Our people
We are a team of skilled trainers and writing analysts
We share a passion for clear communication, a love of nitty-gritty problem solving, and a healthy impatience for inefficiency.
Warning—our enthusiasm is infectious and may leave you feeling inspired to write :)
Meet the team
-
![]()
Chari <br/>Smith
Owner and President
-
![]()
Sylvia <br/>Gackle
Owner and Director
-
![]()
Ioana <br/>Scumpu
Senior Instructor and Editor
-
![]()
Veronica <br/>Armstrong
Legal Instructor and Editor, LLB
-
![]()
Jana <br/>Lait
Senior Instructor and Editor
-
![]()
Bronagh <br/>Morgan
Legal Instructor and Editor, LLB
-
![]()
Thomas <br/>Smith
Instructor and Editor
-
![]()
Lori <br/>Simonelli
Instructor and Editor
-
![]()
Antoine <br/>Cammalleri
Instructor and Editor
-
![]()
Heather <br/>Erickson
Office Manager
-
![]()
Willis <br/>Yurko
Accountability Partner
Chari Smith—Owner and President
Chari started as an instructor with Wordsmith in the late ‘90s and became the president in 2010. She navigated a great deal of change and growth in the company and worked on projects like plain language for credit card agreements, expert witness reports, readable utility bills, and human rights complaint forms.
Chari is the genius behind our curriculum and approach to writing. She is happiest working on the trickiest problems we come across, and she keeps threatening to write a book about what we’ve learned. She continues to teach and build courses and also mentors the next generation of Wordsmith team members to carry on the good work.
Special strength
None of us can compare to Chari’s ability to see past existing text and transform documents. She is also a big fan of short meetings, which has a good influence on our Wordsmith world.
Random fun facts
Chari was born in South Africa. Besides being a veterinarian, writing was the only profession she was interested in growing up. She isn’t a lawyer but has a deep interest in and love of legal writing.
Favourite quote
“Goals are best achieved indirectly.”
—John Kay, Obliquity
Sylvia Gackle—Owner and Director
Sylvia started with Wordsmith as an intern and began instructing in 2015—she now runs the company day-to-day. She’s been a part of many of the impactful projects that you will hear us talk about in our workshops.
Sylvia has a passion for working with organizations to improve efficiency in their processes to create documents. She has led a number of change initiatives for clients, including the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments, the Public Service Commission, and Alberta Health.
Sylvia has a double major in International Relations and History and certificates in Teaching English as a Second Language, Professional Editing, and Organizational Change Management. She speaks Spanish fluently, intermediate French, and she’s working on Italian.
Special strength
Sylvia has an amazing ability to get writers talking, so they effortlessly articulate what they are trying to say—then get it on paper. She also has a 6th sense for how to optimize inefficiencies on a systemic level.
Random fun facts
Sylvia not only loves obstacle course racing, but she is incredibly good at it. And, yes, we mean finishing second at the Obstacle Race World Championships. Her happiest weekends are spent camping in the mountains with friends, family, and her dog Willis.
Favourite quote
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
—Howard Thurman
Veronica Armstrong—Legal Instructor and Editor, LLB
Veronica is our Wordsmith veteran who has been with the company since 2009. She has helped us support many generations of legal writers in organizations across Canada.
Veronica is a plain-language pioneer who began her legal career in South Africa. She was central to an initiative to make banking more accessible to customers by communicating in plain language. She was a founding member of Masifundeni Adult Literacy Association.
In Canada, Veronica spent eight years at the BC Securities Commission in the Capital Markets Regulation division. Later, she was Senior Legal Counsel, Policy Development, at egX Group Inc., a global securities marketplace. She now has her own firm, the Veronica Armstrong Law Corporation.
Special strength
Veronica has the gift few others do—effortless presenting. Not surprisingly, she was awarded Toastmaster of the Year in British Columbia in 2013.
Random fun facts
Veronica has a lovely South African accent. She can touch her chin with her tongue, and she’s recently picked up a new fitness pastime: learning hip hop!
Favourite quote
“Never say never!”
—Charles Dickens
Ioana Scumpu—Senior Instructor and Editor
Ioana brings a rich background in international government and private sector communications in both Europe and the US. Ioana used to draft daily briefings for the Prime Minister of Romania and his Cabinet, as well as media briefings for weekly press conferences.
She has a passion for teaching and one-on-one coaching. Her work often focuses on infusing writing with authenticity, building trust with the audience, and making what is usually left unsaid part of the conversation.
