Board of Directors

Members of the Board of Directors of CWCF live in and care about Centre Wellington. Working with donors, they are passionate about building a stronger and more resilient community.

Michael Chapman is a 15 year resident of Centre Wellington looking to give back to a community that he loves. A Professional Engineer and a graduate of Queens University, Michael has held several executive level positions in large international companies and is currently General Manager in an Ontario based manufacturing business. Michael is a past member of the Chamber of Commerce and has been active locally in coaching children’s sports. An avid photographer, cook and yoga enthusiast, he is keenly interested in promoting the social and cultural diversity of Centre Wellington.
Toni Ellis, a graduate of Mount Allison University, is a long-time community activist who has worked in the environmental field for more than 30 years. Since moving to Elora in 1990, she helped start the Elora Environment Centre (EEC) and the Elora Centre for the Arts. In 2009, she recognized as Centre Wellington’s Citizen of the Year. Currently, she coordinates NeighbourWoods on the Grand, working the strengthen Centre Wellington’s urban forest. Toni is on the board of the EEC and is president of the Ontario Urban Forest Council based in Toronto.
Randall Howard is the founding partner of VERDEXUS which provides management and investment to global technology companies. Previously, he was CEO of Coreworx and, in 1984, he founded MKS, one of Canada’s leading enterprise software vendors and, as CEO, grew it into a leading public company. Randall is a seasoned board member/advisor long committed to the environment, the arts and building of community. He is a Board member with Roseneath Theatre Company, Flush Ink Performing Arts, and the Elora Environment Centre. Randal is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of Laurier School of Business & Economics, a Board member at Golden Triangle AngelNet, and was a founder of Communitech Technology Association. He holds an Honours B.Math from University of Waterloo and was the 2005 Communitech Impact Award recipient and the 1997 High Technology Entrepreneur of the Year.
John Kissick is a trained painter and writer and proud Elora resident. John attended Queen’s University at Kingston, Cornell University and the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Institutes for Higher Education. He taught at Penn State University’s School of Visual Arts for thirteen years and was Dean of the Faculty of Art at the Ontario College of Art & Design from 2000 to 2003. His exhibition record includes numerous solo exhibitions in Canada and the United States and his work is represented in a number of important national public collections. In 2005 John was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy for the Arts. Since 2003, John has been the Director of the School of Fine Art and Music at the University of Guelph. He has also served on the boards of the MacDonald Stewart Art Centre (Guelph), the Elora Centre for the Arts and the Elora Festival (as chair from 2005-2007.)
Allan Martin is a Fergus resident and a 35 plus year hi-tech supply chain executive. Allan attended Kirkcaldy College in Scotland before emigrating to Canada in 1989, where he has since held several senior level positions in the electronics design and manufacturing industry. He has been actively involved in the communities he has lived in, most recently volunteering with the Elora Festival, and prior to that on the Committee of the Uxbridge Highland Games and the Uxbridge Community Care program. Currently Allan is a Director at Research In Motion in Waterloo.
John Morris has operated a general practice law firm in Elora since 1974. John is active in our community as President of the Elora Lions Club, long term involvement with St. Mary’s Parish Council Elora and the Canadian Ski Patrol System. He was the founding chair person for the Elora BIA and he has served on the board of the Wellington Law Association and Trellis Mental Health and Developmental Services. John and his wife Eleanor raised four children in Elora and now have six grandchildren.
Alan Riddell is a CGA with over 20 years of accounting experience. He is currently employed as the controller for Human Systems Incorporated. Alan has lived in Salem with his family for over 20 years and during that time he has acted as Treasurer for a number of community groups including Elora and District Minor Sports, Elora and District Minor Ball, and Habitat for Humanity – Centre Wellington Build. He has also acted as a Trustee for several years for Elora United Church.
Bronwynne Wilton is a Knowledge Mobilization Program Manager for the Office of Research at the University of Guelph. Bronwynne holds a PhD in Rural Studies and a Masters of Science degree in Rural Planning/Landscape Architecture. She has been a life-long resident of Centre Wellington and has 3 busy kids who are actively involved in community sports and activities. Bronwynne has a strong interest in thriving rural communities and in preserving the agricultural landscapes of Ontario. Bronwynne also serves on the board of directors of the Ontario Farmland Trust.
Nancy Wood is a co owner of McLeod Wood Associates Inc., an innovative management consulting firm that specializes in providing business, negotiation, and community engagement services to First Nations, governments, and private sector businesses. Nancy completed a Mining Technician’s diploma from the Haileybury School of Mines, a BA in Management Economics from the University of Guelph and an MBA from Laurentian University. She has more than a decade of experience in business planning, project development, and project management with First Nations communities, including electricity transmission, electrical distribution, infrastructure development, and transportation projects. Nancy and her business partner Merv McLeod were the 2008 recipients of the Partnership of the Year award from the Nishnawbe-Aski Development Fund.