John M. Herhalt 2013 – Chair
John was a partner with KPMG LLP and has over 34 years of experience, leading many projects within the public sector and power and utilities sector, and advising clients extensively in areas of strategic and business planning, governance, organizational restructuring, risk management, performance management, alternate service delivery and process improvement. John’s experience includes projects with municipalities, universities and colleges, hospitals, school boards, public and private utilities, provincial and federal government ministries, crown corporations and agencies and regulatory authorities. John has a B.A. (Economics) and B. Comm. from the University of Windsor, a Chartered Accountancy designation from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, and is a Certified Information Systems Auditor.
Frank Squizzato 2008 – Vice Chair
Frank Squizzato is an entrepreneur with over 30 years experience in the computer industry. He is involved in the high tech community with many interests. Frank is the co-founder of the Computer Charity Golf Classic for Easter Seals, an event that has benefited Easter Seals for 28 years. He is currently director/partner for UpMarket, a computer products sales and marketing firm and a director/partner for Woodlandia, an equipment sales company. Frank has personally made Easter Seals his Charity of Choice and has been a member of the President’s Circle since 1994. Frank lives in Toronto with his wife, Denise, a Registered Early Childhood Educator for special needs children, and his two daughters.
Kevin Kelly 2016 – Treasurer
Kevin Kelly currently serves as the Executive Vice President, Nuclear Development for Bruce Power. This is a operational development role that will provide Kevin with exposure to outage execution, work management, maintenance, operations, projects and WANO, to help him build on his already-extensive work experience. Kevin was previously responsible for Supply Chain, Site Services, Business and Capital Planning, Corporate Finance and Reporting, Treasury and Taxation, Energy Trading, Information Technology and Pension Asset Management.
Kevin brings more than 25 years of experience in the areas of strategic and operational planning, financial reporting and cost management, treasury, taxation, pension and insurance.
Prior to joining Bruce Power in 2001, Kevin was responsible for setting up the reporting and governance structure for British Energy in North America. Kevin has also worked at BDO’s Toronto Office.
Kevin is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives. He is a CPA and received his Chartered Accountant (CA) designation from the ICAO in 1997 and holds a Bachelor of Accounting degree from Brock University.
Deanne Buckle 2017
Deanne Buckle currently serves as Vice President, Business Banking with Bank of Montreal where she leads a team of Relationship Managers who provide solutions for businesses in diversified industries in the Markham and North Toronto markets.
Deanne brings over twelve years of experience to this role and since joining BMO in 2005, she has held several roles in Business Banking across two markets – Atlantic Canada and Toronto.
Deanne holds an MBA from Ivey Business School and a Bachelor’s Degree from Dalhousie University. She is also the Co-lead for the Greater Toronto Area Women in Business Council for BMO.
In her spare time, Deanne enjoys traveling as often as possible and golfing during our great Ontario summers.
Michael Carli 2017
Michael Carli was conferred the degree of Juris Doctor from the Faculty of Law, University of Western Ontario in 1987 and has been practicing law in the Province of Ontario since his call to the Bar in 1989. He is currently a partner at the Toronto area law firm of Rigobon Carli (which he co-founded in 1989) specializing in corporate, commercial and real estate law with expertise in mortgage recoveries and trademark prosecutions. Mr. Carli is also the Chairman of Roto-Gro International Limited (a public company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange which manufactures proprietary rotational hydroponic garden systems in Canada) and is a director of several private corporations.
Mr. Carli is a past Chair of Villanova College and is currently the Chair of St. Thomas of Villanova Charities Inc. (which is the registered charity which supports Villanova College). He also serves as pro bono counsel to other charitable organizations including Friends of We Care.
Mr. Carli is a member of various professional organizations including the Law Society of Ontario, the American Bar Association and the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada.
Paolo Ciotola 2018
Paolo Ciotola is currently a Director in the Financial Sponsors group with RBC Capital Markets, based in Toronto. He has been working in the Investment Banking industry for 14 years. Since that time he has been involved in the origination and execution of numerous advisory and valuation assignments for a wide range of industries across North America.
At RBC, Mr. Ciotola is currently the Chair of the RBC Capital Markets Canadian Analyst and Associate Advisory Board (CAAAB) and is a member of the RBC Capital Markets Canadian Marketing Committee.
