Roger Ali, CFRE

Roger has over 18 years in development and fundraising management experience, including senior positions at Parkinson Society Canada and United Way. He was a professor at Mohawk College in Hamilton for seven years, where he taught organizational behaviour and administration and labour economics. Roger is a trained on-site facilitator with United Way of Canada. He is a past board member of CAGP Roundtables, GTA and Golden Horseshoe. He is currently serving as a board member of AFP, GTA Chapter and exam committee member of CFRE International. He was the 2006 Congress Chair.

Debra Bond-Gorr, CFRE

Debra is currently the President and CEO of Humber River Regional Hospital Foundation. Prior to this position, she was the Executive Director, Advancement, Alumni Relations & Communications for Hart House, University of Toronto. Debra been involved with the not for profit sector across Canada for over 30 years and has a wide range of experience, including marketing, public relations, communications and event planning. Debra is an active volunteer with AFP Greater Toronto Chapter, and is currently Vice Chair of Fundraising Day 2007. She is a member of the Congress Committee, the Education Committee and also participates in the Chapter’s Mentorship Program as a Mentor. Debra is a Past President of the Kiwanis Club and a frequent presenter for a number of organizations, such as AHP, HPCRA and IABC. Debra has been a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) since 1999.

Mary Bowyer, CFRE

Mary is the Executive Director of Hope for Children Foundation. Prior to this position, Mary was Acting Director, Fund Development at the Canadian Diabetes Association where she played the pivotal role in elevating revenue streams by $2 million per annum achieved by aggressively managing expenses and successfully targeting potential major gift donors equalling a 10% growth per annum. She also held three progressively senior positions at the Osteoporosis Society of Canada from 1988 – 1996. Before joining the not for profit sector in 1988, Mary’s previous work experience encompasses policy analyst, production supervisor, and marketing coordinator positions in the public and private sectors. Mary has been a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals since 1995 and has volunteered with the Pape Adolescent Resource Centre since 2004.

Mark Climie-Elliott, CFRE

Mark is President of Wyers Direct Inc. - an innovative direct response marketing company specializing in the development of integrated fundraising programs for non-profit organizations. Past experiences in fund development include VP, Revenue Development, The Arthritis Society; Director of Development, The Toronto Humane Society; and Manager of Fundraising, The Canadian Cancer Society. Along with more than twenty years experience in the broader field of community development Mark actively volunteers for many community-based organizations in and around the GTA. Mark is also a skilled facilitator and corporate trainer on many topics ranging from Fund Development and Volunteer Management to Change Management and Customer Service. Committed to the advancement of AFP and the profession, Mark is a proud supporter of AFP Foundation for Philanthropy - Canada and has served on the Greater Toronto Chapter’s Board of Directors, chairing both Fundraising Day 2002 and Congress 2004.

Maria Dyck, CFRE

Maria is the Vice President of St. Michael's Hospital Foundation where she is about to embark on a $120 million campaign. Maria has also worked as Associate Principal and Executive Director of Advancement at the University of Toronto at Scarborough, the University of Toronto’s eastern campus, Development Director at the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Director of Communications for the Government Caucus at Queen’s Park, as a special assistant to the Minister of Energy and as a fundraising consultant in Canada and Australia. Maria has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from the Schulich School at York University. She earned her CFRE designation from the National Society of Fund Raising Executives in 1999. Maria has also participated in numerous professional development programs in the fundraising field.

Yves Gadler, CFRE

Yves is Vice President Major and Planned Gifts of St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation. He has been in the development field for over 13 years starting with McGill University in Montreal. His most recent positions include Vice-President of Development of Princess Margaret Hospital and Vice-President of Advancement and Chief Development Officer of WWF Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Education and Master of Arts degree from McGill University. Yves has been a faculty member of the Fund Raising Management Program at Ryerson University since 1999. He has served as a volunteer with AFP since 2001 working as Plenary Chair for Congress 2001, Vice Chair 2002 and Chair in 2003. He has been on the AFP Greater Toronto Chapter Board since 2002 and is currently Immediate Past President. He also volunteered for AFP International including International Development Committee and Chapter Structure Task Force.

