Susan Van Der Hout
President and CEO Girlphyte Inc.
Sue Van Der Hout left a small Ontario town for Toronto in 1971. For almost 25 years, she practiced tax litigation. She launched Girlphyte in 2006 as a medium for defining success from the female perspective and as a way for connecting other women with their dreams and each other. She is currently working with a group of talented professionals to establish multifamily offices in Canada, but Girlphyte remains a priority. Sue is incredibly energetic and passionate about most everything - family, friends, career and fun. She is a hopeless over-achiever, a skilled speaker and writer and a genuine "connector". She believes in serendipity, sliding doors, fate, choice, risk, spirit and above all the pursuit of personal authenticity.

Marilyn Lazar
Founding Editor
Marilyn Lazar holds a degree in Communication Studies from Concordia University in Montreal. Her circuitous learning curve has included courses in journalism at Carleton University in Ottawa and psychology at The Adler Institute in Chicago. Adventures in writing have led her through the wilds of advertising, public relations, event planning and speeches. Her passion for the human form finds expression in drawing and dance – she’s an accomplished artist and Pilates instructor. Marilyn adores her children who keep her informed and humble. She has a penchant for taking her cappuccino on a Tuscan terrace in the spring.

Sherine Mansour
Editor-In-Chief
You may recognize Sherine Mansour from her many years of working in front of the camera bringing you the nightly news from central Ontario, to the Golden Horseshoe to the Ottawa Valley. An established and award-winning broadcast journalist and professor, Sherine now takes up the reins as Editor of Girlphyte as we begin an exciting new phase in the online community.  Her multi-faceted background in broadcasting, interviewing, writing, management and training will help the Girlphyte team tackle new horizons and aid us in expansion. Sherine has a love of culture and the arts, and maintains a wide-eyed curiosity of world issues and international relations.  She will begin studying for her PhD in Culture and Communications in the fall of 2008 at York University and hopes to someday pursue a career with the United Nations.

Elise Bercovici
Elise Bercovici completed her honours degree at the University of Western Ontario in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. After finishing university like most other graduates, Elise went off to backpack Europe to "so called find herself". She returned 5 weeks later pretty much the same person but the experience opened her eyes up to the realization that we must enjoy life each day to the fullest as we never know what life may bring, and more importantly, it is all right to treat yourself to something special once and awhile because we all deserve it! Currently this summer she has been given the great opportunity to intern for the GIRLPHYTE team. Elise will also be starting a new chapter post life at Western and she will be doing a postgraduate program this fall at George Brown in the Sports Marketing and Event Planning Program. She enjoys working out and hanging out with her friends and family. Elise has done volunteer work for the Canadian Center for Abuse Awareness -Yellow Brick House and the Trillium Childhood Cancer Support Center and she hopes to make a difference in the lives of others no matter how big or how small.