Lodewijk Van Noort
President (Netherlands/Italy)
After working in commercial communication, Lodewijk van Noort realized his heart was in communication for a social purpose. He switched first to the Reading & Writing Foundation and now to the municipality of The Hague.
In 2017, Lodewijk received the title of Dutch Ambassador Clear Language for the Government. This resulted in the position of leader of the Dutch Clear Language Campaign (Direct Duidelijk) at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, he was a finalist in the Dutch Communication man/woman 2020 election.
Torunn Reksten
Vice President (Norway)
Torunn Reksten is a plain language expert at the Language Council of Norway.
As a plain language advocate, lecturer, editor and author since 2008 she has played a central part in building plain language awareness and competence – an initiative which has set a new standard for public communication in Norway.
Torunn represents the Norwegian standardization body to ISO 24995—Plain Language and serves on the Drafting Committee of ISO Working Group 11 for the standard. She has also project-managed the implementation of the Norwegian Language Act, which contains a plain language section. She headed the Programming Committee for the PLAIN 2019 conference in Oslo and is in charge of the Language Council’s plain language strategies. Torunn is passionate about innovation, service design and good user experience. If you can’t find her, look in the nearest yarn store.
Michelle Waitzman
Conference chair, Professional Development (Canada)
Michelle is a PLAIN member in Toronto, Canada. She has been working mainly as a professional writer and editor, as well as a plain language instructor and consultant. Being on the PLAIN board allows Michelle to immerse herself in the community and stay on the cutting edge of plain language practice.
She has board experience with Editors Canada (a national organization with around 1,300 members), including two years when she was treasurer. She has delivered webinars and conference sessions, and has taught an online plain language course.
Margrethe Kvarenes
Membership Chair
Margrethe is a manager at the Language Council of Norway, the Norwegian Government’s consultative body on language issues. As plain language advocate, lecturer, and author she has played a major part in establishing plain language in Norway’s civil service – a ten-year initiative which has set a new standard for public communication in Norway. Her resume includes positions in international organizations and extensive Board experience from both non-governmental organizations and public sector. She has a great faith in PLAIN’s strategic plan. Margrethe loves the outdoors, and hiking, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing in particular. She keeps a bevy of quails for their delicious eggs, but would like to upscale to hens in the future.
Farida Barki
Communications, Conference (Belgium)
Farida has been working as a plain language editor, lecturer and author for over 14 years. She mostly works for civil services and nonprofit organisations in multiple fields, including health care, education and the legal industry.
She is an expert in writing easy-to-read texts for non native readers and readers with low literacy skills. Furthermore, she monitors very closely the developments of plain language in the Dutch speaking part of Belgium.
Finally, Farida is an event host, moderator and performer. She loves scifi, singing and chocolate, not necessarily in that order.
Nadja Green
Professional Development chair, Regional Development co-chair (South Africa)
Nadja is passionate about promoting plain language as a strategic priority and about mentoring and building capacity.
In 2019, she developed a strategic framework for achieving plain language in organizations. By serving on the board of PLAIN, she hopes to contribute her insights and experiences to help develop strategies that further this essential goal.
She also aims to mentor and to create opportunities for plain language enthusiasts in South Africa, and the rest of Africa, to develop their skills.
She sits on several committees including some for the International Plain Language Federation.
Kristina Levchenia
Regional Development chair, Communications (Russia/Germany)
Kristina is a plain language consultant with a background in linguistics, education, and translation. She believes in plain, accessible, inclusive, and non-violent communication. She is doing the Plain Language Certificate program at Simon Fraser University and holds degrees in education and translation. She does voluntary work for the ISO Standard Localization and Implementation Committee at the International Plain Language Federation (IPLF) and is a member of Clarity International’s Communications Committee.
Nicole Watkins Campbell
Treasurer, Finance and Governance (Canada)
Nicole is a freelance editor and plain language consultant. During 30 years with the Nova Scotia government, she worked to make communication clear and effective. She led a plain language policy committee and edited print and web materials in nearly every area of life that a provincial government touches.
This included creating plain language materials for legislation and helping to make the legislative process more accessible. Nicole has edited bylaws and policies for not-for-profit organizations and public legal information and apps on wills, powers of attorney, and personal directives to make them clearer for average readers. She is working on plainer information to help investors understand their rights and training on workplace sexual harassment.
Karin Hansson
Secretary, Membership (Sweden)
Karin is enthusiastic about PLAIN and after more than 10 years as a plain language expert involved in collaboration of various kinds in Sweden, she is interested in getting involved in collaboration on the international level and in contributing her by-now pretty long experience in the field in Sweden.
Karin was a founding member, the first president, and a board member for several years of the Swedish association Språkrådgivning och textvård for students and practitioners of plain language.
She has been involved in seminars and conferences that the association has organized.
Claudia Mont’Alvao
Conference, Membership (Brazil)
After serving as PLAIN’s Brazil Ambassador for nearly a year, Claudia aims to extend her contributions in different capacities. With executive-level experience on various boards, she, as the head of the Laboratory of Ergodesign and Usability of Interfaces, has consistently maintained its recognition on national and international fronts as a pioneer in discussing Human Factors applications in Design.
Cinzia Theobald
Communications chair, Professional Development (Australia)
Cinzia is passionate about plain language, and volunteers on various plain language committees and working groups including several for the International Plain Language Federation.
Being on the PLAIN Board would give her a chance to make a valuable contribution to the field she loves.
She has worked in the field of plain language (health literacy) for over a decade. She also works with communities experiencing significant disadvantage and in one of the most culturally diverse areas in the world. She sees the need for plain language every day.