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Meet the Faculty and Advisors at CEI
Olivia McIvor, Director, CEI Education Advisor
Olivia is a social researcher, author and people advocate with over 3 decades in human resource management and organizational development. Throughout her career her work has played a critical role in influencing change with corporate clients across a wide spectrum of industries. Known as a ‘people champion’ since early in her career, Olivia was told she would never be successful if she continued to “wear her heart on her sleeve”; today this proclamation has become her trademark. She is the author of four best-selling books, The Business of Kindness, Four Generations, One Workplace, and I See You, and Disruptive Kindness. Olivia is the leader of the Charter for Compassion Education Institute and teaches in the faculty of business at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
Ellen (Hoffenberg) Serfaty, CEI Education Advisor
Ellen is a retired American-Israeli, currently living in the northern Mediterranean area of Israel, who spent 45 years as a public service lawyer, developing and leading public human service organizations, and teaching people of all ages and teachers who work with special needs students. Born in NYC, raised in rural upstate NY, she began her career as a Florida public criminal defense lawyer, and thereafter began creating and leading programs for abused and neglected children in the court systems, including creation of the first state-wide volunteer-based guardian ad litem program, and directing then Governor Bob Graham’s statewide Constituency for Children, a grass-roots lobbying and advocating effort in communities throughout Florida. She created curriculum and trained judges, lawyers, advocates, doctors and other medical personnel, social workers and others, as well as lobbying on behalf of children and families.
Ellen made aliya (immigrated) to Jerusalem, Israel, married her husband Dany and raised her daughter Mya, while exploring new careers as Development Officer for a non-profit international children’s rights organization, and becoming a teacher, teacher-trainer and curriculum developer for students with special needs, including blind, visually impaired, hearing impaired, learning disabled, cognitive and emotional impairments. She has taught and trained teachers and others throughout Israel on assistive technology and special needs curriculum, as well as web accessibility, in all levels of K12 system, Hebrew University and a Jerusalem-based Armenian School, where she helped design a curriculum and train teachers on all subjects.
As a retired volunteer for the last decade, Ellen is a facilitator for the Work That Reconnects, including courses for CEI, How to be an Activist for our World, participatory book groups on root texts for the WTR, and working with the Anti-Oppression and De-escalating Harm groups. Her main "gigs" are coordinating volunteers for the protection of sea turtles and beaches for the Israel Nature Authority, and being a Nana. She is a long-time meditator and leads and participates in several international sanghas.
Marcelle Kors, Administrative Aide, CEI
Marcelle has spent the majority of her life in awe of academia and learning, first with formal studies in Urban Planning, Business and Law. (B.A., B.Comm. and LL.B.) and then jumping around informally in any subjects that appealed, in the Sciences and the Humanities. She has left her exciting and challenging career in IT infrastructure and telecommunication technology and project work, and has turned to work that is satisfying to the heart as well as the mind – combining education and compassion.
Margie Fann Special Projects, CEI
Margie’s varied background has predominantly been in the co-ordination of external marketing activities such as events, sponsorships, road shows, corporate identity and branding and relationship building with internal and external clients. Margie has recently joined the Compassionate Education Institute as a volunteer assisting in administration.
Margie volunteers as a Trauma Counsellor assisting in the recovery of victims of violence, as well volunteering as a facilitator of Tough Love, a self-help family support group troubled by the effects of pain-filled behavior, assisting families on their road to recovery and supporting them through crises they may be facing.
As an advocate for justice, change and improvement, her strengths lie in her own personal growth and caring about people. She is passionate about the potential of humanity’s transformation through education.
