Our Leaders

The members of the Foundation Board are community leaders from throughout our watershed.

2024-2025 Board of Directors

Ankur Gupta, CFA, MBA, CFP, B.Eng, Wealth Advisor, Associate Portfolio Manager (Chair)

Ted Smith, CPA, Belwood (Vice Chair)

Paul Salvini, Global Chief Technology Officer, DNEG, Waterloo (Past Chair)

Robert Eilers, Guelph, President and Director, Vesterra Group

Jerry Lawlor, Brantford, President, Lawlor and Associates

Karen Leiva, Guelph, Communications Director, OCFP

George Lourenco, Resource Manager, Capital Paving, Guelph

Rick Oosterveld, Retired Business Owner, Rockwood

Carolyn Weatherson, Guelph, Buisness Owner

Chris White, Guelph Eramosa, GRCA Chair

Ankur Gupta, Chair

Ankur Gupta is a Portfolio Manager at Scotia Wealth Management. He has an MBA in Finance from the Schulich School of Business at York University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP).

With a knack for numbers and an acute attention to detail stemming from his engineering background, Ankur understands every facet of his clients’ lives in depth before creating a financial plan for them. He also recognizes the importance of a client’s understanding of where their money is invested and how their portfolio is doing, and thus he creates comprehensive models and reports for them. He manages client portfolios including portfolio research and modelling ensuring every client is properly invested according to their risk and objectives.

Ankur is conscientious of his social responsibility and currently serves on the board of Grand River Community Foundation. He also supports Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and has previously worked with Kawasaki Disease Canada as well. Outside of work, Ankur is an avid outdoor enthusiast, and enjoys biking, traveling, hiking, and spending time with his wife and their one-year-old son.

Edward (Ted) Smith, Vice Chair

Ted Smith is a CPA, CA (Chartered Professional Accountant) TEP (Trust and Estate Practitioner) and LPA (Licensed Public Accountant). A graduate of the University of Guelph, Ted has made his lifetime career in the accounting and tax area, servicing small entrepreneurs up to multinational companies. He brings this extensive wealth of financial knowledge to the Board and combines that with his love of the outdoors and wide and varied non-profit experience.

Ted is lifetime outdoorsman, hunting, fishing, boating and hiking whenever he can. Having lived most of his life next to GRCA properties, Ted has seen first hand the effects and needs of the management of our natural resources. Currently living in Belwood, he overlooks Lake Belwood, one of the GRCA key properties in the watershed.

Non-profit involvement has included being involved with Youth Outdoors Day as a Board member (an annual event previous held at Luther Marsh to bring children age 10 to 15 to the outdoors to experience what it has to offer), member of local Ducks Unlimited fundraising committee, member of Centre Wellington Environmental Committee and Board member of St. John Ambulance to name a few.

GRCF Staff

Samantha Lawson, GRCA CAO, GRCF Acting Executive Director
Karen Armstrong, GRCA Deputy CAO and Secretary-Treasurer, GRCF Secretary-Treasurer
Kyla Wendland, GRCA/GRCF Administrative Assistant