Our Leadership Volunteers

Debbi has a saying for every situation. Some of her favourites at the Foundation are “That’s the power of many,” and “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The next best time is now!” 

Our intrepid Board Chair had a career in corporate recruiting before heading up community associations and non-profits in Calgary and Orangeville, including the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival. She was our first General Manager, guiding us through the pivotal first years of operation. She must have missed us after she left (we sure missed her!), because she joined the Board in 2022 and took the reins as Chair the next year.  

For Debbi, the vision of the Foundation is one of sustainability. Knowing that her efforts today contribute toward Dufferin’s legacy provides a sense of purpose and achievement.  

Loyal, independent and always with a sense of humour, Debbi lives in Mono with her partner and their puppy, Taquito.  

When Steve was President, Co-owner and CEO of Vintex, Inc., a privately-owned manufacturer of polymer coated textile products for the healthcare, industrial and commercial markets, he built a culture based on trust, transparency and performance. 

As Vice-Chair of the Foundation and Chair of our Governance Committee, he is doing the same here. Since joining the Board in 2023, he has been integral in building our infrastructure, refining policies, and creating initiatives for organizational excellence. He believes in our mission and vision, especially the Foundation’s ability to provide local charities with the sustainable funding they so urgently need. 

Steve is a loving father, partner and son and a loyal friend. He is energetic and hard-working, as well as being a strong communicator and team leader.           

Steve’s hope for Dufferin County is to maintain our sense of community as we grow and diversify.

We like to say that Rhonda joined our Board when she realized that she couldn’t escape us. She had roots in the Foundation from the very beginning as a Founders’ Circle member. After that, she repeatedly encountered members of the Foundation at community events. Recognizing that volunteering with us would allow her to support many different organizations at once, she became our Board Secretary in 2023.

Rhonda is a professional in the medical devices field, gaining regulatory approval for newly designed devices and maintaining regulatory compliance for the life cycle of the products in all jurisdictions where they are marketed internationally.

An Amaranth resident since 2005, where she lives with her husband and three children, Rhonda likes to hike, run and connect with the outdoors. She also has a special talent for fibre arts, including spinning, weaving and leatherwork.

Shirley has been with the Foundation since before it was born, when it was just a glint in founder Gord Gallaugher’s eye. As then-Executive Director of Headwaters Communities in Action, she supported our development into a full-fledged community foundation and has been an integral team member ever since. 

Moving to Mulmur from Richmond Hill 20 years ago, she and her husband Tom were delighted to discover that Tom’s great-grandfather had been a blacksmith right in their immediate community!   

Shirley’s early career was in corporate learning and development, where she worked full-time while going to school as a single mom. Her proudest day remains graduating from York University with her daughter and sister present. When she moved to the county, Shirley switched to managing non-profit organizations, with a dash of community advocacy on the side.  

Shirley puts the community first. She has evolved the granting programs of both Dufferin County and the Foundation, and wishes for a future where essential non-profits have all the funding they need.

Margot began her legal education at the University of Saskatchewan, one of six women out of 400 students, and stood at the top of her class.

After completing her law degree at the University of Manitoba, she moved to Ottawa where she was called to the bar. For the last 45 years, she has been practicing law in Orangeville in matters for the entire family.

Margot has been active in every community in which she has lived. She was President, Dufferin Law Association, executive member, County & District Law Presidents Association, and is a member of the Greater Dufferin Estate Planning Council. She served as Chair of Headwaters Health Care Centre, President of Rotary Orangeville Highlands, and a Board Director with Theatre Orangeville. Margot is currently in her first term with the Foundation.

Raised with six siblings, Margot learned early the importance of equality for all, and the maxim to always do your best. Margot continues to live by these principles.

Michèle is a retired elementary school teacher who moved to Orangeville in 1986 and taught at five different schools over her thirty-year career. She loved teaching children, who are our future leaders. They are her inspiration for joining the Foundation.

She has been highly active in the community as a Board member of Dufferin Arts Council and a member of Urban Harvest, CFUW Headwaters and the Achill Choir. Michèle was also a Westminster bell ringer and an adult mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dufferin.

Joining the Foundation in 2021, Michèle believes that the model of granting funds in perpetuity to our much-needed nonprofits is a stroke of brilliance and profoundly effective. Her hopes for Dufferin County are that we continue to care about each other in practical, meaningful ways.

Michèle and her husband have four sons and one very sweet grandson. She is proud of her family and all they are contributing to our community and beyond.