A collective of dedicated members
Our office staff
Ajà Besler
Executive Directon
Ajà Besler has been the Executive Director of the Canadian Foundation for Cross-Cultural Dialogue since 2021, following a career path in the Canadian Francophonie in the areas of youth, performing arts and language rights advocacy. A queer and disability artist and activist, Ajà has a passion for social justice and the Francophonie. Originally from Edmonton, Ottawa is now her adopted community.
Catherine Carle
Manager – National Projects
Working at the Dialogue Foundation since 2013, Catherine is a graduate in Public Relations from La Cité College in Ottawa. Passionate about the performing arts and francophone culture, she brings her knowledge of the performing arts and the world of communications to the Foundation and its projects.
Patrick Pharand
Il
Communications Officer
Khady holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from the Université du Québec en Outaouais and a degree in Business Administration from the University of Saint-Boniface. She is passionate about social justice issues. Co-founder of Action Femme Afrique, she has served on the UQO Rector’s Committee for the improvement of equity, diversity and inclusion procedures.
Aurélie S. Kadjo
UX/UI Designer
Aurélie Kadjo is the UX/UI designer of the dialogue foundation since July 2022. Having studied in Montreal, Aurélie Kadjo is a multidisciplinary artist from the Ivory Coast. In 2020, after several years of creating personal works, she created Art Baobab. Under this name, she presents her first paintings.
After years of experience in web design, she has acquired an expertise in the field and has worked for several companies. She is happy to bring her artistic touch to the Foundation.
Ally Segreto
Projects Officer
Ally is a 2nd year Honours Communications in French Immersion student who joined the team through the Co-Op program at the University of Ottawa. Her studies encourage her to promote and achieve effective communication in both official languages. When not at school or in the office, Ally enjoys being in nature and playing music.
Elie Kouassi
Il
Adjoint en administration et finances
Jeune étudiant en 3e année de Sciences Commerciales à l’université d’Ottawa , Elie se passionne pour les finances et l’économie. En plus de ses études, il effectue actuellement un stage en Administration et en finances au Réseau dialogue. Elie aspire à devenir un Analyste financier dans une grande entreprise ou à travailler dans le secteur bancaire.
Rosie Kasongo
She
VIF Program Coordinator
Rosie holds a master’s degree in international development management and humanitarian action. She has been involved in feminist, anti-racist and youth initiatives for several years and also worked in international cooperation before joining the Dialogue Network team in 2025. Passionate about social justice, gender equality and youth engagement, Rosie firmly believes in the power of change driven by and for young people.
Hana Jahan Sereda
She
Intern in intersectional research and analysis
In 2023, Hana was selected as a page in the House of Commons, an honour bestowed upon a select group of students from across Canada. This role allowed her to observe the inner workings of Parliament and familiarise herself with government procedures. She then contributed to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, where she supported initiatives to foster an inclusive and equitable workplace.
Hana is currently an intersectional research and analysis intern at Dialogue Network, where she is committed to advancing research and promoting dialogue on issues of anti-racism, decolonialism and inclusion.
Beyond her professional and academic pursuits, she is deeply involved in her religious community. She is the president of the Ismaili Students Association of Ottawa, a Bait-ul-Ilm teacher for Grade 6 at the Ottawa Jamatkhana, and a former participant in World Encounters.
As a trilingual trailblazer, she is committed to dismantling systems of ignorance through rigorous advocacy and education. She is adaptable, curious, and determined to learn and grow throughout her life. Hana looks forward to taking on new challenges and seizing new opportunities to continue forging her path.
Elisena Matellus
She
Cultural Coordination Assistant
Elisena Metellus holds a degree in social sciences, with a specialisation in international development and globalisation, from the University of Ottawa. Her career in the non-profit sector has made her aware of issues related to migration, human rights, diversity and inclusion. Curious and passionate, Elisena enjoys travelling and immersing herself in different cultures, with a particular interest in the Caribbean and Latin America. She believes deeply in a world where every individual can contribute to a more inclusive and equitable future.
Phil Rivière
He
Digital Communications and Social Media Manager
Phil is a Franco-Ontarian videographer and designer based in Ottawa. Since he was young, he has been using his filmmaking talent to tell stories and demystify sometimes misunderstood topics, all with a generous touch of humour. His goal today? To engage the next generation with compelling, unique and 100% French-Canadian content. Sometimes light-hearted, sometimes identity-focused, his creations are rooted in Canadian Francophonie, but reach an international audience thanks to the power of social media.
Our Board of Directors
Chedly Belkhodja
Chair, Quebec, New Brunswick
Chedly Belkhodja is professor and was director of the Concordia University School of Public and Community Affairs. From 1992 to 2014, he was a professor in the Department of Political Science at the Université de Moncton.
As a Franco-Tunisian, he grew up in New Brunswick.
He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Bordeaux-Montesquieu (1996) and a master’s degree in Political Science from the Université de Montreal (1991). His research focuses on immigration issues in mid-sized cities and low-immigration areas and on discourses and representations of cultural, religious and ethnic diversity. He also studies the phenomenon of populism and right-wing ideologies.
