Staff

<strong>Tasha Ausman</strong>
Tasha Ausman
OYOA General Manager
Tasha Ausman is a bassoonist and long-time community arts consultant in the Ottawa area.  As Personnel Manager since 2012, and former Vice-President of the Board, Tasha has worked to revitalize the musical capacity, operational efficacy, and funding structure of the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra.  A former military musician with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and Ceremonial Guard (Governor General’s Foot Guards), Tasha is presently a professor at the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa, where her research focuses on decolonizing and anti-racist frameworks, taking a psychoanalytic stylistic to understand the dynamics of love and hate in learning.  A full-time secondary teacher for the past fifteen years, Tasha also presently works at Philemon Wright High School, where she teaches senior mathematics, chemistry and biology.  She co-directs the Hadley-Philemon band, a zero-tuition, equity-based ensemble with over fifty students aged from grade 7 to 11.  Tasha holds a BSc (Hons) in Physiology and Developmental Biology from the University of Alberta, a B.Ed (Chemistry/Biology), Master of Arts in Curriculum Studies, and a PhD in Society, Culture and Literacies (focusing on Mathematics Education), from the University of Ottawa.
Email: admin@oyoa-aojo.ca
<strong>Catherine James</strong>
Catherine James
OYOA Finance Officer
Catherine James is a full-time secondary teacher at Philemon Wright High School, where she teaches senior mathematics and provides administrative support for the Hadley-Philemon band.  In addition, Catherine is a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa with the Faculty of Education, specializing in undergraduate teaching in the Bachelor of Education. Her research and pedagogy focuses on what, how, and why we teach, with a framework grounded in equity, anti-racism, and culturally relevant pedagogies.  Catherine holds a BA in Political Science and English from Kalamazoo College, Michigan, an MA in Political Science from the University of Rochester, NY, and B.Ed (English/Mathematics) and PhD degrees (Society, Culture and Literacies) from the University of Ottawa.
Email: finance@oyoa-aojo.ca