Ioana has Masters’ degrees in Communication and Public Relations, as well as Security Studies. She is also an experienced public speaker (Google her for a TEDx talk).
Special strength
We don’t call Ioana the “coaching queen” for no reason. She has an uncanny ability to adapt to the person she’s working with, intuit what they need, and give them good tools to solve problems. She also speaks five languages!
Random fun facts
Ioana is an avid cultural traveler. She went hunting with the Hadzabe in Tanzania and spent time in a remote village in Indonesia. We hear the Amazonian jungle is next. She also has two cute, spirited younglings who aspire to co-teach workshops.
Favourite quote
“If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
—Martin Luther King Jr.
Jana Lait—Senior Instructor and Editor
Jana brings over two decades of experience working in healthcare. She was also a university instructor for over 10 years. She originally came to Wordsmith’s workshop as a participant (twice) and took it upon herself to master the curriculum. Now she works with us!
Jana’s experience in research and evaluation ignited an interest in making research findings easy to understand. Nowadays, her passion is teaching professionals to better connect with their audiences through clear language.
Jana has a Master's degree in sociology.
Special strength
Jana is an inspiration to us all when it comes to efficiency and managing time. We don’t know how she does it, but her day seems to have many more hours than the 24 we are used to working with.
Random fun facts
Jana takes her cat for walks. Her cat insists on it at least once a day!
Favourite quote
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”
—Coretta Scott King
Bronagh Morgan—Legal Instructor and Editor, LLB
Bronagh has two decades of experience as a legal researcher, writer, and editor for publishing giants and law firms large and small.
She helps our legal clients adapt their writing to their audience’s needs. Bronagh specializes in translating complex ideas into accessible language without sacrificing precision. We think this is a wonderful way to put both her degrees in Law and English Literature to work to create positive change in her field.
Bronagh Morgan is one of those people. She hosts a current affairs and politics broadcast for her local cable television station. She is also a certified fitness professional, a professional working artist, and an enthusiastic volunteer for healthcare and social service charities and several not-for-profit organizations.
Special strength
Bronagh does a million things! We have never come across anyone who has quite such diverse interests. She works in six (ok…maybe we’re exaggerating, but not by much) industries at once, and she still finds time for play.
Random fun facts
Bronagh’s cookies are legendary. Oh, and she may have four amateur boxing bouts, three marathons, and countless triathlons under her belt. Her favourite non-work activities include "anything with my kids" and "anything involving the Buffalo Bills."
Favourite quote
"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth."
— Muhammad Ali
Thomas Smith—Instructor and Editor
Thomas is a mechanical engineer and former officer in the Canadian military. Since joining Wordsmith, he has helped us develop and hone our technical and engineering-specific curriculum.
Thomas now instructs and edits, primarily for government and technical clients. He loves solving intellectual puzzles and reshaping templates to support clarity for both writers and their audiences.
He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Calgary.
Special strength
Thomas is the colleague we measure ourselves against when it comes to precision and communicating a message in just a few words.
Random fun facts
Thomas lives in Finland and is deeply immersed in learning the language. He reads voraciously and loves doing hard things—he once did 1,000 burpees at one time, just because he felt like it. (His time was 96 minutes if you’re curious.)
Favourite quote
“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.”
—Marcus Aurelius
Lori Simonelli—Instructor and Editor
Lori began her Communications career in broadcast journalism writing, producing, and hosting local television news. She then moved into the Energy & Utilities industry and gained more than 20 years experience specializing in IT and OT project management, Alberta Energy regulation, legal compliance, and corporate governance.
Lori owned and operated a US-based business and has recently received a certification in ESG management from the University of Calgary School of Public Policy. She is passionate about helping companies consider, capture, and efficiently communicate their sustainability goals. She firmly believes that regardless of the industry or organization, effectively communicating information is critical for success.
Lori has a double degree in Communications and Canadian Studies, a CELTA teaching certification.
Special strength
Lori is a quick study—she’s constantly learning and improving and has a knack for coming up with fresh ideas to solve business problems. She also loves efficiency and translating business requirements into real solutions.
Random fun facts
Lori is a certified yoga teacher in English and Spanish! When she is not on the mat or out meandering with her pup, you can find her in the kitchen. She has a reputation for making lasagne from scratch…so much so, she offers “pasta-making 101” lessons!
Favourite quote
“Done is better than perfect.”
