Patrons & Directors
Patrons of The Riverwood Conservancy
Hazel McCallion, C.M., LL.D.
Mississauga’s longest-serving mayor, Hazel McCallion, often referred to Riverwood as “the gem of the city.” Mayor McCallion supported The Riverwood Conservancy from its original inception as the Mississauga Garden Council. Through her long and distinguished political career, she never forgot the importance of connecting the residents of Mississauga to the beauty of nature.
Hazel was first elected mayor of Mississauga in November 1978, and since that first term she has been a successful candidate in 12 municipal elections; having been acclaimed twice and re-elected 10 other times. She stepped down as mayor in 2014 after holding her position for 36 years, and passed away on January 29, 2023 at the age of 101. Read our tribute to Hazel here.
Robert Bateman
Robert Bateman has been fascinated by nature since childhood, and his artwork is an outgrowth of that passion. Although always interested in art, he did not initially expect to make a living from it. He painted in his spare time while earning a living as a high school art and geography teacher. It wasn’t until the 1970s when he began receiving major recognition as an artist that he was able to paint full-time.
He is a committed environmentalist and has used his artwork to promote ecology and preservation. In 1999 he was named by the Audobon Society of Canada one of the 20th Century’s Heroes of Conservation. The Riverwood Conservancy’s mission to teach children about nature and restore the native habitat of Riverwood was a natural draw for him.
Dr. Ulrich Krull
Ulrich (Ulli) Krull shares in a vision that Riverwood will evolve to become the central hub in our region that will teach and promote the importance of natural environments for a sustainable world. A long-time Mississauga resident, Dr. Krull is Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Toronto. He formerly served as Vice-President of the University of Toronto and Principal of the University of Toronto Mississauga. He is also the lead editor of Analytica Chimica Acta, a prominent international journal for analytical chemistry published by Elsevier.
Dr. Krull has been active professionally and personally in support of environmental initiatives, ranging from teaching of environmental analytical chemistry and bringing focus to sustainability in the development of the UTM campus, to participating in tree planting with Scouts Canada.
2022-2023 Executive Committee of the Board of Directors
Heather Shaw
Chair of the Board
Heather Shaw has served as a volunteer with TRC since 2012 and has been on the Board of Directors since 2016. Prior to retiring, she worked as Senior Policy and Research Analyst for the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and Manager of Donor Financial Services for the United Way of Greater Toronto. Through her career experience, Heather brings the skills of strategic planning, policy development, fundraising, and volunteerism to TRC.
David Leeder
Corporate Secretary
David Leeder joined the Board of the Mississauga Garden Council, the predecessor of TRC, in 2002, serving a term as Chair of the Board. After completing his term, he left the Board, only to return in 2015. Dave retired as Associate Director, Educational Services, from the Peel District School Board in 2001. After retirement, he joined York University to co-ordinate teacher and principal additional qualification courses.
Elinor Laffey
Vice-Chair
Elinor Laffey is a retired restaurateur and Founder of KatEco Life, a sustainable philanthropic online business. She has been passionate about the environment for many years, and enjoys chairing Riverwood's Education Committee meetings. She’s agreed to expand her involvement with TRC by assisting on the Finance Committee as well. As a Mississauga resident, she has fond memories when her grandfather owned Jack Darling Park.
Marc Johnson
Member-at-Large
Dr. Marc Johnson is a Professor at University of Toronto Mississauga, the Canada Research Chair of Urban Environmental Science, and the Director of the Centre for Urban Environments. His research takes an interdisciplinary approach to address a broad array of problems in evolution and ecology, including coevolutionary biology, eco-evolutionary dynamics, the evolution of sex, and how urban environments affect the evolution of life around us. In addition to serving as a Director, Marc is a co-founder of the Riverwood Junior Naturalists Club.
Tim Pickering
Treasurer
Tim Pickering served on the Board of Mississauga Garden Council, prior to its change to The Riverwood Conservancy. Working for Deloitte in 2005, he was instrumental in holding Impact Day, bringing 200 Deloitte workers to Riverwood to provide volunteer conservation work. Tim is currently Vice President, Taxation of Granite REIT. He rejoined the TRC Board in the fall of 2020 and has been focused on digitizing TRC’s financial processes.
Carolyn Sherk
Past Chair
Carolyn Sherk is a long-time TRC volunteer, beginning her service with Education Naturally, then serving on the Volunteer Committee, the Board, and the Executive Committee. She has retired from her consulting career in health care and social services planning. Carolyn and her husband Allan have lived in Mississauga since 1972. They have instilled a love of nature in their two children and four grandchildren, in part through their cottage trips to Georgian Bay.
2022-2023 Directors
Shirley Daniels
Shirley Daniels began volunteering for community organizations in the 1970s, and remains an active volunteer with TRC. She is a retired teacher and one of the founders of the Mississauga Garden Council, the predecessor of TRC. She has served on the TRC Board throughout its history, and led TRC’s marquee fundraising event for 15 years. Shirley has had leadership roles in many organizations, including serving as President for Cloverleaf Garden Club, Mississauga Master Gardeners, Windmill Theatre, and the Ontario Horticultural Association (OHA).
Swaroop Dogra
Swaroop Dogra has extensive multinational experience in executive leadership and project delivery management at large companies like TELUS, Bell, Cogeco, Verizon, Bharti Airtel, Unit Trust of India, and some leading banks in India. In addition to his role with the TRC Board, he also volunteers as a Director with the Board of Visual Arts Mississauga Board. He is an alumni of Rotman’s Executive Leadership Course in Managing Strategic Change.
Alan Lytle
Alan Lytle has been a volunteer at TRC since 2005 and has served on the Board, including time as Vice-Chair, actively participating in the growth of TRC during that time. He has love of the outdoors and an interest in making nature accessible to people of all ages and abilities. In his career, he worked in the telecommunications sector, in marketing and general management. After retiring, he took on the role of Secretary/Treasurer of a small charitable foundation.
Christina Woodward
Christina Woodward’s abiding interest is in gardening, with rhododendron being her focus for the past 25 years. She joined Riverwood’s Enabling Garden program in 2014 and has grown her involvement at Riverwood to include active participation in volunteering gardening groups and the Special Events Committee. She earned an MA in History from Rhodes University, and has managed libraries at the London Regional Cancer Centre and the Trillium Health Centre.
Clement Mbulu
Clement Mbulu graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School and is a licensed lawyer in Ontario. He is the principal lawyer at Crossline Law Professional Corporation, where he primarily practices in the areas of real estate, estates and corporate law. In his spare time Clement enjoys reading biographies, travelling, exercising, going on nature hikes, and collecting vinyl records. In addition to his role as a Director, he also currently sits on TRC’s Human Resources Committee.
Amy Tjen
Amy Tjen has served as a Director of the Mississauga Board of Chinese Professionals and Business Association since 2000. She has also been an Ambassador of the Mon Sheong Foundation and most recently chaired the committee for the Hazel McCallion 100th Birthday Photo Book, "Hazel McCallion: A Century of Accomplishment" Fundraiser for the Trillium Health Partners Foundation. Amy is the Recipient of several awards, including the Chinese Canadian Legend Award in 2008, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
Peter Newsome
Peter Newsome is an avid gardener and naturalist who has lived in Mississauga for the past 50 years. Now semi-retired, Peter’s career in public accounting saw him provide audit, accounting, and tax compliance services to a range of businesses. He also engaged as an auditor for several charities and not-for-profit organizations. He was consultant to, and the first Board Chair of, Skills for Change, a Toronto settlement and immigrant training agency.