Our People - Staff & Board of Directors

FOCA Staff

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Terry Rees - FOCA Executive Director

   (Lake Kasshabog Residents' Assoc.)

Terry is a respected and active representative on more than a dozen province-wide and bi-national committees related to water, the environment, and other broad social issues.  He brings a unique perspective and background from the mining, minerals and petrochemical industry garnered across North America with several sector-leading organizations. He applies his diverse background within the private sector resource industries to deal with strategic policy and solutions, on a variety of Province-wide forums. His experience comes from a number of progressive roles within technical sales, environmental and hazardous materials management, production planning and public policy development.

Terry has been a leader and innovator within the private and not-for-profit sectors for over 20 years. His role as Executive Director of FOCA, one of the largest membership associations in the Province, has allowed him to apply the out-of-the-box thinking that is required to deal effectively with the complex challenges facing our economy, our environment and our society.

**In 2012, Terry received an honour from Water Canada as a "Water's Next" person representing Canadian water excellence**

Michelle Lewin - FOCA Communications & Development Coordinator

Michelle joined the staff in 2010 to beat the drum about the good work being done by FOCA. Her background is in communications and culture. Michelle oversees printed and electronic messaging, and works with our association members to distribute information across the Province.

Contact Michelle if your organization is interested in partnering with FOCA to support our mandate of protecting Ontario's waterfront experience.

Mike Gibbs - FOCA Acting Membership & Progams Coordinator

Mike joined FOCA in 2011 to assist with membership renewals and enquiries and to support FOCA program delivery.

Tracy Logan  (currently on maternity leave)

Tracy was the FOCA Membership & Programs Coordinator until November 2011 when she welcomed the birth of her first child. 

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FOCA Board of Directors

Alphabetical listing (& Association affiliation):

Ivan Battye (Catchacoma Cottagers’ Association)

An interested environmentalist, Ivan graduated from the University of Guelph with a Science degree majoring in Biology.  He went on to study flying and trained to become a pilot.  Ivan has spent many years flying across Canada, in the USA, Arctic, Asia and Europe, and he is currently employed as a Dash 8 Captain and Test Pilot with Dehavilland in Downsview.  Ivan and his wife, Ann, own a cottage on Lake Catchacoma at which they spend every weekend for two thirds of each year.  Both Ivan and Ann have served on the executive of the Catchacoma Cottagers Association. (Joined FOCA Board 2006)

Malcolm Burwash (Lake of Bays Association)

While attending Ryerson, the Lake of Bays area captured Malcolm’s interest as a summer employee at what was known as “Bigwin Inn”.  This process fascinated him and consequently he has been a cottager on the lake for over forty years.

In the mid seventies Malcolm joined the Office Leasing Division of A.E. LePage in Calgary and in the early eighties was transferred to the head office in Toronto and later retired as a Vice President of the Toronto Office Leasing Division. Over the years he has been involved with many charitable organizations and is currently a director of the Lake of Bays Association, and The Ontario Camp of the Deaf (The Bob Rumball Group). (Joined FOCA Board Summer 2007)

Bill Cheshire (Baptiste Lake Association)

Bill works for the Hay Group in Toronto, providing Human Resource consulting for clients in the private and public sectors.  Bill is active in his professional association, serving on the Professional Standards Committee for the Human Resources Professionals Association. In addition he is a Director for the Mississauga-Kane Road Ratepayers Association, and is a past Director with the Baptiste Lake Association where he was active on their Land Use Planning activities. He is an HBA graduate from the Ivey Business School, and has been an active member of the Toronto Board of Trade and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Scouts Canada, Lakeland Alliance. Bill grew up on the Bruce Peninsula with family cottages at Oliphant on Lake Huron. He has been cottaging on Baptiste Lake since the 70's. All three of their children worked summers at the lake or surrounding area, and the cottage still is the primary home base for family gatherings. Bill currently serves as Secretary of the FOCA Board. (Joined Board January 2010)

Robert Cummins (Gull Lake Cottagers Association)