Laura Gatensby, CFRE

Laura is Vice President, Community Giving & Stewardship at Women’s College Hospital Foundation, where she is responsible for annual and mid-range giving, as well as special events and the Foundation’s stewardship function. Laura has been a fundraiser since 1993; in addition to her tenure with Women’s College since 2000, she spent five years as a consultant with Artsmarketing Services and worked in corporate sponsorship at Harbourfront Centre. Laura received CFRE accreditation in 2000 and has been an active member of AFP since 1996, serving as a Track Dean and presenter at several Congresses, and on the Host Committee for the 2003 International Conference. She is also a member of AHP and served as Annual Giving Track Dean for the 2003 AHP Canada Conference.

Susan Horvath, CFRE

Susan Horvath is President of Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation. Previously, she was Vice President External for Robarts Research Institute. An active volunteer and former university professor, Susan’s 18 years of fundraising experience has included the United Way and University of Western Ontario. Accredited with the CFRE designation in 1995, Susan received the SIRIUS Award for Fund Raising Excellence from the London & Region Fund Raising Executives in 1997. In 2002, the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education honoured Susan for her leadership.

Heather Hurst

Heather joined the West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation as the President & CEO in 2003, where she completed the last two million dollars of the $10M Raising the Bar Campaign. In addition, Heather transformed the Foundation and spear headed two inaugural events. Heather’s prior role was at St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation as Vice President of Development and Operations. During her 6 ½ years at St. Michael’s, Heather championed back to back $20 million and $50 million capital campaigns and was instrumental in doubling the growth of the major gifts program from $4.5 million to $9 million. Heather sits on York University’s Alumni Chapter Executive for Not for Profit Studies, MBA without Boarders, and provides counsel for the Learning Enrichment Foundation. She has been a speaker at a number of conferences and has volunteered on various AFP conference committees, in particular the 2003 AFP International Committee, which was hosted by the Toronto AFP Chapter. She is on the Board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and Chair’s the Every Member Campaign. She is also actively involved with the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy.

Alanna Jones, CFRE

Alanna is Director of Development, George Brown College, Centre for Business. Alanna has inaugurated and raised the sights of fund development programs for such charities as Desrosiers Dance Theatre, the national office of Girl Guides of Canada, Heritage Toronto, Humber College, Bialik Hebrew Day School, the Writers' Trust of Canada and University of Toronto. Alanna has co-chaired Fundraising Day, is the Treasurer of AFP Greater Toronto Chapter and a frequent presenter at both Congress and Fundraising Day.

Dolores Larrier, CFRE

Dolores is Vice President, Resource Development for Junior Achievement of Central Ontario which provides curriculum-enhancing programs to Public, Catholic, French and private school systems in Toronto, York Region, Peel and Simcoe County. In her role, Dolores provides leadership and management expertise to secure financial and volunteer resources. Prior to Junior Achievement, Dolores worked at Sick Kids Foundation for over 14 years building her extensive experience in major gifts, volunteer management and specials events. Dolores obtained her BA in 1989 from the University of Toronto, and achieved her CFRE designation in 1998. Dolores has been a member of AFP since 1992, and a member of the AFP Toronto Chapter Board of Directors since 2005.

Tania Little, CFRE

Tania is a Senior Consultant with DVA Navion – an international fundraising consultancy. Past experiences in fund development include Manager of Major Gifts for Invest in Kids, Director of National Programs for the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research, Manager of Special Events for Variety, the Children’s Charity. Tania has been a committed and energetic volunteer for over sixteen years, currently serving as Vice Chair of the Board for Planned Parenthood of Toronto and is actively involved with AFP since 2003 serving on the Fundraising Day and Congress Committees and as an AFP Mentor. Most recently, Tania Co-Chaired Fundraising Day 2005 and is a member of AFP’s international Marketing & Communications Committee.

