Jim Beingessner

Jim is a Kitchener resident and is retired Chair and CEO of B & W Heat Treating.  He has long and extensive community involvement including service as past Chair of the following organizations: Family and Children’s Services of Waterloo Region, Waterloo Region Social Resources Council, K-W Catholic Community Foundation (Founding Chair), St. Mary’s Hospital Board of Governors, St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation, Kitchener Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Labor Adjustment Program (a federal program), Rotary Club of Kitchener, Canada’s Technology Triangle (Founding Chair), The Seed Loan Fund, Sierra Club of Kitchener-Waterloo, and Vice Chair of Wilfrid Laurier University (1997-2006).

Doug Brock

Doug was raised in Montreal.  He graduated from McGill with a B.Sc. and University of Western Ontario with an MBA.  Doug is Vice-President, Financial Advisor with CIBC Wood Gundy.  Living in the Waterloo region for the past 30 years, Doug has served on the Boards of: K/W Symphony, K/W Opera, Wilfrid Laurier University, K/W Community Foundation, Chicopee Ski Club, Grand River Conservation Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Arts Foundation, and Waterloo Region Police Service.  He resides in Waterloo on the banks of the Grand River.

Joyce Cruickshank

A lifelong Kitchener resident, Joyce is retired from full time employment in a variety of occupations at J.M. Schneider and Conestoga College, and she finished her career as Executive Director of Labour Community Services of Waterloo Region.  Her volunteer activities included the K-W Community Foundation Grants Committee, United Way of K-W and Area Board, and several labour oriented organizations.  She has been involved with labour issues for over 20 years. 

Martin deGroot

Martin de Groot lives in Waterloo, works out of Kitchener, and is employed by a region-wide public service organization. As a historian, he has taught at both Waterloo universities. He has been involved in a wide range of civic engagements, especially in the arts, culture and heritage field including the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation, the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation, the steering committee for both the Kitchener and the Region of Waterloo cultural master plans, and the board of directors of Globe Studios and the MT Space Theatre.

Jim Erb

Jim Erb was born in Kitchener and raised in Wellesley where his parents still live.  He attended high school in Elmira and later graduated as a licenced Funeral Director.  In 1977 he became an owner of the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home in Waterloo.  Jim has been involved in numerous community organizations and interfaith initiatives.  He was a member of Waterloo City Council from 1980 to 1988.  He is an active member of Erb Street Mennonite Church, Waterloo. 

Fred Gaskin

Fred Gaskin FCIP (Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional) is a native of Cambridge/Galt and is the third generation and vice-president of the family business Bradley Gaskin Marshall Insurance Brokers Limited, founded in 1900.  Through his 50-year career he has been active in industry affairs and is the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s representative for the Riding of Cambridge.  Also active in community affairs, he has served on the Board of Governors Executive Committee of the University of Waterloo, on the Freeport Hospital Corporation, and is currently secretary of Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation.

Lloyd Gower

Lloyd was born and raised in Toronto and joined Midland Securities in 1955.  He was transferred to their Kitchener office in 1964 and purchased a home in Waterloo.  Shortly thereafter he bought a farm in North Dumfries Township where he still lives.  He is currently employed with Rae & Lipskie Investment Counsel Inc. in Waterloo.  His community involvement includes Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation, Crime Stoppers, Trinity Anglican Church and Grand River Conservation Foundation.

David Graham

David works and lives in the City of Waterloo. He is a Chartered Accountant (FCA) in public practice. He was, for eight years, Managing Partner of the K-W office of Coopers & Lybrand. He is past chair of: Leadership Waterloo Region, St. Mary’s General Hospital, The 1990 Ontario Summer Games, K-W United Way, Rotary Club of Kitchener, Canadian Red Cross (Kitchener-Waterloo Branch), The Capital Campaign for St. Jerome’s University.  He has been or still is a member of the Board of the Walter Bean Grand River Community Trails Foundation, The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation, Kitchener-Conestoga Rotary Club, Gyro, KidsAbility Foundation and the Board of Governors of Junior Achievement.

Doug Hutton

Doug graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1969 as a Chemical Engineer and until his retirement in 2005 was employed in senior positions with several automotive parts manufacturing companies, most recently as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Guelph Tool Inc.. Currently Doug is President and Chair of Parents for Community Living Kitchener-Waterloo Inc. and is past President of the conservative business association of Waterloo Region (2002-3) and Waterloo Region Industrial Coalition (1991-1998). During the past 20 years Doug has participated on various community committees and has been involved with a variety of community service and business organizations.

 

Dr. Sharon Jaeger, PhD

Formerly of Cambridge, Sharon currently resides in Waterloo and is Assistant Professor of history at Wilfrid Laurier University.   She specialises in Ontario 20^th century political history as well as local and public history.  She has authored several local histories including the history of Chicopee Ski Club, of Westmount Golf and Country Club and of Mount Pleasant in Brant County. This fall she will embark on revising and updating Ken McLaughlin’s history of the City of Waterloo for the city’s 150^th anniversary in 2007. She has undertaken graduate research on the history of Cambridge.  She currently serves as chair of the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation.