Rob has 15 years experience in both sales and marketing roles in financial services.  He is currently Director of Sales for Manulife Bank in Toronto, following a decade with ING DIRECT Bank Canada. Rob is the current President of the Gull Lake Cottagers Association following several years on the GLCA Board of Directors.   His efforts within his own association are currently dedicated to re-evaluating the member value proposition, increasing the association’s member engagement team.  While his 39 years have been primarily spent in Haliburton, Rob brings familiarity with a large Ontario landscape through his extensive travels from Thunder Bay to Ottawa Valley, Amerstburg to Tobermory, and Collingwood through Killarney and Algonquin. Rob attended Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.  (Joined FOCA Board 2011)

Karl Fiander (Otter Lake Landowners Association)

Karl retired in 2010 after more than twenty-five years of service with a progressive seed company, Pickseed Canada Inc., where he was serving as Executive Vice President.  Karl has recently joined the executive ranks of a major horticultural supply company. Karl has a BSc (Biology) from Carleton University, with a major in Botany, minor in Limnology. In addition to numerous volunteer past endeavours within the community and with Carleton University, Karl is currently the Lake Steward on Otter Lake, and was responsible for producing a state of the lake water quality report.   Karl has an interest in the environment, including water quality, land development, and rural sewage systems.  Karl is the Past President of FOCA. (Joined FOCA Board 2006)

Ken Grant (Big Gull Lake East End Cottage Association)

Ken has been a cottage owner in North Frontenac for 30 years and for the last 26 years has been the Environmental Steward on Big Gull Lake. He has held the position of President of the Association for the last 10 years. Ken is a retired Federal Public Service Executive with 28 years experience in Management and Human Resources. Since retirement, Ken has consulted with several foreign governments including China, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore. Ken helped to develop a septic reinspection program for the Municipality of North Frontenac, and sits on the Mississippi River Water Management Plan Advisory Committee.  Ken is interested in all matters of Lake Stewardship including keeping lakes as healthy as possible, minimizing pollution sources from cottages and boats, ensuing that our local fishery is healthy, educating cottagers about their environment and how to maintain it for future generations. (Joined FOCA Board 2011)

Ron Higgins (Malcolm & Ardoch Landowners Association)

Ron took early retirement from Nortel in 2002 and started a successful management consulting company in 2003. In April 2010 Ron began to renovate a farm house on his property on Malcolm Lake, where he and his wife, Wendy, now have their full time residence.  Ron has been President of the Malcolm Ardoch Landowners Association since its inception in 2007 but in the spring of 2011 will be stepping down to focus on their Lake Plan.  Ron is the chair of the North Frontenac Lake Association Alliance, an initiative which brought the majority of North Frontenac lake associations under a single umbrella group to address issues of common concern and to work proactively with municipal Council. Ron is passionate about lake management as a key focus to ensure a well balanced and sustainable environment for cottagers and full time residents on lakes.  Ron is committed to public policy that will support rural infrastructure, and a healthy economy in our communities. (Joined FOCA Board 2011)

Jim Kaufman (Kawagama Lake Cottagers Association)

Jim has been a “cottager” since 1954 when his uncle bought a small cottage on Kawagama Lake. Since that time, Jim and his wife Janis have built 2 cottages on Kawagama; raised 3 children who spent time in every season “at the lake”; and now have 3 grandchildren who are enjoying all that cottage life has to offer. Jim is president of Kawagama Lake Cottagers Association; Chair of St.Pauls L’Amoureau Center; and Vice Chair of the MNR’s LCC Committee for the French-Severn Forest. Jim graduated from Ryerson and joined Westinghouse Electric Corp in 1967. He held various management positions with WEC until 1992 when Westinghouse divested all operating units. At that time Jim became WESCO District Manager for Construction and Datacom operations in the GTA.  Jim and Janis moved to Thornbury in 2010. They have a keen interest in downhill and cross-country skiing; travelling; and of course cottaging. (Joined FOCA Board 2011)

Jacqueline A. Mackey (Chemong Lake)

