Who We Are

• Mrs. Dare began her career as an elementary school teacher after graduating from the University of Western Ontario and London Teachers’ College. She later joined the Department of External Affairs and served in Hong Kong and Barbados. As a result of her concern for the state of education in Ontario, Mrs. Dare was one of the founding members of the Organization for Quality Education (OQE). She was OQE’s founding president, a director of the Society for Advancing Educational Research in Education, and the author of How to Get the Right Education for Your Child and Stairway to Reading. Mrs. Dare was a member of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Appointments for the Province of Ontario (West & South). She has two children.

John Bachmann, Vice President

• Mr. Bachmann is a professor engineer who currently works as a Sales, Marketing and Quality Manager for an industrial distribution company in Mississauga. After graduating from the University of Manitoba in Mechancial Engineering, Mr. Bachmann went to teachers' college and taught high school in Winnipeg for five years, during which time he earned his BEd. Since that time, he has accumulated 30 years' experience in industry, along with an MBA. He is currently the Chairman of the Canadian Fluid Power Association and is very involved, with other international associations, in projects intended to improve technology education in elementary and secondary schools, and to promote careers involving fluid power technology. Mr. Bachmann is thrilled at the prospect of teaching his recently-arrived granddaughters how to read using Stairway to Reading.

Nancy Wagner, Secretary-Treasurer

• Mrs. Wagner has a diploma in nursing from St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario and practiced her profession for many years. She and her husband own and operate their own business, The Bow Shop in Waterloo, Ontario. She has sat on various boards in her local community. Mrs. Wagner was a member of the Training and Education Committee of the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce. She is past executive committee member of Resurrection High School. Also an advocate for education reform, Mrs. Wagner served as President of the Organization for Quality Education. She has three children.

Frank Gue, Director

• Mr. Gue is a retired professional electrical engineer, BSc Alberta, MBA McMaster (Hamilton), who worked in the manufacturing and systems management fields and has written published works on these subjects. Mr. Gue also taught technical and management subjects at the college and university level. He and his wife are residents of Burlington.

Gerry Nicholls, Director

• Gerry Nicholls is one of Canada’s most prominent defenders of our economic and political freedoms. For more than twenty years he was a senior officer at the National Citizens Coalition, Canada’s largest independent pro-free market advocacy group. While at the NCC Gerry directed the group’s political strategy and oversaw its communication campaigns. Gerry now works as a freelance writer and as an independent political consultant. His columns on political affairs have appeared national newspapers including the National Post, the Globe and Mail, and the Sun Media chain. Currently Gerry is a Senior Fellow with the Democracy Institute. He is a parent of two sons.