Owen Lackenbauer

Owen Lackenbauer was born in Kitchener, raised in Waterloo and was a senior corporate executive in Waterloo Region until his retirement in 1995. He is one of the three founders of K-W Oktoberfest (1969), a past president of the Kitchener Chamber of Commerce, the K-W United Way, and the K-W Community Foundation. He served in the Canadian Army (Regular) from 1953-65 and the Army Reserve from 1972-85. He is currently Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, Waterloo Region’s reserve infantry regiment. In 1979 he was named K-W Citizen of the Year by the Twin Cities Jaycees.

John Lynch

A native of Toronto and graduate of the University of Toronto (B. Comm.), John moved to Waterloo in 1973.  He is a retired tax partner of KPMG and is an FCA (Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario).   Among other community involvements he is a past president of the Rotary Club of Waterloo, KidsAbility Centre for Child Development, KidsAbility Foundation and the conservative business association of Waterloo Region (cba).  He is currently executive director of the cba.

Ellen Poll

Ellen lives in and operates a family business, Drumbo Transport Limited, in Ayr.  She served on the Ayr Council from 1966-1971, Reeve of Ayr in 1972 and then as Mayor of North Dumfries Township from 1973-1976.  She also served on the GRCA, the board of directors of the Cambridge memorial Hospital and the Cambridge and North Dumfries Community Foundation.  She currently serves on the boards of the Ontario Trucking Association.

Ernie Ritz

Ernie was born in New Hamburg and is the former editor and co-publisher of New Hamburg Independent, 1950-66.  He was President of Ritz Printing Incorporated from 1966-90.  He was Mayor of New Hamburg 1971-1972 and Mayor of the Township of Wilmot from 1973-78.  He was provincial appointee to Waterloo Region Police Services for seven years and was chair in 1986.  He has served on GRCA, Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro, Waterloo Historical Society and several municipal, historical and heritage groups.  In 2003 he authored the comprehensive history of New Hamburg.  In 2005 he was awarded the Ontario Heritage Foundation's Certificate of Lifetime Achievement.  He was inducted into the Waterloo County Hall of Fame in 1997.
<!--[endif]-->

Bob Sanders

Bob has been an active resident of Hespeler, Galt, North Dumfries, Kitchener and Cambridge for 56 years.  A graduate of the University of Toronto in Engineering and Business, he has over thirty-five years of executive experience in corporate planning operations and general management.  His local community involvement includes President of Confederation Club, the Grand Valley Group of Engineers, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation, Chairman of the Advisory Committee of CODA Self Start Centre (C)., municipal appointee of the Grand River Conservation Authority, a member of the Waterloo District Health Council and a founding director of the Cambridge Interfaith Pastoral Counselling Service.  In 1987 he was awarded a Cambridge Outstanding Citizen Award.  He also has served provincial and national associations including the Ontario Hospital Association as a director and treasurer and the Change Foundation of Ontario as a founding director and treasurer.

John Scherrer

John lives in Elmira and is the President and owner of B & L Metal Products (Elmira) Limited. He has a BA from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario. He was a treasurer and director of the Elmira Kiwanis and helped to establish the Kiwanis Transit.  He was a founder and past President of the Golden Triangle Rose and Garden Society. John was a director of the Elmira and Woolwich Chamber. He worked on the steering committee that planned and completed the merger to form the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce and served two terms on the new Chamber Board. He served on the Foundation Board and is currently a Governor on the Board for St. John’s Kilmarnock School. 

Bill Thomson

Bill was born in Hamilton.  He holds a BA in geography from McMaster University and an MA in Urban Geography from University of Indiana.  He was the first Commissioner of Planning and Development for the newly created Region of Waterloo and later was the first Commissioner of Economic Development for the City of Kitchener where he initiated what became CTT.  As a consultant following his retirement he mediated over 300 appeals over three years for the OMB, was the consultant for the restructuring of Perth County and was chairman of eight Labour Adjustment Committees for displaced employees of factories in three cities.  He is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners for which he has served in all offices including that of president.

Katherine Vanderlaan

Katherine was born and raised on a farm in Hamilton and graduated in medical technology from Mohawk College in 1978.  She moved to Cambridge to complete her clinical year at what was then South Waterloo Memorial Hospital.  She became employed at the hospital in the Haematology and Microbiology laboratories until 1992 while she completed a BSc at University of Waterloo.  She is currently president of Vandermac Investments Inc.  Her volunteer activities include participation on the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant review team from 1998 to 2002 and she is past president (2002/3) of the Rotary Club of Cambridge Sunrise.

Don Willcox

Don was raised in St. Catharines Ontario and graduated from Ryerson University in 1958.  He moved to Kitchener in 1960 and spent 35 years with CAP Communications (CKCO-TV, CKKW-AM, CFCA-FM) –  a division of Electrohome Limited, retiring in 1995 as Vice-President and General Manager.  Don has served as President of K-W Oktoberfest Inc.; President of the Kitchener-Westmount Rotary Club and Chair of the Unified Board of St. James’-Rosemount United Church.  He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Automobile Association, South Central Ontario and has served many community organizations over the years, including the Grand River Hospital Foundation Board of Governors, the K.W. Symphony Board of Directors, and the Kitchener and Waterloo Chambers of Commerce Boards of Directors. Don was awarded the Howard Caine Memorial Award for Community Service by the Central Canada Broadcasters Association in 1994 and was named K.W. Citizen of the Year in 1997.   Professionally, Don has served as Chair of the Television Bureau of Canada; Chair of the Advisory Committee, School of Radio & Television Arts at Conestoga College; and Chair of the Can Pro Television Program Festival.