Keilani was hired in October 2022 to facilitate administrative operations in the FOCA office, in support of FOCA’s advocacy, communications, and member support services. She is also focused on governance, supporting the FOCA Board of Directors and its Committees.

Keilani completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Education at McGill University. After spending the first part of her career as an international educator, she made the transition into the charitable not-for-profit sector where she has over 10 years’ experience working in the field of administration and finance. As a member of the Waterloo-Wellington Fund-Raising Executives, Keilani also brings fundraising and development expertise to the table, as well as personal volunteer experience in governance and on committees.

Keilani grew up spending weekends and summers at her family cottage in Upstate New York, and presently cottages with her husband and two boys in the Northern Kawarthas.

Kirk Kuipers is FOCA’s Membership Coordinator. Contact him for information about joining or renewing your FOCA membership, association support, and member benefits.

Kirk is a graduate of McMaster University with a degree in History, and in 2019 he complete the accelerated Paralegal degree program at Seneca College. Kirk has worked in inventory management and in immigration law before he moved to Peterborough and began his new role with FOCA.

Kirk has enjoyed many summers at his family’s cottage at Crow Lake in South Frontenac.

Jacqueline is the new Assistant Lake Stewardship Coordinator for the Lake Partner Program with FOCA, working at the Dorset Environmental Science Centre near Huntsville.

Jacqueline is a graduate of Carleton University with a degree in Integrated Science and is currently completing a Marine Biology degree at Dalhousie. Jacqueline has worked in various environments over the years, including previous experience in the NOIT program at Ontario Power Generation. With her background in environmental conservation and fish ecology, we are pleased that she has joined our team at FOCA.

In her spare time, Jacqueline is an avid runner and enjoys spending time with family in Bracebridge, ON.

Rick’s story:

Rick is a fluently bilingual, senior general management executive with experience in both the Canadian and American public, non-profit, and private sectors. He has a diverse background in public policy, governance and risk management, branding, retail, and consulting, having led several US and CDN firms as CEO/President. Rick attended Carleton University, UofT’s Rotman School of Management, and Harvard University’s Business and Kennedy schools.

Rick has been an active executive and past President of the Basshaunt Lake Homeowners and Cottagers Association for 15 years (a no-motor Lake in the Haliburton Highlands). He is active in working with municipalities and associations on critical issues of shoreline protection, clean water advocacy, and environmental protection of our lakes and rivers. He has been a member of FOCA since arriving in cottage country in 2003.

(Joined FOCA Board 2022)

Mike’s story:

With 40 plus years of progressively responsible experience in both the public and private sectors in traffic and transportation engineering, Mike now works part time as a Senior Project Advisor for GHD, a global consulting firm.

Mike has been registered to practice engineering in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, and has served on the Board of Directors of AECOM Canada as well as the Consulting Engineers of Ontario.

He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and served as Chair of the Transportation Association of Canada “Geometric Design Standing Committee”.

Mike is very excited about the opportunity to join FOCA’s Board of Directors to support the organization in its quest to ensure that waterfront living in Ontario is environmentally sustainable, affordable, and safe for current and future generations.

(Joined FOCA Board 2022)

“Here’s my story: I was first exposed to “cottaging” in the late 50’s. My father owned a camp in northern Ontario on the outskirts of my home town. Unfortunately, a forest fire near the town of Chapleau destroyed the camp in 1958. My father never rebuilt and my cottage experience suffered a gap of nearly 20 years.

After spending time at friends’ cottages from the mid 70’s to the late 90’s and after renting on a few occasions, we purchased a cottage (built in 1958) on Kennisis Lake while renting there in 2002. We loved the rugged character of the Haliburton Highlands. Given that we were newbies, we volunteered at various association events so that we could meet the neighbours, enjoy the lake environment more fully and contribute to the cottage community.

In 2005 I became the treasurer of the Kennisis Lake Cottage Owners’ Association (KLCOA) and served in that capacity for 7 years, followed by the role of president for 2 years.

My wife and I both retired in 2013, me after spending 40 years in the Telecom industry and my wife as an elementary teacher and school administrator for 35 years. Retirement has offered us the opportunity to enjoy the cottage more fully and not just on weekends.

My concerns with ownership and the cottage experience are broad but focus mainly on the issues that affect the health of the lake and our ability to enjoy it throughout the year (e.g. shoreline health, properly functioning septic systems, etc…).”

