Linda Ducharme has over 25 years of experience as an esthetician which includes having her own business downtown Ottawa for over 10 years. She has a diverse background which includes training in skin care (basic to advance skin care procedures), makeup artistry, worked with many professional skin care products, clinical settings and worked with a medical team. She is also is a certified and authorized clinical trainer for an international medical laser company.

Linda’s background includes over 10 certificates, including a Ministry Esthetician Diploma, Fine Arts, Multiple Laser Units, Nail & Bio Sculptured Gel nails Technician, and Electrolysis Technician. She has over eight years of teaching and training experience and is the Program Coordinator for the Esthetician Program at Algonquin College.

Christina Hunter has been in the Esthetics industry for over 15 years. She is an Esthetics professional skilled in all areas of the spa industry. Using strong business, sales and customer service skills to meet spa goals and exceed client expectations. She employs extensive training and education in skin care to accentuate the health and wellness of each individual. She is skilled in diverse facial treatments, foot and nail care, make-up, and medical esthetics with an extensive background in spa business management, spa marketing and public relations. In addition, Christina joins the Algonquin College faculty with highly developed skills and experience in the wellness industry including, hot stone therapy massage and reflexology.

Christina has strong leadership skills and management experience within the spa and hospitality business, teaching and training, event planning, media relations and marketing. In addition to Advanced Esthetics, Christina obtained a diploma in Public Relations with the qualifications required for a number of job descriptions. Christina is passionate about the Esthetics industry and coupled with her Public Relations background she is a power house of knowledge and practical experience.

Sylvie began teaching in 2009, she is a professor in the Esthetician Diploma Program and the Spa and Wellness Management Post Graduate Certificate Program.

Sylvie has over 30 years of hands on experience in esthetics and makeup artistry.

She started her career in one of Ottawa’s most prestigious salon, Rinaldo Hair Designers & Spa in 1987 where she would remain employed for 24 years. This stability allowed her to actively work as a manager for 15 years. Sylvie excelled at customer service and staff interaction, trained employees to company standards and eventually had a helping hand in the opening of two Rinaldo franchises.

She keeps her skills current as a facilitator, recently graduated from the TALL program at Algonquin College. She attends workshops on a regular basis and believes in serving our clientele – the student – to the best of her abilities.

Her teaching philosophy is: “Never give up on a student. I cannot motivate them, however I can inspire them. When they get it and make the connection, it is the sweetest moment”.

Lee-Ann Zanelli has always had an interest in the esthetics field. A day of job shadowing in her cousin’s spa in the ninth grade solidified her decision to pursue the field. Lee-Ann has been an Esthetician for 18 years and a business owner for 16. She has a vast knowledge of the day-to-day operations of running a spa, marketing strategies, retailing, and of course all of the spa services.

She is trained in a number of skin care lines, specializes in electrolysis, and has had a loyal following of customers for many years. Her spa was nominated for a Torch Award with the BBB for excellence in business. Lee-Ann is very excited to be joining the Spa Management team and looking forward to sharing all of her knowledge with the students of Algonquin College.

Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, Evey began her esthetics career in 1997 after graduating from Coatbridge College with a Higher National Diploma in Beauty Therapy when she began working for Salon Belissima, gaining experience with AVEDA skin care, also with Micropigmentation, Tattooing and Body Piercing.

From there she moved to About Face Specialist Electrolysis and Beauty Clinic, working with Sothey Skin Care, CACI non-surgical face lift technology, while specializing in Electrolysis and Thermocoagulation treatments, working predominantly with the LGBTQ community.

Understanding that my passion was with developing and teaching my skills to fellow colleagues, the next part of Evey’s journey took her to Stirling University in Scotland to gain her Teaching Degree (TQFE) which led her to teaching Esthetics at John Wheatley College in Glasgow for seven years, which included working with Glasgow City Council community based projects and SQA developing courses for:

• Roots Out of Prostitution,
• EVIP (Enhanced Vocational Inclusion Program 12-16 year olds)
• SVQ (Scottish Vocational Qualification) Personal Presentation Course for Support for Learning students
• Higher National Certificate Body Massage course for SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority)

On arriving in Ottawa, Evey became a student at Algonquin College and graduated from the Print Media program with Honours in 2012.

Her esthetics career continued at Oresta Organic Spa as Manager and Holistic Esthetician and Peppermint Organic as Manager and Holistic Esthetician, working with Eminence and enhancing my skin care knowledge, receiving training with internationally renowned Boldijarre Koronczay, president of Eminence.

Evey returned to her passion of teaching in the Esthetician diploma program at Algonquin College in 2018 as both Lab Instructor and Professor of theoretical studies where she continues to learn and develop my skills through working with a fantastic team of professionals.

As an experienced service-oriented professional with almost two decades working in esthetics, Natalie thrives on creating a welcoming and caring environment in her workplace.

In addition to providing outstanding skincare service to clients, she has management experience, having been co-owner of two esthetic salons, and is bilingual and fluent in reading, writing and speaking English and French.

The highlight of her career so far has been teaching esthetics to students at La Cité Collégiale and here at Algonquin College as it has allowed her to share my knowledge as well as develop her passion for teaching.