last six years, she has been distributing children’s books in Spanish through Doubledutch Books, bringing the best children’s books from Latin America and Spanish publishers. She also coordinates bookmaking workshops for elementary and high school students in Spanish and English. Marcela holds a Master’s Degree in Books and Children’s Literature (Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona), a Publishing Certificate (Ryerson University) and a Master’s Degree in Reading, Books and Readers for Children and Young Adults (Universidad de Zaragoza, expected 2021).
Nadine King, Regional Councillor East
Nadine is a children’s bookseller and library technician in Halifax, NS. She has worked for 11 years at Woozles, sharing her love for words and illustration with children, young people and their families. She loves how a book can let you walk in someone else’s shoes and experience life in other countries, cultures and worlds.
Nadine Robert, Regional Councillor Quebec
Nadine is a Canadian author and publisher. She began her career as a video game designer and director of animated films. Her first picture book, Joseph Fipps, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Nadine has “become a talent to watch” (2013). Co-founder of publishing house Comme des geants, she has always had a strong passion for illustrated children’s books. She holds degrees in education and literature, has translated several picture books into French, and has taught editorial project management at the Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec.
In 2018, Nadine Robert founded a new publishing house, Le Lièvre de Mars. Its mission is to re-edit and re-issue out-of-print books and text from the past six decades.
Shamaila Siddique, CANSCAIP Liaison
Shamaila is a marketing professional with years of experience working in both the private and public sectors. Currently, working for the energy industry, she manages the company’s social media channels and writes technical content. She graduated from the University of Toronto in a joint program with Sheridan College with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Communications. She also pursued a minor in Professional Writing, for which she won the Maryann Wells Memorial Scholarship Award. She is completing her certificate in editing at Simon Fraser University.
She is a member of CANSCAIP. As an avid reader, she loves to write for children.
Please join us in a very warm welcome to IBBY Canada’s New 2021/2022 Board Members
Dina Theleritis, 1st Vice-President
Josiane has over 35 years of experience in publishing and art administration. After completing studies in French Literature at McGill and the Sorbonne, she worked as a publicist at Libre Expression, the Royal Canadian Mint and Musée canadien des civilisations before becoming Publishing Officer at the Canada Council for the Arts where she managed the Governor General’s Literary Awards, International Translation program and the National Book Festival. She joined the National Library of Canada (now Library and Archives Canada) as Head of Children’s Literature where she organized the 2003 Fun of Reading International Forum on Canadian Children’s Literature.
Josiane was president of IBBY Canada from 2004-2006 and has been a juror both for the French and the English TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. She is currently Chair of the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award.
Maral is a publishing and media professional with over 25 years of experience in the field. Armed with a degree in Language and Linguistics from Queen’s University, she started out as an editor in the French division of educational publisher Copp Clark. Eager to make the switch to children’s trade books and media, Maral then joined Annick Press, first as Marketing Manager, then moving to Rights—the field she loves most. Maral has also worked in the film and television industry, with Emmy award-winning production company Devine Entertainment and at TVO and its distance learning section, ILC.
For the last 10 years, Maral has been head of Rights and Contracts at Scholastic Canada Ltd., collaborating with global affiliates and worldwide publishing partners.
Marcela is a publishing professional with years of experience in the field. Originally from Argentina, she has lived in Canada since 2003, where she has worked in different publishing houses. For the last six years, she has been distributing children’s books in Spanish through Doubledutch Books, bringing the best children’s books from Latin America and Spanish publishers. She also coordinates bookmaking workshops for elementary and high school students in Spanish and English. Marcela holds a Master’s Degree in Books and Children’s Literature (Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona), a Publishing Certificate (Ryerson University) and a Master’s Degree in Reading, Books and Readers for Children and Young Adults (Universidad de Zaragoza, expected 2021).
Nadine is a children’s bookseller and library technician in Halifax, NS. She has worked for 11 years at Woozles, sharing her love for words and illustration with children, young people and their families. She loves how a book can let you walk in someone else’s shoes and experience life in other countries, cultures and worlds.
Nadine is a Canadian author and publisher. She began her career as a video game designer and director of animated films. Her first picture book, Joseph Fipps, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Nadine has “become a talent to watch” (2013). Co-founder of publishing house Comme des geants, she has always had a strong passion for illustrated children’s books. She holds degrees in education and literature, has translated several picture books into French, and has taught editorial project management at the Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec.
In 2018, Nadine Robert founded a new publishing house, Le Lièvre de Mars. Its mission is to re-edit and re-issue out-of-print books and text from the past six decades.
Shamaila is a marketing professional with years of experience working in both the private and public sectors. Currently, working for the energy industry, she manages the company’s social media channels and writes technical content. She graduated from the University of Toronto in a joint program with Sheridan College with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Communications. She also pursued a minor in Professional Writing, for which she won the Maryann Wells Memorial Scholarship Award. She is completing her certificate in editing at Simon Fraser University.
She is a member of CANSCAIP. As an avid reader, she loves to write for children.
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