(Joined FOCA Board 2017)

“Here’s my story: For most of my life, I have spent summers at a cottage. The first was Whiting Beach, Lake Muskoka, since I was 3 weeks old. Then to Kahshe Lake, Muskoka in my teen years; I even formed, with friends, the Kahshe Lake Junior Cottagers Association. For the past 40+ years we have owned a cottage on Catchacoma Lake in the Kawartha Highlands.

Cottage life is in my blood. I only spent one summer in the city when first married! We bought our cottage before a house—that was the priority. Need I say more?

Being water-access only, we are seasonal cottagers. All know that cottages are ‘maintenance’ for the owners and ‘vacation’ for friends and family. Some say a money pit, for sure. But how about ending up owning a marina with 65 others so we could get to our cottages!

My skills sets relate to the not for profit sector in governance, membership, strategic planning along with other portfolios geared to this sector. I was appointed by the Provincial Government in Council to sit on the Management Advisory Board of the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site Park when it was given royal consent for 11 years. I also have board experience, both on national boards as well as provincial charities.”

(Joined FOCA Board 2017)

“Here’s my story:

My wife and I own a cottage on Otter Lake just south of Parry Sound. We purchased the cottage in 1998 after arriving back to Canada from living in Luxembourg. The couple we purchased the cottage from still have the place next door. I had spent a few weekends at friend’s cottages over the years so owning a cottage was very new to me but my wife had spent summers at friend’s cottages in the past. Travelling from Toronto along old 69 (when it was only two lanes) was a challenge of my patience in the beginning and going home was very difficult, sometimes taking 5 hours. Nonetheless we continued to make the drive almost every weekend from Easter to Thanksgiving.  With Highway 400 now twinned north of Parry Sound the drive up is better but still the drive home is more difficult because I would rather be at the cottage as compared driving back to Toronto. We can only drive into our cottage during the three seasons but coming up in the winter, first by foot, then by snowshoe, by snowmobile, and lastly in Winter 2020 when had our road plowed, and in my view, is 100% better than in the summer even with the challenges. Less people, less noise and you get a better sense on life with the fire burning inside and when you go out and breath-in, when it is cold, your nostrils stick together, tobogganing, skating on the lake and playing in the snow – how Canadian.

I have sat on the Otter Lake Ratepayers’ Association’s Board from 2014 to 2018 as its treasurer and membership director in 2017 and 2018. In Fall 2018, I was elected as a municipal Councillor with the Township of Seguin. I also sit on our local cottage road association as the secretary and treasurer and (as a founding member) had many challenges in that role that I did not appreciate until stepping into an issue – I have learned a lot about practical road issues to write a book. My professional background includes the fact that I am a Chartered Accountant with over 25-years experience and have been working as a sole practitioner for about 5 ½ years now with a focus on taxation. I would not go back working for someone else because it would not allow me the freedom to run my schedule and spend more time at the cottage – taking a conference call from “my office” is very different these days. Given my numbers’ background, I track my days at the cottage and in 2016, I finally achieved one of my cottage goals, more than 100-days at the cottage. I continue to spend more time at the cottage except for 2020 when COVID-19 restricted our travel north (and as a municipal Councillor, you need to lead by example). I enjoy spending time with friends and family at the cottage but what I like to-do is work on my hobbies and build, renovate and the like at the cottage to try and improve things for my family and hopefully my daughter’s family down the road. I would like to think that I could retire sooner rather than later so I could move permanently north to the West Parry Sound area, but I will put that on my cottage goal list, so I have something to reach for over the next few years.

(Joined FOCA Board 2017)

Eric Stuart has been a thoughtful and involved volunteer in his association, Lake Wahnapitae Home and Campers Association (LWH&CA) in the Sudbury area, for 30 years – the last nine as President.  The Sudbury area in which he lives boasts over 320 lakes.

He’s been an established resident of Lake Wahnapitae for 50 years. He has much knowledge of the lake and its great contribution to the Sudbury area. Eric was and still is much involved in the LWH&CA invasive species projects, in shoal marking, Ontario Power Generation monitoring lake levels & flows, Canada Day Celebrations on Lake Wahnapitae, and road development. Eric is a retired electrician from Inco, with a keen interest for connecting lake associations to FOCA and to sharing his ideas about local engagement with others through FOCA.

(Joined FOCA Board 2021)