Cathy Mann, CFRE

Cathy Mann, CFRE is the Principal of Cathy Mann & Associates, providing customized fund development solutions, taking into consideration an organization’s size, opportunities, constraints and culture. During Cathy’s tenure as Executive Director at Frontier College Foundation, the organization was awarded the 2007 Campbell & Company Award for Excellence in Fundraising from among the 28,000 members of the International Association of Fundraising Professionals. Cathy has been a faculty member of Ryerson University’s Fundraising Management program since 2003 teaching both on-site and distance learning courses (previously, she taught in the Fundraising program at Algonquin College in Ottawa) and is a frequent speaker on various topics related to fundraising. Cathy has been an AFP member since 1994, serving on the board of directors of the Ottawa Chapter, is a mentor and is currently involved in AFP’s diversity initiatives.

Ken Mayhew

Ken Mayhew is currently the Chief Development Officer for the MS Societey of Canada. Ken is a Director of the Board of the AFP Greater Toronto Chapter, a member of KCI’s (formerly Ketchum Canada) National Advisory Board, the Sick Kids Foundation Community Involvement Committee, and the Canadian Association of Gift Planners. He has conducted operational audits of fund raising programs across Canada and internationally. Ken has been a top ranked speaker at the International AFP, Toronto AFP, the 2004 Strategic Sponsorship Summit and has written and presented on a variety of non profit topics. Ken has trained staff in the U.S. and the U.K. and from Italy, Denmark, Australia and South Africa. On a volunteer basis, Ken has helped a number of small non-profit Boards including the Etobicoke Children’s Centre, Track Three Ski Association, Half the Sky Foundation and Streetlight Support Services.

Susan A. Storey, CFRE

Susan Storey is the Senior Director, Development with the Kidney Foundation of Canada, Ontario Branch. Previous work experience includes working with the Canadian Diabetes Association, the University of Winnipeg, the Health Sciences Centre Foundation, the Alzheimer Society of Ontario and Cancer Care Manitoba. Susan served two terms on the International Board of AFP and led the task force that created the first Core Curriculum Framework for the Education and Training of fundraisers worldwide. She has also provided leadership as national co-chair of sponsorship for the Canadian Association of Gift Planners conference. Susan has presented across North America on topics ranging from Board Development in the non-profit context, Major Gifts in Small Shops, Cultivating Planned Gifts and Ethics in Fundraising. Susan received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Winnipeg in 1992 with a major in French. Susan attained the credential of Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) in 1998.

Shannon Stuart, CFRE

Shannon is the Associate Director, Major Gifts at The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. She focuses her efforts on securing gifts of $25,000 or more in support of Breast and Gynecological cancer research, education and treatment. Prior to her arrival at Princess Margaret, Shannon was a Senior Consultant with RBR Development Associates in Toronto. She has been an active volunteer with the AFP Greater Toronto Chapter, designing CFRE Study Groups in conjunction with the Ethics and Professional Advancement Committee. She has been a member of the Congress Committee for three years, and was the Co-Chair of Congress 2005. Shannon obtained her Certified Fund Raising Executive credential in 2003. She was also the first place winner of The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) Showcase Award for Direct Mail in Canada for 2003, and received a Silver Award from the Canadian Marketing Association in the Fundraising/Non-Profit/Public Service category in 2003.

Sonya Swiridjuk, CFRE

Sonya is the Senior Manager, Annual Giving at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, where she is responsible for all national direct response activities. Previously, Sonya was a Senior Consultant with Stephen Thomas, where she led the account teams for several health, humanitarian and community-based organizations. She has also held increasingly responsible fundraising positions with the Canadian AIDS Society, The Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Ontario Liberal Party. Sonya has served on the organizing committee for the AFP Greater Toronto Chapter’s Congress since 2000, and is currently Chair. She is a Canadian Subject Matter Expert for CFRE International, and is a guest lecturer for the Fundraising and Volunteer Management Program at Humber College.

Karen Willson, CFRE

Karen Willson, Senior Vice President of KCI, is one of the firm’s most accomplished senior leaders, providing clients with expert strategic counsel and direction that’s individualized to meet their needs, as well as leading staff and volunteer training. Her focus is to provide clients with custom solutions based on each organization's needs, their donors, and the culture in which they exist. Under her direction, many of Ms. Willson’s campaigns have surpassed their fundraising goals. As a volunteer, Ms. Willson has served as a Board member for Toronto Youth for Christ, and as an advisory Board member for the Sanfilippo Foundation.