About KLT

Trustees

Trustees are active champions and ambassadors of Kawartha Land Trust (KLT). Trustees primarily support the organization and its Board of Directors in their fulfillment of KLT’s mission. They are responsible for the election of Board of Directors, approving amendments to the by-laws, receiving audited financial statements, and approving the appointment of the auditor.

KLT Trustees

Chris Appleton, KLT Trustee

Chris Appleton is a retired lawyer and is a seasonal resident of Sturgeon Lake. He has extensive legal and business experience, especially in real estate and commerce. Chris has been volunteering with a number of community groups since 2010, including Kawartha Conservation, several City of Kawartha Lakes Committees, the Kawartha Lake Stewards and the Fenelon Falls Arts Committee. He was Chair of the KLT fundraising committee for the successful campaign to raise funds to purchase Big (Boyd/Chiminis) Island.

Geri Blinick, KLT Trustee and Director

Geri Blinick has worked in the not-for-profit sector in environment, community health, and homelessness as a community developer, program manager and researcher. Geri has a B.Sc. in Conservation and Biodiversity and an M.A. in Human Geography in which she worked with a First Nation to examine settler responsibilities in the context of ongoing access to Manoomin (wild rice).  Since moving to Nogojiwanong-Peterborough, Geri has worked in homelessness to increase access to safe and affordable housing and prevent homelessness, most recently as manager of the Rise Youth Housing program at the YES Shelter for Youth and Families. Geri is an outdoor enthusiast who loves to walk in the woods, paddle, cross country ski, garden, and read with her two young kids, partner and friends any chance she gets.

Robert Brown, KLT Trustee, Director

Bio forthcoming.

Paul Downs, KLT Trustee, Director, and Chair

Paul Downs is a former teacher and school principal who became President and Owner of Nexicom Inc. following the death of his father in 1978. Over the years, he has served as president of several telecommunications associations and chaired a number of committees for different organizations. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilfred Laurier University and Master of Education degree in Educational Administration from the University of Toronto.

Don Gillespie, KLT Trustee, Director, and Treasurer

Don is a recently retired financial executive with over 25 years as an Assurance Partner with Ernst & Young. He has a B.Comm from the University of Toronto, a CPA from the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, and has a Chartered Director (C. Dir.) designation from the Directors College. He is currently serving as a Director at Peterborough Regional Health Centre and as a member of their Stewardship, Audit and Board Accreditation Committees.

John Good, KLT Trustee and Director

John Good brings years of experience in partnership development, community engagement and government relations along with knowledge of stewardship and conservation programs, policies and practices to his role as a KLT trustee. He has worked for Parks Canada, Ontario Parks and the Canadian Parks Council and been a volunteer director of Otonabee Conservation and the Otonabee Conservation Foundation.

Eric Howe, KLT Trustee and Director

Eric has an educational background in economics/commerce and has worked as a senior executive for a number of manufacturing businesses including most recently Fisher Gauge, NEFAB, and Nobelgen. He has been involved with KLT as a volunteer for the past three years, including participating in stewardship activities on several properties and attending the 2017 retreat. He has served on a number of Boards, including the Peterborough-Hastings Trans Canada Trail Association Board.

Eva Kennedy, Trustee and Director

Eva Kennedy joins the Board after retiring from a career with the Ontario Public Service. She holds a B.Sc. in Biology from McGill University and a M.Sc. in Zoology from the University of Western Ontario. In her work for the Ministries of Environment and Natural Resources and Forestry, Eva held leadership positions in environmental policy, science, and information management. She has been an active community volunteer and served on the Board of Directors of the Peterborough Social Planning Council.

Dr. Keith Knott, KLT Trustee

Bio forthcoming

Cheryl Lewis, KLT Trustee

Cheryl Lewis has retired from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources where she held the position of Director of Applied Research and Development. Previously, she had worked as a Fisheries Biologist in Lindsay. She has been living in Peterborough since 1995. Cheryl enjoys many outdoor activities including hiking, canoeing, birding, cycling, and fishing. She is pleased to join KLT’s efforts to conserve key natural heritage features in the Kawartha region.

Blair MacKenzie, KLT Trustee

Blair retired following a 35-year career as a lawyer, primarily as general counsel in the Canadian newspaper and communications industry. He has a cottage on Stony Lake, and is currently President of the Stony Lake Heritage Foundation. He has had an active record of community service as a volunteer and is currently Vice-chair of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra.

Rudy Massimo, KLT Trustee

Rudy Massimo has considerable expertise in the fields of external relations, fundraising, and leadership development. He has held senior leadership roles at several Canadian independent schools, including Shawnigan Lake School, Lakefield College School and Bayview Glen. He previously was CEO of Outward Bound Canada, President of Peak Adventures Inc., and the Executive Director of Camp Kawartha. Rudy recently launched Rudy Massimo & Associates, an international consulting firm. Rudy is currently the National Volunteer Chair of the Principal Gifts Cabinet as part of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s $100 million campaign to Accelerate. Rudy received his B.A. from Concordia University and his M.A. in Leadership from the University of Guelph. When he is not working, you are likely to find him hiking on the local trails, cycling around Peterborough, or at home making his famous pizza.

