mRLC Board of Directors
Leanne Peters
Board Chair
Leanne Peters has spent her career working in rural contexts. Trained as a high school English teacher, she has also worked as a principal and vice principal in several rural communities. Including, as assistant superintendent at Sunrise School Division and Assistant Superintendent Learning Support at Lakeshore School Division. Leanne has also served as a principal and teacher in the Rolling River School Division and taught in the Mountain View School Division. She is currently the assistant superintendent at Hanover School Division. Leanne has also done work for the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents (MASS) including serving as the professional learning chair. Leanne earned an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Western University. She continues to focus on leadership to improve literacy outcomes from a systems perspective.
Stephanie Emberly
Board Member
Stephanie Emberly, Superintendent of the Southwest Horizon School Division, is a dedicated leader committed to advancing rural education. Her professional background includes eight years as Principal of Boissevain Collegiate and a decade as a teacher, Vice Principal, and Math Coach in Wawanesa. Stephanie is looking forward to bringing her passion for rigorous education to the Manitoba Rural Learning Consortium board.
Lisa Shackleton
Board Member
Lisa is a member of the Senior Leadership Team for the Portage la Prairie School Division. Her portfolio includes English and French Immersion programming, planning for continuous improvement, curriculum, assessment, and instruction, and teacher mentorship. With more than 32 years of experience in education, she has supported the professional development of leaders, teachers, and students in navigating and nurturing divisional structures and systems.
Joe Stouffer
Board Member
Dr. Joe Stouffer is currently an Associate Professor and Chair of the Undergraduate Education Committee in the Faculty of Education at Brandon university. Joe teaches primarily undergraduate and graduate courses in early literacy and English Language Arts in Early and Middle Years. He is the recipient of the 2022 Brandon University Senate Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Dr. Stouffer completed his PhD at University of British Columbia's Department of Language and Literacy Education.
His research interests include children's literacy development, formative literacy assessment, and teacher pre-service training and professional development in literacy education. His most recent publications centering on teachers and schools navigating competing approaches to literacy education have appeared in The Reading Teacher, Journal of Teacher and Learning, Language & Literacy, and The Journal of Classroom Research in Literacy.
Joe draws on a broad base of over 30 years' teaching experience, having also worked as a Resource, French, and Music teacher, university sessional instructor, Reading Recovery teacher and Teacher Leader, Literacy Coach and Literacy Consultant. Dr. Stouffer has and continues to support professional development initiatives in K-8 classroom literacy in urban, rural, and northern school divisions throughout Manitoba and across Canada.
James Sheppard
Board Member
James Sheppard is the Assistant Superintendent of Rolling River School Division, and over the past 30 years has a wide range of educational experiences. Beginning his career as a high school humanities teacher, he later pursued leadership opportunities in elementary and secondary schools, Hutterian education, and divisional curriculum and human resources. James has seen the tremendous professional development opportunities presented by the mRLC and looks forward to working with this excellent organization.
Trevor Lane
Board Member
Trevor Lane is the Superintendent of Kelsey School Division in The Pas, Manitoba. With over 20 years in education, he has served as a teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, and now Superintendent, bringing extensive experience in educational leadership and student success.
Prior to becoming Superintendent in 2024, Trevor served as Principal of Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute and previously as Vice-Principal. Throughout his career, he has been committed to creating positive learning environments, supporting student achievement, and building strong partnerships with families, Indigenous communities, and educational organizations.
Trevor is passionate about advancing equitable educational opportunities, promoting student well-being, and supporting innovative approaches to teaching and learning, including land-based and experiential education. As a member of the mRLC Board, he is committed to supporting collaboration, leadership, and opportunities that enhance learning for students and educators across Manitoba.
Darlene Willetts
Board Member
Darlene Willetts is a dedicated educator with over 25 years of service in the Lakeshore School Division. Having spent the majority of her career teaching grades 7 and 8, she has also imparted her expertise in mathematics across grades 5 through 12. For the past 5 years, Darlene has served as a Superintendent, focusing on enhancing literacy and numeracy within the division.