Our Story
I-Think’s story is a story of what it takes to change a system. In September 2026, we held a Celebration of a Remarkable Decade+ bringing together the people and ideas that built I-Think. We hope you find inspiration and your next moves in these experiences.
A Remarkable Community
The I-Think story is dedicated to the thousands of educators who built I-Think to be an example of problem solving and curiosity in action.
Our story is one of taking risks, iterating, learning and co-building. We are a community that takes pride in our insights and learning. We champion each other on this journey: hand-in-hand we reflect, celebrate our success and push to innovate our practice. Your imagination and willingness to take risks have fueled what I-Think has become.
We're living through a crisis. The crisis is not just in politics or the environment or the economy or in education. It's in the compounding effect of these crises on individuals and society that is hurting our collective well-being. It makes us think that what there is is the only possibility, and that we must choose between trade-offs.
When we get fixed on these choices, they start becoming what we think reality is. The problem with the choice is that when they become the only lens we see the world in, our view of the world becomes fixed, and those lenses become our fences.
Something starts happening with our thinking: it becomes rigid. We focus on rigidity instead of curiosity.
In the face of increasing rigidity, the I-Think community chose to be curious and foster that curiosity in others, in the classroom, on teams and in ourselves, making it possible for all of us to be brave.
The I-Think story is a story of hundreds of thousands of students whose lives are forever changed.
Jihan Ahmed is the 2026 winner of the RJS Scholarship at the University of Toronto and is a student leader passionate about mental health, equity, and creating opportunities for young people. He is an aspiring lawyer and currently enrolled in 1st year at the University of Toronto Scarborough in Political Science.
Setting the Stage
We talk about the crisis, why I-Think matters to society and our history as a place of problem solving in action.
Josie Fung
Executive Director, I-Think
Roger Martin
Author, Strategist and Chair, I-Think Board of Directors
Nogah Kornberg
Associate Director, I-Think
The Possibilities
System change requires both vision and action. It is the risk takers, who believe there are better models that exist that are not yet seen, that create the conditions for change. Below are three stories of what it takes to create the foundation for change and the impact of what happens when you do.
Liz O’Neil
With 30 years of experience across the private and public sectors, Liz now focuses on Positive Psychology, helping people and systems build joy, meaning, resilience, and growth. Through her family’s charitable foundation and her role on I-Think’s Board, she works to help Ontario students thrive. Liz holds HBA and MBA degrees from Ivey and a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Toronto with her family and golden retriever and loves travel and great food.
Manon Gardner
For 35 years, Manon Gardner has been an innovative educator and impassioned trilingual communicator devoted to lifelong learning. A native of Quebec, she spent much of her career at the Toronto District School Board, retiring in 2020 after serving in leadership roles such as Chief Academic Officer and Associate Director of School Operations & Service Excellence. Amid the pandemic, she spearheaded a K-12 Virtual School reaching more than 70,000 students to safeguard family well-being. She later brought her expertise to Microsoft Canada as a K-12 consultant, shaping Indigenous inclusion strategies through Minecraft. Today, as a Leadership Coach and Advisor at I-Think, Manon finds joy in witnessing real-time transformation, in students and teachers alike.
From the Field
I-Think has impacted change at every level of the education system: the classroom, schools, creating system alignment and with school board leadership. Below are four of these stories that represent the thousands of teachers and leaders who are building an education system where every student is learning.
Brian Hayes, Gina Gioia, and Josh Catt form the Intermediate Team at Tyendinaga Public School, where equity, reconciliation, and real-world problem solving help students build leadership, confidence, and transferable skills. Their paths to the school differ, but they share a commitment to making student thinking visible, valued, and central to learning. They believe every student must know they belong and that learning is never one-size-fits-all. Whether they're listening to students' ideas, reimagining their teaching, or learning alongside students, families, and colleagues, they bring curiosity, humility, and a willingness to keep growing beside the young people they teach.
Anne Chirakal is the Principal at Ursula Franklin Academy, an instructor for the OPC's Equitable and Inclusive Schools Qualification Program, and former Principal of Central Technical School. A lifelong learner with roots as a teacher and Instructional Coach in the Peel District School Board, she centers her leadership on dismantling systemic barriers to foster true student agency. At home, Anne is a partner to Jeff, proud mom to twin daughters Adalyn and Eloise, and devoted dog-mom to Bruno and Wesley.
Christine Vanderal and Tamara Phillips are former Program Leads on the Halton District School Board's Indigenous Rights and Education team, having co-led the system-wide implementation of the Grade 11 English: Contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Voices course (NBE3) and supported educators across K-12 in embedding Indigenous perspectives throughout the curriculum. Drawing on Indigenous scholarship, systems thinking, and I-Think tools, they worked alongside colleagues to create learning experiences that encouraged curiosity, challenged assumptions, and centred relationship-building.
Sheryl Robinson Petrazzini is a visionary educational leader whose unwavering belief in the transformative power of public education has guided a distinguished career spanning more than 30 years. Prior to joining the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board in 2022 as Director of Education, she served as Executive Superintendent of Education at the Toronto District School Board and has a wide range of teaching and leadership experience that spans from Kindergarten to Gr. 12. Sheryl is deeply dedicated to honouring Indigenous Educational Wellness and Reconciliation, as well as human rights, equity and inclusion. A passionate champion of student achievement, belonging, well-being and voice, she is driven by the conviction that every student deserves to be seen, heard, valued and empowered to reach their full potential.
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