Meet The Team

Dr. Poling Bork, PhD

• Executive Director

• Director of Research

Dr. Bork is the founder, Executive Director and Director of Research for the Selective Mutism Foundation. Having devoted 20 years researching Selective Mutism (SM) including active involvement in helping her own children overcome SM, Dr. Bork is dedicating her research in the efficacy and rapidity of SM treatments. She is an active researcher who publishes in per reviewed journals, and has been invited to over numerous organizations and schools to speak on the topic of SM. Her one study published by the Journal of Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry (2020) delineated the treatment of 3 children with SM using VSR—a combined behavioural approach—within the school settings. Unlike most studies which documented lengthy treatment of SM (many were unsuccessful and lasted for months and even years), all children in her study were successfully treated, with each child receiving less than 130 minutes of treatment time within an 8-week period.

With her background in Computer Science, Dr. Bork also actively explored the use of technology for SM treatment. She is the first (known) researcher to propose using software applications to help shape verbal behaviour (Bork, 2010). Over the past 10+ years, she has designed and overseen developments of software applications assisting individual with SM as well as other conditions.

Dr. Bork is currently conducting research on incorporating virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence to improve the treatment process. Her recent study involving older children trialing the world’s first self-served virtual reality software has yielded noteworthy results.

Victoria Wright BA, OCT

• Secretary

Victoria Wright is a Brock University Alumni who graduated in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. She then went to D’Youville College and completed her Certification in Elementary Education and also achieved her Masters of Science in Education in 1999. She was first hired with the Halton Catholic District School Board and then moved to St. Catharines and continues to work for the Niagara Catholic District School Board. She has been teaching for 24 years and has taught in the primary, junior and intermediate divisions. Victoria has her specialist in Special Education and prides herself in trying to meet the needs of all her students. She coaches basketball and volleyball and continues to learn strategies to help her students become successful in her class and in life. She has two amazing children, who both attend Brock University. Victoria and her daughter Sydney both have a love for horses and an understanding of how animals have therapeutic and healing effects, helping people in so many ways. Victoria has a strong connection with Selective Mutism on a personal level. Her daughter has suffered with SM from a young age and continues to use strategies and support to cope with it. Victoria is available to be used as a resource to help anyone dealing with SM on many levels; whether it be dealing with teenagers with SM, as a parent or as an educator.

Sheila Bennett, PhD

• Member

Dr. Sheila Bennett is the Professor Emerita of Professional and Undergraduate Programs Faculty of Education at Brock University. She has presented nationally and abroad, and has authored and coedited numerous books, chapters, monographs and articles including; Special Education in Ontario Schools; Community Living Ontario’s Community Inclusion Initiative Report on the Delivery of Education Services for Students Who Have an Intellectual Disability in the Province of Ontario; Including students with exceptionalities and, A Canadian Perspective on the Inclusion of Students with Intellectual Disabilities in High Schools. Her research centres on inclusion for students with diverse needs. Upon completion of her graduate work at the University of Toronto, Dr. Bennett held a number of school and school board based positions prior to joining the Faculty of Education at Brock. She brings her practical experiences as an educator to the field of research, providing a blend of theory and practice essential to bridge the gap between what we do in classrooms and how we understand those actions in the larger context.

Lori DiMatteo Marcella, M.Sc. Ed. Reg. CASLPO, Speech-Language Pathologist

• Chair

Lori DiMatteo Marcella is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO) and is a member the American Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Association (ASHA). She holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario and earned her Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology from the State University of New York, College at Buffalo in 1991. Lori began her career at the Niagara Rehabilitation Centre in 1992, worked with the Niagara Voice Program and provided outreach rehabilitation services through Comcare Health Services. Lori has been an employee of the Niagara Catholic District School Board since 2002. She maintains an active caseload servicing school age children in the Niagara Region. She provides assessment, programming and treatment to children who struggle to speak, read, learn or interact socially secondary to developmental or acquired speech-language deficits. Lori is trained in the following programs: (Hanen) ``It Takes Two to Talk`` and in ``Learning Language and Loving It``, Introduction to PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets) and Lidcombe Fluency Training for School Age Children. Lori has a special interest in working with children who have social communication challenges in the classroom setting, specifically students who have a diagnosis of Selective Mutism. Although Lori has had many years of clinical experience, she continues to maintain her skill set through educational opportunities to help her students achieve their full communication potential.

Mona Taremi

• Member

It's such a privilege to be a part of this community. Having experienced SM first hand I am here to give back to this community however I can. I have helped translate VOCAL to Persian and can't wait to share this valuable resource with the community!

Cassandra Campanella

•Volunteer

Campanella was a coordinator for the first ever selective mutism conference and continues to be an asset to the foundation as a Digital Designer for Virtual Reality Programming. Campanella graduated out of Brock University with a Honours in Research Psychology while also pursuing varsity sports.

Javon Luke

• Volunteer

Javon Luke, an Alumni of Brock University, managed the SMF website http://mutism.ca/about-us/ and has volunteered with the Selective Mutism Foundation for three years. His interests' centers on promoting and assisting individuals with diverse needs. As a volunteer Javon can share his real experiences such as having friends who are selectively mute and computational knowledge when dealing with any technology in relation to those who experience selective mutism.

Sarah Power

•Volunteer

Sarah is a UX Designer with a background in psychology. During her time with the Selective Mutism she aided in planning Canada's first SM conference and worked on the Virtual Reality study. These experiences taught her about how important awareness is for individuals with SM and the impact of tools like VR for treatment.

Cole Wilson

• Volunteer

I joined the Selective Mutism Foundation as a volunteer in 2022 during the first annual Selective Mutism conference. During the first conference, I helped prepare the seating area for guests and speakers and assisted in leading activities for the children who attended the conference with their parents. At that time, I was enrolled in Brock University’s Bachelor of Science (Honours) Neuroscience program researching traumatic brain injury and how injury characteristics influenced emotional regulation and cognitive fatigue. I am still a volunteer for the Selective Mutism Foundation and graduated with my Bachelor of Science program. I am enrolled in Brock University’s Master of Science Biological Sciences Program specializing in Neurobiology and Physiology.

Jercin Elsa Koshy

• Volunteer

Jercin has been a dedicated volunteer with the Selective Mutism Foundation since March 2024, contributing to content creation and research.

Ayosha Bork

• Volunteer

I personally suffered from selective mutism (SM) so I aim to help spread awareness of SM. I was an invited Panelist at the Selective Mutism Association Conference in 2014 as well as a poster co-presenter in 2018. Then I was also an invited panelist for the first Selective Mutism Conference in Canada (2022). I am the designated photographer and help create content for the nonprofit's social media posts. I also edit videos to be used for the video self-modeling (VSM) treatment sessions.

Rida Jafar

• Volunteer

In 2024, Rida recreated the SMF site from scratch using HTML, CSS and Javascript to transform it into a modern, user-friendly experience using her skills in design and web development. As a dedicated volunteer, she continues to keep the website updated and organized.

Aymie Frosthagen

• Volunteer

I grew up with Selective Mutism and at 18 I first began to raise awareness and share my own personal story with SM through my blog. Two years later, I started my own website and social media accounts to raise further awareness. This has given me the chance to connect with others and helped me realised that I am not the only one who struggles. I know from personal experience how important it is that awareness is spread, and I hope that I can help make a difference.