Program Advisory Committee

Greg Holditch has been a member of the Langara College English Department since 2010, where he teaches literary criticism, composition, and business communication. His academic interests include print culture, film, graphic novels, and video games. He is the co-author of Bare Essentials: 10th ed. (2021) and WRITE2: Canadian Edition (2016). In the summer, he coordinates the Langara Writing Centre.

 A graduate of Kwantlen Polytechnic University (then college), Greg’s path through education was not straightforward. Throughout high school, Greg struggled academically and credits faculty in the KPU English Department with helping him recognize his potential (thanks BA and Neil!). He also has fond memories of working as a peer tutor at the Kwantlen Writing Centre. 

These experiences continue to inform his teaching philosophy. Greg firmly believes that small class sizes and instructor accessibility—hallmarks of institutions like KPU and Langara—impact student success. His goal as an educator is to make students active participants in their own learning. To this end, he uses interactive group activities, classroom discussion, humour and popular culture to create a classroom environment where students feel comfortable expressing themselves and their ideas. 

He is eager to serve on the KPU English Program Advisory Committee as a way of giving back to the KPU community. Having once been a student who benefited from mentorship and institutional support, he is committed to ensuring that current and future students experience the same opportunities. 

Outside the classroom, Greg can be found playing video games, cycling enthusiastically around Vancouver, and painting wargaming miniatures. 

“The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self.” - Fred Rogers

Rick Kumar is a dedicated educator, labour activist, and community leader based in Surrey, British Columbia, known for his commitment to social justice, young worker empowerment, and union advocacy. A graduate of Kwantlen Polytechnic University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Minor in Counselling, he co-founded the "Frontier Poetics" outreach program, using music and spoken word to engage high school students on topics like anti-bullying and positive mentorship. His efforts earned him recognition as one of the Surrey Board of Trade's Top 25 Under 25 in 2015. His educational journey includes a Bachelor of Education from Simon Fraser University and an Inclusive Education Post-Grad Certificate from Queen’s University. His education and teaching career culminating in being awarded Surrey Teacher of the Year in 2023. 

In other career roles, Rick has played a key role in the British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) as an executive member of the board, advocating for safer classrooms, young workers, adult education teachers, and members of colour. For two terms he also served as the Chair of the BC Federation of Labour (BCFED) Young Workers’ Committee and represented the BCTF on the BCFED Executive Council, ensuring teachers and young workers had a strong voice in the labour movement. Beyond his union leadership, Rick is actively involved in his community, working at a local homeless shelter on weekends through Options Community Services and sponsoring student clubs such as the Anime Club, Chess Club, and Model UN at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary. His guiding principle, encapsulated in the mantra “Kumar Cares”, reflects his dedication to uplifting workers and marginalized communities. Whether advocating for better working conditions, leading educational initiatives, volunteering his time, Rick remains a champion for positive change. 

“The unexamined life is a life not worth living.” - Plato, Apology 

Rick's personal statement: My own academic and professional journey is deeply connected to KPU. As a former KPU student and valedictorian, the institution played a pivotal role in shaping my voice as a writer, educator, and community advocate. Serving on this committee is an opportunity to give back to the place that helped launch my career while helping ensure that KPU’s English programs remain relevant and meaningfully connected to the diverse communities they serve.

Amei-lee Laboucan is a Black non-status Cree-Métis woman. Her family is from Treaty 8 territory in northern Alberta. Her Nana is from Driftpile Cree Nation and her Papa grew up on Métis squatter lands at Winagami Lake before moving to McLennan, Alberta. Amei-lee grew up on the unceded territories of the Kwantlen, Katzie, Kwilwetlem, Semiahmoo, and Tsawwassen Peoples. 

She has a MA in Indigenous Studies from the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, a Bachelor of Journalism from Kwantlen Polytechnic University and an Associate of Arts Degree from Douglas College. 

Amei-lee enjoys watching her soapy, mysterious, brooding programs. 

• “Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution.” - Maya Angelou
• Once you learn to read, you will forever be free.” - Frederick Douglas 

I’m taking part in the Program Advisory Committee for KPU English because I enjoyed my time at KPU, the literature courses I took, and mostly importantly because I value my education which KPU was a big part of.

Kylie Mantei is the Humanities Department Head at Langley Fine Arts School, where she teaches senior English and directs the Creative Writing Major program. She is committed to helping students discover the power of language to spark empathy, imagination, and curiosity, and she strives to create learning experiences that stay with them long after graduation. 