Mr. Ciotola received a Bachelor of Arts, Honours Business Administration (with distinction) from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario and has his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Paolo lives in Toronto with his wife and two children. His interest in and familiarity with Easter Seals goes back many years; his twin brother, who has cerebral palsy, attended Blue Mountain Camp.
Debbie Conte 2016
Recognized as one of Vaughan’s top 10 business women, Debbie is strategically aligned in the Corporate Business Development, Internal/External Branding, Stakeholder Relations and Corporate Philanthropy Directorship roles. Her accountability for growth and execution of a go-to-market business plan, sales enablement and vendor alliance management is remarkable. She is a strong influencer on leveraging solutions and is committed to corporate giving within the community and promotion of global corporate social responsibility.
Gino DeVuono 2015
Gino is President of The DeVuono Group and has over 20 years of experience in the watch and jewellery industry. Prior to forming his own company, he was Director of Sales at Movado Group Canada. Gino is also President of Jewellers Vigilance of Canada, an organization that serves as an industry advocate and liaison with the government on matters including crime prevention, financial tracking, anti-money laundering and diamond code. Gino is Past President of the 24K Club of Canada, an industry organization he has been involved with in various executive capacities over the past 15 years. Gino is a Board member of the Canadian Jewellery Association and has been a volunteer with the Canadian Computer Charity Golf Classic for over 20 years. Gino is a martial arts instructor.
Mark Fisher 2016
Mark Fisher has been an elected school board trustee with the Ottawa Carleton District School Board since 2009 and was appointed President and CEO of the Council of the Great Lakes Region by the Council’s board in 2014.
He is a seasoned professional with extensive knowledge of the public policy making process, board governance, strategic business planning and issues management. He has a wealth of experience in international affairs with a focus on advancing the United States-Canada relationship in the areas of trade, security, natural resource development and environmental protection. Mark has also provided advice to key decision-makers and influencers, including the Prime Minister of Canada, provincial premiers and ministers, and parliamentarians.
Mark was the Chair of Easter Seals Ontario’s National Capital Region District Council from 2007 to 2009.
Debbie Kerley 2011
Debbie Kerley is the mother of Lucas Braun, one of the 2010 Easter Seals Ontario Provincial Ambassadors. Her association with Easter Seals Ontario spans many years and in 2010 her association expanded to include speaking engagements at events in support of Easter Seals. As an enthusiastic and concerned advocate for children with physical disabilities, Mrs. Kerley has previously served as a Board member and Vice-Chair of the Canadian MPS Society and for 5 years was a member of the Lucknow Central Public School Community Council in Lucknow. Debbie has worked as a Veterinary Technician for over 22 years, currently practicing at the Ripley Huron Veterinary Clinic. She lives with her husband Jay and her four children, two of whom have physical disabilities, in the southwestern Ontario community of Whitechurch. Sadly, Debbie’s son, Lucas, Easter Seals 2010 Provincial Ambassador, passed away in May 2017.
Dr. Paul Truelove 1993
Dr. Truelove joined Easter Seals Ontario’s Board of Directors in 1993. He was the Chair of the Board from 1997 to 2000. In 1997, he served as Acting Executive Director during Easter Seals’ restructuring. Dr. Truelove is a Chiropractor in Toronto and has been in practice for 32 years. He is a member of The Rotary Club of Toronto, where he has been a Director of the Club’s Board and has chaired several committees. Dr. Truelove has also served on several not-for-profit Boards including Ray McCleary Towers, a residence for seniors. He is the current Chair of the Off Centre Music Salon. Along with past provincial ambassador, Sarah Dell, he formed the Truelove-Dell scholarship endowment for post secondary students from the greater Toronto area.
Alex Yeh, 2017
Alex serves as Business Development Manager at Northern Micro – one of Canada’s leading IT solution providers. He supervises Northern Micro’s overall marketing efforts and business planning in close collaboration with the senior management team. Prior to joining Northern Micro, Alex worked with the National Geographic Channel in Hong Kong as an Assistant Manager servicing blue chip clients such as Subaru, Panasonic, Caltex, ANZ Bank, Samsung, Singapore Airlines, and Marina Bay Sands. Before joining NGC, he worked with TSN as a Market Research Analyst providing audience insights to clients across Canada. He holds an MBA from Queen’s University, and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Guelph.