—Sheryl Sandberg
Antoine Cammalleri—Instructor and Editor
Antoine is one of the newest members of the Wordsmith team. He has recently shifted careers and returned to his true passion: teaching.
Antoine was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec and spent most of his youth teaching and coaching competitive sailing—even in the Dominican Republic and Mauritius Island. He has a BA in English Literature, which he completed as he managed and operated the retail and wholesale businesses of a restaurant led by some of the top chefs in Canada.
Although Antoine loved the intensity of the restaurant industry, he missed teaching. He has nearly completed his Master’s in Teaching and Learning, with a specialization in English Language Arts. In his words, “ I am dedicated to making a positive change in the world in any way I can. I am thrilled to be working with Wordsmith and to continue my journey as a lifelong teacher and learner.” We are happy to have him.
Special strength
Antoine has a wonderful ability to connect with people. He brings passion, empathy, and honesty, as well as a knack for helping people break down complex information and communicate it clearly.
Random fun facts
Antoine is an adventurer at heart. He has taught sailing around the world and aspires to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. He also loves off-grid backpacking adventures. In his free time, you will usually find him boxing, learning, cooking, or creating and listening to music.
Favourite quote
“Walking is the great adventure, the first meditation, a practice of heartiness and soul primary to humankind. Walking is the exact balance between spirit and humility.”
—Gary Snyder
Heather Erickson—Office Manager
Heather is the secret ingredient behind our team’s success—the glue that holds it all together. She makes sure our clients and instructors get what they need with ease, grace, and a positive attitude.
Heather brings a great deal of experience coordinating people, teams, and processes, as well as a love for what Wordsmith does and how we do it.
She has a degree in International Relations from the University of Calgary.
Special strength
Heather has the gift of connecting with people—she can befriend anyone under any circumstance. As she talks with you, you get the sense you’re the most important person in the world.
Random fun facts
Heather makes heartfelt artistic cards for all her friends’ and family’s birthdays. No one card is the same, but each person who gets one feels loved and seen. She house and dog sits in her free time, so she’s always connecting to our meetings from somewhere new.
Favourite quote
“Inner guidance is heard like soft music in the night by those who have learned to listen.”
and
“Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will.”
—Vernon Howard
Experts we collaborate with
-
![]()
Christine <br/>Mowat
Wordsmith’s Founder
-
![]()
Robin <br/>Elliott
LLB, Professor
-
![]()
Tanya <br/>Stevenson
Management Consultant
-
![]()
Amber <br/>Solberg
Artist
-
![]()
Barb <br/>Burfoot
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
-
![]()
Jillian <br/>Fleck
Artist
Christine Mowat—Founder
Christine Mowat founded Wordsmith in 1980 and ran it until 2010—we wouldn’t be where we are without her. She taught courses for every level of government, corporations, law firms, and educational institutions across Canada. She is also a writer and speaker. Christine has:
spoken at numerous legal organizations and international conferences on plain legal language in the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Sweden, Mexico, and Canada
published more than 30 articles and the book A Plain-Language Handbook for Legal Writers
Christine is a real-life plain-language pioneer
In 2009, Christine received a lifetime achievement award from one of the leading plain language organizations, Plain Language Association InterNational (PLAIN). And in 2011, PLAIN renamed this award the Christine Mowat Plain Language Achievement Award to recognize her unparalleled contributions to the field. If you’d like to chat with Christine, you can email her at christine.mowat@wordsmith.ca.
Tanya Stevenson—management consultant
Tanya graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in Sociology and Psychology. This education has been foundational for her later work: helping organizations transform their processes.
Tanya specializes in Project Management, Organization Transformation, and Change Management. With her company Stand and Deliver Inc, she consults to individuals and organizations—big and small. Over the years, she’s always found writing and clear communication to be at the heart of the solution for many of her clients.
In more recent years, Tanya has shifted more to coaching teams and executives. The combination of her natural emotional intelligence and business savvy help organizations and relationships transform. Read more about her experience here.
Special strength
Tanya represents the new-age of business—one that brings more “human.” She works at high levels but is down to earth. Her special talent is helping people see outside the box—all she does is get them talking, listen, and reflect back new insight. She then offers the exact right tool for next steps.
Random fun facts
Tanya and her husband built their own spectacular, million-dollar, net-zero home—only to sell it! They now live (somewhat) off grid pursuing their hard-earned dream of building their forever net-zero home off the coast of BC.
Favourite quote
“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they become inevitable.”
—Christopher Reeve