He was involved in the creation of the Atlantic Metropolis Centre as Director of Research where he later became Director of the Centre from 2006 to 2012. In the meantime, he directed two films produced by the National Film Board of Canada, such as Tableaux d’un voyage imaginaire in 2001 with filmmaker Jean Chabot and Au bout du fil in 2006.
Ania Kolodziej
She
Vice-President, British-Columbia
Ania is a lawyer in Vancouver. She practises law in French, English and Polish. Her practice focuses on civil litigation, constitutional law and language rights. Ania has worked on one of the most significant and lengthy legal challenges in education and language rights in Canadian history. She also provides strategic advice to numerous public institutions, including French-language school boards across Canada.
Having learned French through immersion, Ania completed her first degree in political science and French literature at Simon Fraser University as part of the French Cohort Programme, a multidisciplinary programme offered primarily in French by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Ania obtained her degrees in common law and civil law from the University of Ottawa in 2011. In 2018, she completed her Master’s degree in Education and Sustainable Development at the University of British Columbia.
Suzanne Jacob
Treasurer, British Columbia
Chair of la Société de développement économique (SDE) de la Colombie-Britannique
Very involved in the Francophone community of British-Columbia, she has been president of Réseau Femmes and the Société de Développement Économique la Colombie-Britannique. Since 2018, she sits on the Board of Directors of the Fédération des Francophones de la Colombie-Britannique as the Greater Vancouver representative. She is now Head Mentor of the Business Mentoring Program of the Société Économique de Développement de la CB.
She had a career in management and is now working as a financial advisor.
Liane Roy
President of the FCFA, New Brunswick
Originally from New Brunswick, Liane Roy has devoted her work to the Francophonie at the provincial, regional, national, and international levels. She has served as Assistant Deputy Minister in the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour and the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs of New Brunswick.
As the first CEO of the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC), she led this post-secondary institution to become self-sufficient by overseeing the entire transition process towards a new structure. She worked as a youth technical advisor for the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) in Paris during the preparation for the Francophone Summit in Moncton (1999) and as technical advisor for the Partnership for Non-Formal Education in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).
She has also led the promotion of Acadia throughout various organizations, such as La Société Nationale de l’Acadie (SNA) and La Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick. In 2019, she completed a second Master of Education and a Doctorate (EdD) in Educational Leadership – managing Cultural and Linguistic Diversity at Simon Fraser University. She also holds a Master’s degree in Education with a major in Counselling from the University of Moncton and a Bachelors’s degree in Social Work from the same institution.
Liane Roy is currently a member of the Board of Governors of Université Sainte-Anne and the Board of Directors of the Marichette Foundation. She has also served as Chair of the Board of Directors of Colleges and Institutes Canada, the Consortium national de développement de ressources pédagogiques en français au collégial and Atlantic College Atlantique.
President of the FCFA since 2021, Liane Roy carries the voice of a strong, open, and diversified Francophonie at the international level that engages with reconciliation of Indigenous Peoples. The federal government’s adoption of a modern and respected Official Languages Act is also one of her priorities.
Françoise Sigur-Cloutier
She
Secretary, Alberta
Françoise Sigur-Cloutier is originally from Toulouse, France. She immigrated to Canada and settled in Calgary in 1969. She devoted much of her career to community development, then spent 18 years as Regional Communications Manager for Radio–Canada in Saskatchewan. An active volunteer, she worked with several provincial and national Francophone organisations, particularly in publishing and feminist groups. Elected president of the Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise (ACF), Françoise Sigur-Cloutier focused her mandate on political representation, immigration and the development of post-secondary education.
Having returned to Calgary in May 2019, she is once again very involved in the Francophone community at the local, provincial and national levels.
Françoise is married, the mother of three children, the grandmother of four grandsons and the great-grandmother of a little boy named Arthur.
Allister Surette
Director, Nova Scotia
Mr. Surette has been President and Vice-Chancellor of Université Sainte-Anne since July 1st, 2011.
Mr. Surette was elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature from the constituency of Argyle in 1993. He held several political positions until 1998, including Special Advisor on Acadian and Francophone Governance within the provincial public school system, Minister of Human Resources and Minister of Acadian Affairs.
In addition, he remains actively involved in various committees. He is currently Chair of the Canadian Foundation for Cross-Cultural Dialogue, the Nova Scotia Economic Development Council and the organizing committee of the next Acadian World Congress that will be held in the southwestern Nova Scotia in 2024.
In October 2004, Mr. Surette received the Père-Léger-Comeau certificate from the Fédération Acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse. In October 2008, he was enthroned Commander of the Ordre de la Pléade. In October 2019, he received the Ordre des Francophones d’Amérique for his outstanding contribution to the development of the French language in America and in January 2019, the French Republic named him Knight of l’Ordre des Palmes académiques.
