Deani Van Pelt, PhD, OCT
President
Ext. 105   |   deani.vanpelt@edvance.ca

Deani Van Pelt, OCT, the President of Edvance, is a Cardus Senior Fellow and former Director of the Barbara Mitchell Centre for Improvement in Education at the Fraser Institute where she is now a Senior Fellow. She is Chair of the Standards of Practice and Education Committee at the Ontario College of Teachers, a Visiting Research Fellow in Charlotte Mason Studies at the University of Cumbria, UK, and a Visiting Scientist at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

Previously Associate Professor of Education and Director of Teacher Education at Redeemer University, and formerly a secondary school teacher in both Christian and public schools, she has a B.Commerce (McMaster University), B.Ed. (University of Toronto), and Master's and Ph.D. in Education (Western University) where she received a medal for excellence in graduate studies. Van Pelt has researched and published frequently on aspects of school choice in Canada, education spending, and school sector enrolments. She has led international research collaborations funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council and received the Charlotte Mason Institute’s Charlotte Mason Tribute award for doing so. She has served as an expert witness and presented at numerous academic and education conferences across North America. Currently a contributor for The Hub, Van Pelt’s work has been regularly featured in Canadian print and broadcast media.