Jacqueline Mackey is the Director of Finance & Operations and a 20 year employee of the Canadian Film Centre. Founded in 1986 by director Norman Jewison, the Film Centre is the pre-eminent education institution for creative professionals in film, television and new media.  Ms. Mackey is responsible for all operational and financial functions of the Film Centre including budgets, financial accounting and reporting, and investment oversight.  Ms. Mackey is a Chartered Accountant and she previously held positions with Independent Pictures Inc. and Ward Mallette Chartered Accountants.  Ms. Mackey received her Hons. BSc from Trent University and was awarded her CA designation in 1985. Ms. Mackey was born into a cottaging family that has owned and enjoyed their cottage on Chemong Lake in the Kawartha Lakes region for over 50 years. Jacqueline is the Treasurer of FOCA. (Joined FOCA Board 2005)

Anne McCauley (Muskoka Lakes Association)

Anne is a third-generation cottager on Lake Muskoka and chair of the Political and Environment Committee, Muskoka Lakes Association. As a professional land use planner with her own consulting firm, Anne takes a keen interest in new development in the district of Muskoka and its impact on the environment. Having over 20 years experience as a municipal employee she is also interested in municipal government and its efforts to meet the needs of its citizens. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography and a Master of Science degree in land use and recreational planning, Anne has always been fascinated by Ontario’s rocks, trees and water and how its citizens appreciate and interact with the natural environment. This love of nature was a furthered through volunteer work with the Canadian girl guides as a leader and as a camp adviser for over 10 years. Anne also has a long history of volunteerism, with 23 years as an advocate and board member on the Special Education Advisory Committee (Toronto Board of Education). (Joined Board January 2010)

Carole Russell (Halls Hawk Lakes Property Owners Association)

Carole and her husband have been on Big Hawk Lake since 1987, where Carole is President of the local association.  Their boat-access and off-grid property is a haven that has enabled them to develop a deep appreciation for the beauty and peace that is Haliburton. Carole chaired the local lake plan committee to a successful plan approval at their 2006 AGM, and has been on the association Board since 2003, having also held the position of Treasurer.  Carole was a founding member of CEWF (Coalition of Equitable Waterflow), representing the reservoir and flow-through lakes of the Trent Severn Waterway (TSW), and also represents her lake in the Coalition of Haliburton Associations (CHA).  In her professional life, Carole has been an executive in the Toronto Dominion Bank for 26 years, focused in the last ten years on the technology required to support the bank’s 220 million annual calls that are directed into their global contact centres.  Carole holds a BA in Math from York University. (Joined FOCA Board 2011)

Kay Soares (Severn River Association of Property Owners)

President of SRAPO for 8 years, and prior to that, 3 years as Secretary, Kay has been active in the areas of abusive Crown land camping, garbage collection, Family Regatta and others. SRAPO has over 60% of members who are water access, and deal with 3 Townships on an ongoing basis, 2 County’s/District, the Province, and Federal bodies (Parks Canada/TSW). Kay’s educational background is in Television Production from Ryerson University, which lead to CBC Television where she worked for 36 years, mostly in Management areas. Kay was co-chair in the CBC Employee Assistance Program for 3 years and on the Advisory Board for De Lassalle School for 3 years. (Joined FOCA Board 2011)

Ted Spence (Catchacoma Cottagers’ Association)

Ted Spence is a cottager on Catchacoma Lake in the Kawartha Highlands and a member of the board of directors of both the Catchacoma Cottagers Association (CCA) and the Cavendish Ratepayers Association Inc. (CRAI). He has worked on the water quality measurement program sponsored by CRAI on the local lakes since 2004 as a member of the MOE Lake Partner Program for Catchacoma. He was a member of the Ecological Integrity Sub-Committee of the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site Park (KHSSP) Management Advisory Board, and in 2008 he was appointed as a member of the Management Advisory Board of the KHSSP.

Ted retired from York University in 2009 after 39 years of service. He is a Professor Emeritus in Environmental Studies and a graduate of the University of Western Ontario (BA and MSc) and of the University of Alberta (PhD). At York his teaching and research interests focused on environmental and land use planning and on water resources.  He held academic administrative posts at York for more than 27 years including a 10 year term as Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies and a 9 year term as Senior Policy Advisor to the President of York University and as the Executive Director of Institutional Research and Analysis. He played a central role in university planning activities and is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and a Registered Professional Planner (RPP) in Ontario. Ted was elected President of the FOCA Board of Directors for 2011. (Joined FOCA Board 2006).

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