Our team

AQED is run almost entirely by volunteers. Its management is divided between a board of directors and an administrative director. The people who work within the association are part of committees overseeing various projects and mandates.

Board of directors

Marine Dumond-Després, Chair

Marine is first and foremost a mother of two homeschooled children. For her, learning as a family is a logical decision allowing her to spend quality time with her children and to follow their pace and interests.

In 2017, she completed her master's degree in educational administration focusing on social norms in family learning support groups,  and she is currently preparing a doctorate on the socialization of family-educated youths at the Université de Montréal. She is also co-founder of an activity group for out-of-school children in the Montreal area.

Marine has served as chair of AQED’s board of directors since March 2020. Among her many responsibilities, she is in charge of relations with the Direction de l'enseignement à la maison.

Emilie Salesse Gauthier, Vice-chair

Emilie had not anticipated that homeschooling would be part of her life. Top of the class in her youth, a model and docile student, school seemed to be the way to go without saying. There were a few slow moments and times of exasperation, but nothing that justified questioning the established order.

Then, pregnant with her second child, she attended a conference on unschooling at a congress of La Leche League. What a reveal! She felt completely attracted to this way of life. She had the right profile: a bit of an environmentalist (project manager in a renewable energy association), a follower of positive parenting (mothering, prolonged breastfeeding), children not in daycare… And from research to research, the magic happened!

Now a mother of four, none of which went to school. She loves spending time with her kids and learning with them. She is very active in her region and community. She organizes art workshops, sports classes and conferences. She is best known for the hybrid co-operative-style shared education models she has developed in the Outaouais. She has been AQED’s representative for this region since 2018. She joined the AQED Board of Directors in October 2020.

Tanya Gagné, Treasurer

As a mother of three homeschooled children who have never attended school, Tanya enjoys getting involved in causes that are dear to her heart. For her, family education is an important right that needs to be protected. This way, all families can choose to live this adventure together, an experience to which Tanya believes few things can compare.

Tanya began her involvement with the association by volunteering with the team providing support to members. In May 2019, she became a member of AQED's board of directors. She serves as treasurer.

Laurence Berger, Secretary

Laurence has an insatiable thirst for knowledge. She is currently a student in French Literary Studies, having previously studied Animal Health, as well as Human and Natural Sciences. She has been tutoring French at the college level for several years. Laurence was herself homeschooled until secondary 4, now her children enjoy the benefits of learning as a family.

Laurence is a passionate and generous person who is involved in her community. She loves to help, which is why she originally started volunteering with AQED's support team. She is also involved in her regional support group, in her community's family-centered organizations, as well as in the Optimist Club. She takes on one project after the other. She has decided to give further of her time, energy and ideas to AQED by joining the Board of Directors.

Aurore Bonvalot, Director

Aurore Bonvalot is a woman of head and heart. Passionate about travel, she has discovered over 70 countries, even setting off on a 6-month world tour, and opened her travel and events agency almost 5 years ago. 

French by origin, Canadian for 11 years, she got married and gave birth to her little boy Ethan 4 years ago. Her agency offers accompanied or unaccompanied trips, specifically designed for families with young children. She is already getting ready to homeschool and, when everything will be possible, she will travel again with her little family. There's nothing better than learning while travelling! 

Her motto: "Great opportunities can arise at any time, but very often when you least expect it: knowing how to seize them makes you grow and enriches you. " Becoming a mother is her greatest achievement. She joined the Board of Directors in February 2021.

Gina Picone, Director

Gina Picone is the mother of three neuro-divergent children and an educator at heart. She has spent many years volunteering in schools, sports, and events alongside her children. Her parenting experience has taught her that every child succeeds when given the space to explore their interests and work through their difficulties.

Her homeschooling journey started 11 years ago when she decided to take her eldest son out of school to give him the one-on-one support that he needed. Although it came with struggles, it was the best decision she could have made for him. At that time, she had one child at home and one in school. This helped her see that every child learns differently, and confirmed that learning in a classroom doesn’t work for everyone. Gina is now a member of AQED’s board of directors, and continues to be a homeschooling parent.

Administrative Management 

Marie-Jo Demers, Executive Director

Marie-jo is the mother of two beautiful and gifted boys who are learning differently. Wishing to promote the sharing of information, research advances and best practices concerning everything related to DYS (dyslexia, dysorthographia, dyscalculia, dysphasia, dyspraxia), she founded the DYS Knowledge Center page on Facebook. An accomplished manager, she has proven herself in several fields. Whether in project management, web design, operations management, customer satisfaction, writing... she has many tricks up her sleeve! 

Life led her to discover homeschooling and alternative pedagogies in 2014. Although the experience was short-lived, she remained within this network and finally returned to it fully in 2019. She is happy to be able to contribute to the growth of homeschooling in Quebec!

Maude Beauregard-Paquette, Executive Assistant

Maude came to AQED in the midst of the political storm of the 2019 homeschooling regulation change. Despite the fact that she had no knowledge of home education, she quickly familiarized herself with the issues faced by those in this wonderful field.

Maude is involved in several areas of the organization's management, but the members will know her most from the "admin box". She helps guide people with kindness and gentleness. As a young mother of 4 children, she is able to deal with all kinds of situations. Her versatility and resourcefulness are greatly appreciated by all!

When her children were younger, Maude loved the world of motherhood and all that it entailed so much that it inspired her to become a breastfeeding sponsor. Now that her children are getting older, she has decided to go back to school and has started to work toward a certificate in feminist studies in the fall of 2020.

Catherine Thibault, Coordonator

Catherine is a mom of 3 young children who are eager to learn. She was raised in a home daycare and always enjoyed caring for the children and participating in their development. Her first child was born with esophageal atresia which quickly taught her to trust her maternal instinct and shed light on her children’s needs. The physical and mental health, personal growth and blossoming of her children are always at the center of her decision-making.

Catherine is passionate for projects and is always looking at ways to have a positive impact on her surroundings. She is dedicated, energetic, and she loves being of service and helping the people around her. Resourceful at her core, she doesn’t hesitate to explore new avenues to find solutions to every challenge. It’s with a lot of enthusiasm and honour that she joined the AQED team in September 2021.

Committees

• Welcome to new members
• Member support
• Recruitment and volunteer recognition
• Public relations
• Political action
• Content creation and communications
• Research, studies, and statistics
• Administration