Our Team

Ryan Tierney

CEO | Owner

Ryan Tierney has been an international educator for over 20 years. He has taught in a variety of environments from teaching children through adults. He has taught management and leadership to corporate executives and worked as a software trainer in Silicon Valley.

Ryan is an Erickson certified coach and is passionate about supporting a coaching culture in children’s education. Ryan is deeply appreciative of all the amazing staff and teachers that bring innovative and motivational lessons to students attending Little Mountain.

Ryan has a B.A. from UBC, a TESOL teaching certificate and two post-graduate diplomas in Information Technology and Asian Studies. Ryan also has an MBA.

He is a passionate sailor. In 2016 he crewed in two international yacht races winning the Swiftsure and placing 3rd in the Vancouver Island 360 (a 2 week sailing race around the entirety of Vancouver Island)

Kay Han

Operations Manager

Kay majored in English Literature in Seoul and had dynamic experiences living and working in New York. Kay’s natural affection toward people lead her to build up her career with a fun-loving teaching approach for a variety of student age groups. Many years of relationships with parents and students supported Kay to start Little Mountain Homeschool in Seoul in partnership with LMLA in Vancouver.

Since LMLA’s foundation in 2004 Kay has been in charge of guiding LMLA summer campers from Korea and managing them through every summer for over a decade. Kay had precious experiences sharing in children’s learning and communicating with parents. She has fantastic memories with children and building long term trusting relationships with their parents.

As an Operations Manager at Little Mountain Learning Academy Kay has been pursuing working toward making LMLA an ever more affectionate and friendly place for all- LMLA students, parents and teachers.

Kang Bi

Admissions Director

Kang graduated from Beijing JiaoTong University with a Master’s in Logistics management, department of economics and a certificate in teaching Chinese as a second language from Beijing Language and Culture University.

Kang spent 4 years teaching Chinese in the department of Chinese studies, Kangwon National University, South Korea before moving to Vancouver with her husband and her two daughters.

As Little Mountain Learning Academy’s Admissions Director, Kang is dedicated to giving warm and professional counselling services to all of our students and their parents – helping them to achieve their goals.

Gareth Randall

Academic Director

Gareth grew up in the diverse city of London, England where he taught for over 5 years after completing his degree in History. He has worked with a wide range of young people, both in the United Kingdom and in Vancouver, the city he now calls home. Prior to relocating to Canada, he was an elementary school teacher and a member of the senior leadership team as head of maths of his school in London.

Gareth has been an educator for over ten years. Here in Vancouver, he has utilized his TESOL qualification as a lead teacher at Little Mountain. He has found great satisfaction in seeing his students succeed and meet their wide-ranging goals.

His passion lies in facilitating a lifelong love of learning and enabling children to become the best they can be. And he believes that his role is to guide students towards becoming independent, informed and able to share their knowledge and ideas with the world with confidence.

Vika Frary

Curriculum Manager

Vika spent her childhood in tropical Fiji and not-so-tropical Scotland, and also lived in England and Japan before immigrating to Canada. Her experiences living overseas and learning other languages gives her insight into the cultural and linguistic realities faced by her students.

After graduating from the University of York in the UK, she spent 14 years in the Tokyo area teaching all ages from toddlers to seniors. Vika is a big believer in active learning, and she strives to create an atmosphere full of energy and positivity in her classroom. She specializes in teaching beginners and younger students, where her bubbly personality is especially effective.

Her extraordinary experience in teaching enables Vika to become a curriculum developer now.  Her curriculums are useful tools for English learners to break through the barriers in their studies.

Chantel Duncan

Lead Online Teacher

Chantel was born in Toronto, Canada. From an early age, she has had a keen interest in languages. She pursued her interest and majored in French studies at York University Glendon Campus. While learning French as a second language, she became aware of the difficulties in second language acquisition from a learner’s perspective. She became enthralled with the English language, and through her tutoring experiences, she realized her passion for teaching.

She is currently completing her B. A in English linguistics and has completed a TESOL certification. By working with teachers from York University English language Institute, she gained insight into various methodologies. Chantel has since worked with many students of varying learning styles for more than a decade. She is committed to making lessons engaging, meaningful, as well as interactive. She believes that every student learns in their own unique way, and she is determined to help all students reach their maximum potential.

Sandra Tsang

Academic Coordinator

Sandra Tsang was born and raised in Canada. Her interest in human behaviour led her to the University of British Columbia, where she earned her B.A. in Sociology and Psychology.

Having studied human behaviour and interaction, she understands the important role language plays in understanding a new social and cultural environment. Sandra has dedicatedly volunteered her time to teach new learners of English due to her firm belief that language and culture are strongly connected.

Sandra has worked with many students in the past, including those with diverse abilities and needs. She also has experience in teaching and facilitating conversational English with International students. For Sandra, the best part about teaching is sparking curiosity in students and helping them achieve their personal goals.

James Dibb

Teacher

James grew up in Yorkshire, England. After studying language acquisition theories, he soon developed a passion for language learning, and the study of language learners themselves. He completed a BA in English Language, followed by an MA in Psycholinguistics. His main area of research was bilingualism and second language acquisition, and the interaction of two or more languages in the brain. He also holds a Postgraduate Certificate of Education from a UK University.

James first started teaching English language and literature in 2014 in England. Working in a challenging school with students from a variety of cultural backgrounds, he learned the importance of having good relationships with students and building a positive atmosphere in the classroom where all students feel at home. James encourages students with positive reinforcement to become more confident and curious, thus growing as learners. 

A winter sport enthusiast, James enjoys spending free time snowboarding in the mountains around Vancouver or at the hockey rink.

