About CFDR Board of Directors

CFDR is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the members each year at the Annual General Meeting. The following are 2009-2010 Board members:

	Mary Sue Waisman, MSc PDt, FDC CFDR President All About Food Nutrition Consulting Fall River, NS
Mary Sue Waisman is a professional dietitian, celebrated chef, writer and professional speaker. She is currently the Manager, Public Affairs Communications with Dietitians of Canada where she is responsible for producing Current Issues—a professional on-line resource for dietitians and for updating many elements of the Dietitians of Canada (DC) public website. She is the co-author of DC's best selling cookbook, Simply Great Food and the author of Flavour First—delicious food to bring the family back to the table. She is the past Chair of the Board of DC, a Board member of the Canadian Council of Food and Nutrition, and has held several other volunteer positions with other professional organizations. As the President of CFDR, Mary Sue brings governance experience and professional strength in vision, communications and big-picture thinking. Her intention is to make CFDR the go-to charitable funding organization for donors including corporate donors and DC members.

	Lisa Beausoleil Leader, Health Channel Development Nestlé Nutrition North York, ON


	Helen Ann Dillon Registered Dietitian Toronto, ON
Helen Ann earned her BASc at the University of Guelph, her MSC at Ohio State University and completed her Dietetic Internship at the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital.She is a member of Dietitians of Canada and the College of Dietitians of Ontario. Her passion for enhancing health through the combined science of nutrition and the art of culinary has driven her career and her interest in the goals of CFDR. "As Co-Chair of the Fundraising Committee I enjoy meeting with our Corporate Partners, reporting on the research underway -- the research they have made possible for the benefit of all Canadians," says Helen Ann. "Our fundraising commitment is to attract more companies as partners and in doing so, enable CFDR to involve even more Dietitians in expanding our understanding of the complexities of nutrition and health."

	Doris Foster Director of Nutrition Services ARAMARK at Toronto Rehab Toronto, ON
Doris Foster is employed by ARAMARK Canada Ltd. as the Director of Nutrition Services at Toronto Rehab. She also serves as Director of the ARAMARK Internship Program. Doris has a BASc from the University of Guelph, completed her dietetic internship at Kingston General Hospital, and has an MBA from York University. Doris chairs the Nominations Committee of the CFDR board. She brings a business perspective to the foundation and due to her work with the internship program, is particularly interested in grooming young researchers for the future. "It is wonderful to see the new strategic plan being executed," says Doris, "particularly the initiatives which support young researchers. The foundation is poised to grow in the future."

	Michi Furuya Chang Director, Canadian Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Kraft Canada Inc. Don Mills, ON
Michi Furuya Chang is currently Director, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs at Kraft Canada Inc. In her role, Michi’s primary objectives are to keep pace with current scientific, nutrition and regulatory trends, to interpret and analyze regulatory proposals, and to participate in shaping the regulatory system in Canada with the end goal of providing useful information to the consumer that will help them make informed food choices. Michi also plays a key role in developing and providing nutrition and regulatory guidance to the business to ensure that the products and food solutions are in line with the needs of Canadians. Commitment and dedication to advancing scientific and nutrition initiatives in Canada is demonstrated through Michi’s involvement with CFDR. Michi is currently a member of the Board of Directors of CFDR and is also a member of the CFDR Scientific Review Committee. Michi earned both a Bachelor of Science as well as a Master of Health Science degree in Nutrition at the University of Toronto. She is also a Registered Dietitian with membership with the College of Dietitians of Ontario and Dietitians of Canada. Finally, Michi brings a unique and well-rounded perspective to the scientific, nutrition and regulatory arenas through her experiences in the academic, community and industry settings.

	Sharon McDonald President, Morrison Healthcare Compass Group Canada Don Mills, ON
Sharon McDonald is the President of Morrison Healthcare Food Services, a division of Compass Group Canada and is responsible for all acute and long term care business in Canada for patient, resident and retail food services. She has 30 years of experience working in hospitals in the public and private sector. Her experience is multifaceted and she has had responsibility for food service, environmental services, plant operations and maintenance. Her last 20 years have been in senior management roles with management services companies. In addition to being on the CFDR Board, Sharon also is on the CFDR Finance and Audit Committee. Other volunteer work include the Advisory Committee for the Canadian College of Health Service Executives. Sharon completed her undergraduate degree at Mount Saint Vincent University and her graduate degree at Central Michigan University. She is a member of the College of Dietitians of Ontario and Dietitians of Canada. Sharon has participated in numerous committees and is a also a member of the Management Board for Compass Group Canada. Sharon says, "Being involved in CFDR is my way of giving back to my profession and supporting its major initiatives of research to further advance the profile of nutrition and Dietitians in Canada."