Paula Popescu
Director, Quebec
Paula Popescu is a social worker currently pursing a Master of Social Work degree at the University of Ottawa. Her thesis focuses on access to long-term care for Francophone seniors in the Ottawa area. Paula is also doing an internship at the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages and will be working in the department.
El Hadji Arona Diop
Director, New Brunswick
Originally from Senegal, he graduated from Université Sainte-Anne in Nova Scotia and has a background combining entrepreneurship, social innovation and economic development. He works as a business development, entrepreneurship and innovation officer at the Nova Scotia Economic Development Board. His role involves designing programmes, supporting young and new entrepreneurs, and mobilising Francophone communities around promising and sustainable projects. Thanks to my post-secondary education, various certifications and involvement in interprovincial initiatives, I hope to bring to the Dialogue Network a field-based perspective, rooted in the development of Francophone and Acadian communities and focused on inclusion, youth and intersectoral collaboration.
Geneviève Pelletier
She
Director, Manitoba
Geneviève Pelletier is a Métis creator and director from Winnipeg, located on Treaty #1 territory. Since 2012, she has been delighted to be at the helm of Théâtre Cercle Molière as its artistic director. She is interested in cultural intersections and the multiple possibilities opening up in a world that is becoming smaller and smaller, giving rise to fertile and complex spaces for creation.
Angélique Bernard
She
Director, Yukon
Angélique is a bilingual translator and reviser with a bachelor’s degree in translation from Concordia University in Montreal. She is the Yukon Commissioner from 2018 to 2023. She is the first Francophone in the territory’s history to hold this position.
Before and after this appointment, she ran Angélique Bernard Communications in Whitehorse, providing translation and project coordination services. She was also the first employee of the Yukon’s Francophone women’s group, Les Essentielles, from 1996 to 2001.
She has served in several volunteer and leadership roles within the Yukon Francophone community, including president of the Association franco-yukonnaise, radio host of the program Rencontres, volunteer with the Yukon Francophone Historical Society, and theatre director and actress. She also volunteers for Special Olympics Yukon and is president of the Whitehorse Women’s Soccer League.
She represents the Yukon on the National Action Network for Women’s Education, the Fédération des femmes canadiennes-françaises, the Canadian Women’s Health Network and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne.
She has written books about the Yukon and the Yukon’s Francophone community.
Angélique has lived in the Yukon since 1995.
Valérie Levesque
Elle
Administratrice, New-Brunswick
A professional committed to the French-speaking world for over ten years, she has held various positions that have allowed her to better understand the dynamics of the Canadian Francophonie and contribute to major projects, including the États généraux de l’Acadie during the 2024 World Acadian Congress. Now assistant director at the Société Nationale de l’Acadie, she is actively involved in consultation, governance, human resources and youth projects mobilising young Francophones in the Atlantic region. Her career path is guided by a commitment to inclusion, collaboration and pride in identity. My training in psychology, combined with skills in management and governance, allows me to approach issues in a humane and structured manner.
Pierre Jury
He
Director, Ontario
Pierre Jury’s career at Le Droit spans nearly 35 years, the last 18 of which he spent as chief editorialist defending the French-speaking world and the principles of social justice, democracy and sound administration as chief editorialist.
Having covered all areas of journalism, from economics and politics to sports, and having kept a column on gastronomy and restaurants for over 25 years, he distinguished himself as the first French-speaking journalist to cover the creation of a National Hockey League team, the Ottawa Senators.
Furthermore, Mr. Jury has also been a judge in numerous culinary competitions and panels, and was one of 30 Canadians to receive the prestigious Order of Agricultural Merit, awarded by the French Republic.
Mr. Jury has also judged numerous culinary competitions and panels, and was one of 30 Canadians to receive the prestigious Order of Agricultural Merit, awarded by the French Republic.
Son of a Ukrainian father and a French-Canadian mother, Pierre Jury is an alumnus of the International Olympic Academy and holds a BA in German and Russian history from McGill University in Montreal.
He also studied at the University of Montreal and Laval, and was a scholarship student at the Rotman School of Business in Toronto.
Jason Doiron
He
Director, Nouveau-Brunswick
Fluent in both French and English, he could facilitate communication and the expansion of our initiatives in both official languages, thereby strengthening our reach among French-speaking and English-speaking communities. His experience in group facilitation and mediation would enable me to effectively support the dialogue processes we endorse. He has an ability to identify development opportunities and develop sustainable strategies that could help the Foundation expand its impact while remaining true to its core values.
Sirina Kerim-Dekini
She
Director, Ontario
A trilingual professional in management, statistics and governance, she has collaborated with institutions such as the Library of Parliament, UNESCO, UNICEF and Oxfam. Her expertise covers strategic analysis, technical report writing and international project management. With an MSc in management, a postgraduate degree in HR and currently enrolled in an Executive MBA, she is deeply committed to diversity, the French-speaking world and citizen participation. Her experience at the United Nations (2002–2017) reinforced her commitment to intercultural dialogue. Born in France to Togolese parents, she lived in Russia and has been a resident of Canada since 1993. She is now a Canadian citizen.