Dr. Douglas Willms, President and CEO

Dr. Douglas Willms is a Professor and Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy at the University of New Brunswick (UNB). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Fellow of the International Academy of Education, and a Member of the US National Academy of Education.

Dr. Willms has published over two hundred research articles and monographs pertaining to youth literacy, children’s health, the accountability of schooling systems, and the assessment of national reforms. Dr. Willms played a lead role in developing the questionnaires for Canada’s National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) and the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

Dr. Willms is known for his training of new investigators in the analysis of complex multilevel data. He regularly conducts workshops on multilevel modeling across Canada and throughout Asia, Europe and Latin America. Dr. Willms’s current interests include the examination of family, school and community factors that contribute to the health and well-being of children and adolescents, and the use of continuous monitoring for evaluating school reforms.

He lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick with his wife, Ann, and three children, Alison, Maya, and Andrew.

Patrick Flanagan

Patrick is co-founder of The Learning Bar, and maintained a position as CEO until March 2012. He has a Master’s degree in Anthropology, has studied at the University of Stockholm, Sweden, and has spent extended periods of time away from the Canadian mainstream (Northern Labrador, Costa Rica, Europe) in various capacities related to schools and adult learning. He has a passion for teaching and learning himself, and has had a steady hand on the development of the TTFM system as it has unfolded in communities across Canada.

Although no longer involved in the day-to-day running of The Learning Bar, Patrick still maintains an interest in the company and looks forward to seeing its continued growth in helping schools to improve learning outcomes for students.

Department Heads

Robert DiDiodato – Head of Sales

Robert leads the sales division, focused on understanding customer needs and then finding the appropriate survey solution. With a background in education and business, he well appreciates the requirement of delivering exceptional product while structuring win-win arrangements, compulsory in today’s tough fiscal climate. A keen handyman, Robert can be found running on the trail system in Fredericton, playing golf and tennis in the summer time, and is an avid chess player during the winter when not spending time with family.

Richard Chan – System Architect

Richard loves data, especially presenting them in various ways to discover new information. He developed most of the reporting modules of the TTFM Survey System that has generated tens of thousands of charts and reports. He has a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from the University of Hong Kong, a post-graduate diploma in Geo-information Systems from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and a Master’s degree in Geographic Information System from the University of New Brunswick. If Richard has any free time (i.e., not mowing lawn, shoveling snow, or forcing himself to run on the treadmill), he likes to watch movies or work on his pet projects.

Mary-Ellen Landry – Head of Account Success

When you meet Mary-Ellen, it doesn’t take long to figure out that she’s a people person with a ‘disease to please’. As one of The Learning Bar’s Account Success Managers, providing excellence in customer service is at the top of her agenda when she is working with members who use the Tell Them From Me survey system. Ensuring they are getting the most out of their data and overall experience with The Learning Bar is of utmost importance to her. When she’s not in the vibrant office space of The Learning Bar, you will find Mary-Ellen spreading the good news about leading an active and healthy lifestyle. Armed with a Bachelor of Physical Education, you’ll find Mary-Ellen leading group fitness classes at her local YMCA alongside her amazing husband, John, power walking the hills of Fredericton, or skipping rope and playing hopscotch with her step-daughter, Monica.