	Jeff O'Neill Director of Marketing McCain Foods Canada Etobicoke, ON
Jeff O'Neill is currently Director of Marketing at McCain Foods Canada. Jeff holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool and undergraduate degree in commerce from Saint Mary's University. Over the past 16 years, he has held various roles of increased responsibility within the Quaker and Pepsi-QTG Organization and most recently McCain. Jeff brings a strong background in growing businesses, growing people, sales strategy, planning and customer management. In his current general management and marketing role at McCain, he is leading the transformation of the McCain Prepared Foods portfolio through a consumer and market facing approach. Jeff brings a strategic focus to the foundation and is committed to the goal of driving revenue to fund research projects in order to improve the overall health of Canadians.

	Cathy Paroschy Harris Director of Nutrition and Food Services Sodexo, Inc., at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre Thunder Bay, ON
Cathy Paroschy Harris is the Director of Nutrition and Food Services, employed by Sodexo, Inc., at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Thunder Bay, Ontario. Cathy graduated with her Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Applied Human Nutrition from the University of Guelph and completed her dietetic internship at Kitchener Waterloo Hospital. She has held administrative, clinical and teaching positions in long term care, mental health, college, university and acute care settings. Cathy continues to be involved with the Ontario Hospital Association, Nutrition and Food Service Section. She was extensively involved in establishing the Northern Ontario Dietetic Internship Program and is past chair of the Advisory Committee. She was elected to the Dietitians of Canada Board as Chair-Elect in 2008. She is new to the CFDR Board, bringing with her management expertise and enthusiasm for the profession. Cathy advocates for the diverse roles of dietitians and sees the need for enhanced research in the front line, with evidence-based practice and current research guiding the profession as leaders in nutrition.

	Nathalie Savoie Assistant Director, Nutrition, National Programs Dairy Farmers of Canada Montreal, QC
Nathalie Savoie is Assistant Director, Nutrition, for Dairy Farmers of Canada. She manages the National Nutrition Programs targeting consumers and health professionals, as well as the research program. Nathalie earned her BSc at Université de Montréal and her MBA at HEC-Montréal. In her position, Nathalie works closely with many health research organizations, such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Obesity Network. She brings to CFDR an extensive communication and management expertise, along with her passion for nutrition research and science-based practice. "Nutrition research can truly make a difference in the value of dietitians' practice," says Nathalie.

	Marsha Sharp Chief Executive Officer Dietitians of Canada Mississauga, ON
Marsha Sharp is Chief Executive Officer of Dietitians of Canada (DC), where she provides strategic leadership for the professional association for dietitians in Canada and represents the profession nationally and internationally in collaboration with the Board of Directors and senior management team. Marsha is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Confederation of Dietetic Associations, and as General Secretary serves as the link to the Secretariat of ICDA which is housed within Dietitians of Canada. She is also a Director for the Canadian Obesity Network, a new initiative of the Centres of Excellence sponsored by Industry Canada. Marsha completed an Honours BHEc in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Manitoba, a dietetic internship at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Alberta, and an MSc in Nutrition at the University of Manitoba. Currently the Chair of CFDR's Finance and Audit Committee, Marsha brings knowledge as a founding director of CFDR to long range financial planning and management activities of the Committee and the Board of Directors. Marsha is pleased with the financial foundation achieved for CFDR, which provides its capacity to grow funding for applied research in nutrition and dietetics. She says, "CFDR was created to raise funds and provide funds for dietetic research, and this mandate is being ably met through the efforts of many individuals to garner support from dietitians, corporate and government donors. CFDR was envisioned and launched by DC to increase capacity for dietetic practice research across the broad scope of practice seen in health, health care, and food and agriculture sectors of the economy in diverse roles, including communications, research and development, education, policy, and community development. I'm excited about CFDR's continued dedication and leadership in building the evidence base for dietetic practice."

	Sharon Wong Assistant Professor School of Nutrition Ryerson University Toronto, ON
Sharon Wong is a professor at the School of Nutrition at Ryerson University, where she teaches research methodology and professional practice courses in the undergraduate nutrition and food program, and epidemiology in the graduate program in Nutrition Communications. Sharon is also an active member on the Ryerson University Research Ethics Board. She completed an Honours BSc at the University of Western Ontario, a dietetic internship at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, an MSc at the University of Guelph, an MSc at McMaster University, and a PhD at the University of Guelph. Currently the Chair of CFDR's Scientific Review Committee, Sharon is passionate about bringing her research methodology experiences in helping to raise the capacity for dietitians to pursue research alongside their practice. Sharon is excited about CFDR's growing research program. She says, "CFDR's research program is growing at a rapid pace right now. Not only has the Board committed additional funds for research projects, but we've launched a couple of new initiatives: a New Researcher Program, and a new priority for the consumer focused program. I'm excited about CFDR's continued dedication to enhancing the dietetic profession, and to building a healthy Canada."