Ralph McKim, KLT Trustee

Following a career in international development, Ralph and his wife Jean returned to Canada, built their home on the Oak Ridges Moraine, and began restoring 260 acres of woodland, wetland, and pasture to a more natural state. In 2011 they committed their property to KLT protection through a Conservation Easement Agreement; in 2022, they donated 150 acres of the property KLT to protect in perpetuity.  Ralph has been involved with KLT since 2003, serving as chair of the  Kawartha Heritage Conservancy for several years and subsequently as a member of various KLT committees.

John McWilliams, QC, KLT Trustee, Director, Past Chair

John McWilliams retired as Senior Vice-President and General Counsel of Nexen Inc. and brings over 30 years of experience in the international oil and gas business. He has played a leadership role in governance, ethics, and corporate responsibility, including the development of the International Code of Ethics for Canadian Business. He is a former Director of Transparency International Canada, former President of the Canadian Petroleum Law Foundation, Founding Director of Bank West, Chair of the International Conservation Fund of Canada, and a Trustee and Director for Lakefield College School. In 2020, John and Susan McWilliams donated the 32-acre McWilliams Family Property to Kawartha Land Trust.

Roslyn Moore, KLT Trustee

Roz began her career as a social worker, but later turned to environmental work, including environmental planning, policy, and monitoring. Roz began volunteering with the Kawartha Heritage Conservancy in 2005 and is a past chair of the Board of Directors. She has been actively involved in the Kawarthas Naturally Connected collaborative, and is a founding member of the Environment Council for Clear, Stony and White Lakes.

Bill Morris, KLT Trustee

Bill is a graduate of Western University (Ivey) and received his CPA while with KPMG. For many years, Bill has been chairman and CEO of The Stewart Group, a fifth-generation family enterprise, with diverse global operations. Bill and his wife Betty moved to Peterborough in 1998 and have been active community volunteers, with many organizations. At present, the Morris’ spend most of their time in Collingwood, enjoying all four seasons of outdoor activities, within easy reach of their family cottage on Georgian Bay.

Randy Northey, KLT Trustee, Director, and Vice-Chair

Randy is a business executive with over 35 years of legal, finance, and management experience. Randy helps operate a local Peterborough business, Health Care Relocations (HCR). Before joining HCR, Randy practiced commercial law at Peterborough law firm LLF Lawyers for 10 years. Before that, he was a senior executive of a public real estate company based in Toronto. Over the years, Randy has volunteered on a number of local boards, including Peterborough Housing Corp, Community Futures, and Art Gallery of Peterborough. Randy was raised in Peterborough and cottages on Mississauga Lake. He enjoys a broad range of outdoor activities, including alpine and Nordic skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, and running.

Al Sippel, KLT Trustee, Director, and Past Vice-Chair

Al Sippel spent 32 years working in the Fish and Wildlife Program of the Ministry of Natural Resources. He started out as a fish health specialist and worked as a district biologist and in policy and legislation development. He retired in 2009 as the manager of the section responsible for fishing and hunting licenses, collecting revenues, and other business aspects of the fish and wildlife program. He enjoys gardening, bird-watching, reading, cooking, and travel. Al is past vice-chair of the Board of Directors and past-chair of the Land Stewardship Committee and has been a member of KLT Board of Directors since 2019.

Kate Ramsay, KLT Trustee

Kate is a Trent Graduate, retired shepherd, and a community volunteer. She has served the Board of Governors at Trent University, the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough and a host of organizations from agriculture to the arts, community policing to conservation, environment, education, children’s mental health and victims of violence in governance or advocacy roles. She supports KLT because she has had a lifetime of interest in environmental stewardship and KLT is the organization best situated for her to contribute time and resources to encourage perpetual protection and enjoyment of key natural areas.

Donald Ross, KLT Trustee

Bio forthcoming.

Evan Thomas, KLT Trustee

Evan worked in the Ontario provincial public service as a field biologist and manager, and is now an environmental consultant. He has been involved with KLT as a volunteer since 2012 and has participated in a variety of ways including as lead steward of the Ingleton-Wells property, member and Chair of the Land Stewardship Committee, member of the Big (Boyd/Chiminis) Island Stewardship Committee and the Volunteer Working Group, providing assistance with the development of the Stony Lake trails, and various community engagement initiatives.

Tony Tilly, KLT Trustee

Tony is a founding member of the Kawartha Heritage Conservancy Board of Directors. He has served on other local Boards (Peterborough and the Kawarthas Innovation Cluster, Greater Peterborough Community Foundation) and campaigns (United Way Campaign Cabinet). He will be retiring from his most recent position as President, Fleming College at the end of June.

David Young, KLT Trustee

David founded the Michael Young Family Foundation with his brother Mike shortly before Mike’s death from cancer in 2002. The Foundation has been and continues to be an active and enthusiastic supporter of KLT. While based in Toronto, David and his family have been seasonal residents of the Kawarthas for four generations and remain deeply committed to the region and its community.

For the list of KLT’s Board of Directors, click here.

Committees of the Trustees

Nominating & Governance Committee

  • Cheryl Lewis, Chair
  • Eric Howe
  • John McWilliams
  • Bill Morris
  • Kate Ramsay