Leona Lam

Marketing Specialist

Leona was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Commerce. She is passionate about education and has previously worked in multiple education marketing roles. 

Leona has previously worked in a Public Relations role for authors and speakers in the Financial Literacy sector, helping many young adults learn how to properly handle their finances. She has also worked at an aquaculture company to create fun educational material for elementary school students. 

In Leona’s free time, she enjoys creating new recipes. Her recipes cater to many dietary restrictions, such as gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan!

Zee Maxwell

Tutor

Zee has lived in different countries, but mostly grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. She graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature & Rhetoric with a minor in Business. She is always elated to be in the classroom and genuinely enjoys interacting with students of diverse backgrounds. She has worked in various education roles in Canada and abroad.
 
Zee has previously worked in colleges and private organizations helping students and young adults develop their English language skills. Her recent experience was working in a public school in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher for 3 years. There, she helped elementary and junior high school students with their communication skills and English studies. She has also worked with international students in colleges in Ontario as well as abroad. 

In Zee’s free time, she likes to paint, read or go for a nature walk or hike with her husband. She also likes painting postcards and exchanging letters with her friends in various parts of the world. A fun fact about her is that, despite her appearance, she is fluent in Japanese.

Anna Riminchan

Tutor

Anna was born in Bulgaria, where she spent her early childhood before immigrating to Canada with her family.

Over the last five years, she has volunteered her time as a mentor for children struggling with mathematics and English in disadvantaged communities. Anna found teaching to be incredibly rewarding and continued to volunteer her time mentoring students and coordinating the program.

Anna is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science Degree, majoring in Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia. In the meantime, she is contributing to advancing research in neuroscience, after which, she plans to pursue a degree in medicine.

Anna is proud to pass on her knowledge and excite students about education. She hopes to inspire students to grow academically and reach their full potential as learners.

Almira Dela Reyna

Teacher

Almira is from Toronto, Canada. She studied linguistics at the University of Toronto. She worked for a non-profit organization that ran after-school and summer camp programs for students ages 6 to 18 years old. 

After many years of working with children and youth, she decided to make a life-changing move to China to teach English as a second language. She moved to a beautiful city called Hangzhou, where she spent four years teaching children and adults. While in China, she taught in renowned public schools and international centres.

Almira started building her professional career in education, leisure, and recreation in 2009, and after all this time and many different countries, she now continues to inspire and teach the students of Little Mountain while based in England!

Carelynn Loopstra

Teacher

Carelynn was born and raised close to Toronto, Canada. She graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Arts, and then from Nipissing University with a Bachelor of Education. She has furthered her studies in education by obtaining qualifications in Experiential Education, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and Special Education.

Carelynn has been a classroom teacher in northern Canada, India, and Tanzania, and an online teacher of students in China, Korea, Japan, and Poland. She continues to run education programs where she lives in Tanzania, and facilitates the use of an online platform that connects students in Canada with groups of vulnerable youth abroad through educational programming.

One of Carelynn’s favorite things to do is to go exploring, which she must do with caution in Tanzania, where there is a chance she might meet a not-so-friendly beast along the way!

Yolande Taylor

Teacher

Yolande was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.  She first graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours BA in English and History, and later completed her Bachelor of Education from York University.  She loves books, literature, and teaching students!

Yolande has previously worked for international schools overseas in South America and the Caribbean where she taught all subjects to English learners in a full-day, English immersion environment.  She is currently in her 18th year of working for the Durham District School Board in Toronto as an elementary school teacher for grades K-6 where she strives to provide an engaging learning experience for her students.

In Yolande’s free time, she likes to read, do home renovations, and travel with her family!

Dawna Hung

Teacher

Dawna is a certified teacher from Canada. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in History and Arts Administration. After falling in love with teaching, she went on to complete her Bachelor of Education with a specialization in primary and junior education. She also holds a TEFL certification and a Teaching English to Young Learner’s certificate.

Dawna has spent many years teaching students of different backgrounds and cultures. She spent over a decade in Seoul, South Korea teaching in public schools to elementary-aged students. She loved implementing project-based learning studies and reading programs during her time there.  She also has experience teaching ESL online to students based in Saudi Arabia. She has spent time, both in classrooms and online over the past 15 years, teaching students of all ages, including adults. She couldn’t have asked for a more rewarding journey. 

When she is not dedicating her time to seeking new educational materials and teaching methods, Dawna likes to find time for her hobbies, which include photography, writing, and travel. She loves languages and is always trying to perfect her Cantonese, French, and Korean skills in her spare time.

Jolly Lei

Administrative Assistant

Jolly Lei graduated from Trinity Western University with a B.A. in Leadership. She has also completed a Diploma in Business English in Mainland China. Studying abroad enables Jolly to understand the difficulties and struggles that students encounter while learning English and adapting to the local culture.

Jolly is passionate about helping Little Mountain Learning Academy students learn English efficiently by sharing her productive learning background and experience.

Bunny Gu

Administrative Assistant

Bunny comes from Beijing and received her university education in Beijing Language and Culture University. Afterward, she acquired her Master’s Degree in Education and Teaching License in both primary and secondary schools in Australia. 

Bunny has dedicated herself to Education career for nearly 20 years, including primary school room teacher in Australia, IELTS & TOEFL teacher and Education Manager in Beijing and K-12 Education Consultant in Vancouver.

Bunny spends most of her leisure time with her family watching and doing various sports activities. She is enthusiastic about soccer, swimming, and tennis. She also enjoys reading and writing in her spare time and has maintained her membership in Beijing Writers’ Association for more than 15 years. As a happy mom and an experienced education professional for years, she fully understands parents’ feelings and struggles in children’s upbringing and is always eager to help more families on their way to life-long happiness and success!