Board of Directors
The Summerhill Foundation is lead by a volunteer Board of Directors.
Mary Bowyer CFRE
As the Executive Director of the Hope For Children Foundation, Mary provides senior fundraising and governance leadership while supporting the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (CCAS) in delivering education and poverty relief programs to its clients with focus on child abuse prevention. By helping families deal with social issues such as poverty, lack of affordable housing and childcare, substance abuse and mental health issues, she provides hope for a brighter future. Mary has more than twenty years of Canadian not-for-profit and development experience.
Bruce Lourie
Bruce Lourie is President of the Toronto-based Ivey Foundation. He is a Director of the Ontario Power Authority, the co-founder and first Chair of the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers’ Network and a founder of the Sustainability Network. He has served on the boards of directors of a number of environmental organizations in Canada and the United States and speaks internationally on issues related to environmental policy and philanthropy.
Mr. Lourie has been instrumental in the establishment of half a dozen Canadian non-profit organizations and developed and managed the Laidlaw Foundation’s environment program for ten years. He has provided strategic consulting and advice to governments, businesses and foundations in Canada and the United States and is the author of the best-selling novel Death by Rubber Duck.
Elin Lawrence
As Senior Vice-President, Sales with Merrill Corporation, Canada, Elin is an expert in solving the document management challenges integral to the Canadian financial services industry. She is the former Chairman, Fundraising Brock University Alumni Association and has served on numerous not-for-profit Advisory Boards including: Gold Medal Plates, Grand Cru, The Butterfly Ball and The George Chuvalo Canadian Tribute Dinner.
Peter Birkness
Peter is a Partner at the Toronto law firm of Bennett Jones LLP. His practice focuses on senior secured lending transactions on behalf of both lenders and borrowers. He has extensive experience in sophisticated debt financings, including domestic and international loan transactions and structured finance arrangements involving corporations, trusts and special-purpose vehicles.
Peter has been active in a number of significant and high-profile financial transactions. In 2009, Peter was ranked by “Chambers Global” as one of the Leading Lawyers for Business and was recognized as one of Canada’s leading banking lawyers by “Best Lawyers in Canada”.
Michael Bruce, C.A.
Michael is the Vice President of Finance at IGRI, a boutique real estate investment, development, and asset management company operating in North America.
A Chartered Accountant Michael is responsible for managing a team with various designations to produce timely accounting and financial information for select IGRI clients. Commencing his real estate experience with Toronto’s largest condominium developer, Michael also expanded his scope of real estate exposure with a developer of low rise and high rise real estate with an industrial asset portfolio that also invested in land.
Michael volunteers his time each year providing assistance to low-income individuals by preparing their income tax returns, at free C.A. Tax Clinics. The Clinics operate in co-operation with a variety of agencies – including food banks, charities, hospitals, senior centres and homes, community centres, social service agencies and libraries.
