Team Connects Us

It takes a village to do what we do. Writers, instructional designers, attorneys, HR consultants, web developers, and customer support staff.

Meet the ConnectsUs core team.  And find out how we support families, kids, and environmental sustainability.


Ariane Laird

Ariane Laird

CEO & Founder

Job titles: Founder, Leader, CEO, CFO, Driver, Mascot.  But what I really am is CIO—Chief Improvement Officer. I’m always asking “How can we do this, that—anything and everything—even better?”  Then we execute. The Japanese call it Kaizen.  The team calls it 'Shiny-Object-Syndrome', or 'What-now?'.  I call it the key to better products. More 

Professional Side  |  Informal Side



Sarah Visca

Sarah Visca

Operations Manager

My favourite phrase is “Show, don’t tell”. Talk is cheap, so let’s get it done! I'm all about efficiency, structure, and clarity and I use these traits (some may call them quirks) to provide stellar customer, product, and marketing support. 

Professional Side  |  Informal Side



Melina Laird

Website & Customer Support

I take care of updating the website, newsletters, administration, IT, customer support, and partner programs. If you email or call us, chances are you'll reach me!



Bradley Higham

Bradley Higham

Marketing

I do marketing planning, strategy and execution. I'm also a man of very few words.  

Professional Side  |  Informal Side



Crysta Liew

Director, HR Programs

I love anything HR. The legislation, the best practices, reading and learning about best practices.  Which makes me the perfect person for what I do which is essentially creating, improving and updating our products and liaising with legal partners and customers. 

Professional Side  |  Informal Side



Jo Payne

Product Manager

I'm all about product:  creating and improving documents and the resource center content and flow. Which is a fancy way of saying that I do A LOT of writing!  I work on graphics, video tutorials, web copy, website administration. I'm also the language/styles and formatting police. 

Professional Side  |  Informal Side



Andrea

Andrea Levin

Product Manager

Short and sweet:  I manage the technical website development crew. I debate with Ariane about font size.  I'm the system architect and most days, the Head of the Complaints Department

Professional Side  |  Informal Side



Sue

Sue Robinson

Customer Relations Manager

I'm known as the Hub of ConnectsUs. If you want to know what's going on, I'm your go-to.  I provide customer support, website maintenance support, admin and operations support. Everyone knows that I'm the brains behind this joint and that ConnectsUs wouldn't survive without me. :) 

Professional Side  |  Informal Side



Peter Fisera (Fish)

Developer

I'm the main crew guy that Andrea manages.  And I've been with ConnectsUs since 2006.  Lots of fun - and lots of changes. I'm the guy who tracks down bugs and glitches (not that they happen often!)  Oh, and since we all work virtually, no one knows what I look like! 

Professional Side  |  Informal Side

  • "... We had a menu of everything we could possibly need to quickly create HR best practices. The toolkit helped me understand what every small business should have in place."

    Salina Visram Landstad | Partner, Creative Spirits
  • "...We needed a starting point for everything from policies to manager resources and got so much more."

    Karen Buchanan | Office Manager, BCTIA (BC Technologies Industry Association)
  • "...Easy to use and cost-effective.  ConnectsUs HR toolkits has all the tools I need for developing my HR policies and procedures, and company information."

    Matthew Eichhorst | President, Expedia CruiseShipCenters
  • "...An HR resource at your fingertips; take it as it is, or customize it to meet your needs. Just what every business owner needs!"

    Carol Hama | Director, Professional Development & Services, HRMA - British Columbia Human Resources Management Association
  • “…We were constantly “reinventing” the wheel when it came to establishing even the most basic administrative policies, procedures and templates (we were constantly “borrowing” examples from our sister organizations).  Your product provides us with virtually everything we were looking for in one nice, neat customizable package.”

    Brenda Taillefer | Executive Assistant, Athabasca Watershed Council
  • “...As an HR Professional, the toolkit is an indispensable resource. It includes templates I would never have thought to include for HR best practices..."

    Cyndy Ruiz | Principal HR Consultant, CRL & Associates | Seattle, WA