About Us - Board of Directors

The Elora Environment Centre is very fortunate to have a dedicated and experienced Board of Directors providing leadership and support.

Jennifer McLellan, Chair

Jennifer McLellan is an environmental engineer. She recently went back to school to obtain a business degree focussing on the commercialization of early stage ideas. Her professional engineering practice has tried to solve many of our planet's environmental problems: containment of radioactive and hazardous waste, solid waste recycling, environmental auditing, containment of landfill leachate, and minimizing the impact of animal waste on groundwater.

High points have included providing expert testimony at the Walkerton Inquiry, authoring a study that lead to improved manure management practices on Ontario farms, teaching college students about environmental stewardship, and finally, working for what seemed like an eternity on "green" issues before Al Gore made saving the environment a respectable subject. Jennifer has always been passionate about promoting healthy housing. She recently obtained a grant to allow the Elora Environment Centre to develop a 'homeowner' energy education curriculum for high school students. Jennifer owns and operates a publishing business. Jennifer joined the Elora Environment Centre board in early 2002.

Paul Taylor, Secretary-Treasurer
Paul Taylor is the founder and President of Compost Management Associates Ltd., a contracted operator of large-scale municipal composting facilities. More recently, Paul has also founded the Niagara Division of Clintar Groundskeeping Services, a provider of year-round property maintenance services to large commercial, industrial and governmental property owners. Earlier careers included serving as Executive Director of the Recycling Council of Ontario for five years. Paul has also served on the board of the Elora Festival, was a founding board member of the Composting Council of Canada, and served as a member of Heritage Centre Wellington. Paul was a founding board member of the Elora Environment Centre in 1993.

Toni Ellis, Board Member
Toni coordinates NeighbourWoods on the Grand, a branch of the Elora Environment Centre. This urban tree program is mobilizing dedicated volunteers to plant, steward and advocate for our community’s trees. She is also the president of the Ontario Urban Forest Council, based in Toronto.

Toni was a founding board member of the Elora Environment Centre, and we are very proud that she was named Citizen of the Year by Centre Wellington in April 2008 and was recently awarded the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Her many other accomplishments include; building a fine paper recycling program in Ottawa with Pollution Probe, running Canada’s first multi-material recycling program in East York, working on public education for Laidlaw Waste Systems during implementation of the first blue box program in Kitchener, coordinating the Province’s first Recycling Week (now Waste Reduction Week) and developing, field testing and delivering a variety of innovative environmental programs promoting water awareness and climate change action.

Toni led the successful effort to rescue and rehabilitate a historic school building in her now home town of Elora, and create a bustling arts and education centre - where the Elora Environment Centre now has its office.

Ed Mallett, Board Member
Dr. Ed Mallett is President and CEO of the Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement (OCETA), established in 1993. He was instrumental in developing the proposals and documents necessary to obtain approval and support from the federal and provincial governments for the three Canadian Environmental Technology Advancement Centres. OCETA’s business services include assistance in preparation of investment grade business plans, raising new development funds, market research, and creation of corporate partnerships. OCETA acts as a delivery agent for Energy Efficiency, Pollution Prevention and Clean Air initiatives focused on Ontario’s small and medium sized manufacturers. Internationally, the company, financed by CIDA, is engaged in important environmental initiatives in Bangladesh, China, Indonesia and India mainly based on expertise on Environmental Technology Verification (ETV). OCETA is the sole licensee of the Federal Government for its Canadian ETV program.

The majority of Ed’s career was spent working for ICI Canada where he held senior management positions in Research, Corporate Planning, Business Development, and Production. Also, as group President of Specialty Chemicals, Ed was directly responsible for several businesses including Chemical Distribution, Waster Treatment Chemicals, Oilfield Services, and served as a Director of Tricil Waste Management during its period of most rapid growth. After leaving ICI, Ed acted as a consultant for Canadian Venture Founders, a new venture fund centralized on start-up and early stage technologies organizations, and was President of Turbotak Technologies Inc.

Born in Barrow-in-Furness, England, Ed’s educational background includes a BSc Honours and a PhD in Chemistry obtained at Manchester University in England. Ed joined our Board in early 2002.

Randall Howard, Board Member
Randall Howard, a founder and Chair of the Board of the Elora Environment Centre, is currently the founding partner of VERDEXUS which provides management and investment to global technology companies including Iotum where he is Executive Chairman. Previously he was CEO of Coreworx (Software Innovation) and, in 1984, he founded MKS (TSX: MKX), one of Canada's leading enterprise software vendors whose products optimize internal software development within large corporations. As Chairman and CEO, he led the growth of MKS into a public company with US$45 million in revenue and 375 employees worldwide.

Randall is a seasoned board member/advisor, having worked with numerous technology firms. Long committed to the environment, the arts and building of community, Randall is a board member and treasurer with Roseneath Theatre Company, Flush Ink Performing Arts, and Centre Wellington Community Foundation. In support of entrepreneurship, he is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of Laurier School of Business & Economics, is part of the Mobile Advisory Panel at MaRS and was a founder of Communitech Technology Association. Randall holds an Honours B.Math from University of Waterloo, was the 2005 Communitech Impact Award recipient and was the 1997 High Technology Entrepreneur of the Year.

Denise Richardson, Board Member

Denise Richardson is a recent addition to the Elora Environment Centre Board through a recently launched Board Governance initiative sponsored by Manulife Financial in partnership with Capacity Waterloo. She has worked in the financial services sector for over 25 years, predominantly in a marketing capacity. Her keen understanding of client needs and consumer behaviour helps to shape the Centre's marketing and promotional efforts.