Kylie earned her BA in Creative Writing from Kwantlen Polytechnic University in 2015. Alongside her Creative Writing studies, she took many English courses that deepened her love of literature and allowed her to learn from professors who continue to inspire her teaching practice today. During her time at KPU, she served as the first digital editor of Pulp Magazine and was an original member of the Creative Writing Guild—roles that strengthened her belief in collaborative, student-driven literary spaces. She maintains an ongoing connection with the KPU Creative Writing Program and its instructors, supporting students who are interested in pursuing post-secondary writing pathways and connecting them to the broader local Writing community. 

Beyond her classroom work, Kylie contributes to literacy and curriculum initiatives at both district and provincial levels. She serves as a marker for the Grade 10 and 12 Literacy Assessments and works as a classroom resource reviewer for Focused Education Resources. In the Langley School District, she co-created and supports the Lit Circles initiative, helping teachers bring contemporary literature into vibrant, discussion-based learning. 

Kylie’s experience across teaching, assessment, and curriculum development informs her work on the KPU English Program Advisory Committee. She values the conversation between secondary and post-secondary education and is committed to supporting programs that help students grow as thoughtful, capable communicators. 

I want to serve on the KPU English Program Advisory Committee because I believe deeply in the conversation between secondary and post-secondary learning, and in the shared responsibility we have to nurture curious, capable readers and writers. My teaching, literacy assessment work, and curriculum experience give me a clear view of the skills and confidence students need before they arrive in their first-year English classrooms. Returning to KPU in this capacity feels like a meaningful way to give back to the instructors and community that shaped my own love of literature and continues to influence the work I do with young writers today.

Jessica McMillan is a poet and teacher who resides on the land of the Halq̓eméylem-speaking Peoples (New Westminster, BC). She obtained her Arts Diploma at Kwantlen before transferring to SFU for a Bachelor and Masters of English. Jessica recently completed a Creative Writing Certificate at SFU's The Writer’s Studio. At Kwantlen, she took as many English courses as possible in addition to creative writing. Her English Instructors were passionate and her studies became foundational to her career and writing. Because of this, Jessica wants to support the community and the literature that gave her direction. In Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? Jeanette Winterson says: 

"...when people say that poetry is a luxury, or an option, or for the educated middle classes, or that it shouldn’t be read at school because it is irrelevant, or any of the strange stupid things that are said about poetry and its place in our lives, I suspect that the people doing the saying have had things pretty easy. A tough life needs a tough language – and that is what poetry is. That is what literature offers – a language powerful enough to say how it is. It isn’t a hiding place. It is a finding place.”

 A steadfast civil servant, Jessica has worked in the non-profit industry for almost 20 years in legal, education and settlement sectors. With over 10 years of teaching experience, including working with at-risk youth, Jessica has also worked on the front line supporting vulnerable people at Legal Aid BC. She is currently a Language Instructor in the IRCC-funded Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC) program at Immigrant Services Society of BC. Actively involved in the arts, Jessica is a director at Royal City Literary Arts Society and an editorial director at the Sapperton Community Arts Association (SAPP Zine). 

Jessica is an active poet who has been published in over 50 journals/magazines. She is a full member of The League of Canadian Poets (LCP). Her poetry won the 2024 LCP National Broadsheet Contest, the 2022 and 2025 RCLAS Write On! Contests for poetry, and the 2025 Muriel’s Journey Poetry Prize. She placed third in Room Magazine’s 2024 Poetry Contest and has been shortlisted for The Sundress 2024 Chapbook Contest, The 2023 Surrey Muse Vera Manuel Award for Poetry, and The Fiddlehead’s 2023 Ralph Gustafson Poetry Contest. Her work has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. Recent poems appear/are forthcoming in The Malahat Review, Canadian Literature, NewPoetry, Contemporary Verse 2, Crab Creek Review, The New Quarterly, and QWERTY, among others. Jessica’s chapbook Shine Like a Dime in the Dirt under the Moon is forthcoming Spring 2026 via Pinhole Poetry. She is currently querying her first full-length poetry manuscript while working on a second. For more information, her website is: jessicaleemcmillan.com.

Penelope Naldrett is an experienced development leader with a background in strategic philanthropy, community engagement, and storytelling. She currently serves as the Development Manager at Coastal First Nations – Great Bear Initiative, where she leads fundraising and partnership efforts in support of Indigenous-led stewardship, education, climate action, and community resilience across the Central and North Pacific Coast and Haida Gwaii. Her work focuses on building meaningful relationships, shaping clear and compelling narratives, and translating organizational vision into impactful, long-term support. 

Outside of her professional work, Penelope is actively engaged in community life on Bowen Island, where she lives with her family and spends as much time as possible in nature and on the water.