Meet the new members of WRCF’s Board of Directors
As a community-building organization, Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) relies on the leadership of our Board of Directors to support our vision of creating Sustainable, Equitable, Thriving Communities.
We are proud to announce that Mike Braga has been named WRCF’s new Board Chair. Mike joined the WRCF Board in 2022 as Vice Chair. He had held the role of Board Chair at the Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation prior to the unification with Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation. WRCF appreciates Mike’s continued leadership on the Board in this expanded role.
Elizabeth Kim has been named Vice Chair of the Board, and we are pleased to announce three new members: Melissa Ireland, Mehrunnisa Kharodia, and Laura Mae Lindo. We are fortunate our Board Members share their range of backgrounds, experience, and skill sets to support WRCF’s work in community. Included below, you will find additional information about our new members.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Lori Payne, who is stepping down from the role of Board Chair. Lori guided our organization into its next chapter and helped lay the groundwork for WRCF to do more good across Waterloo Region. We are excited she will assume the role of Past Chair.
We also recognize the contributions of our two retiring Board Members: Bruce Lauckner and Sharon Livingstone. We thank them for their commitment to WRCF and to the community. We are grateful they will continue to provide counsel and advocacy for our work into the future.
Mike Braga, Board Chair
Mike Braga (he/him) is a Senior Vice President and Partner with BDO Canada Limited. He helps people and companies in financial distress find solutions to their debt problems alleviating stress and allowing them to thrive. He is an active member in the community holding such roles as the Chair of the Board of Directors for KW Counselling Services and Chair of Waterloo Region Community Foundation. His passion for education has led him to be involved with the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professional’s Core Knowledge Exam Board as well as launching a community based financial literacy television program Money Matters. Mike lives in the Cambridge area. You wouldn’t know that Mike is afraid of heights as he has crossed off sky diving, hot air ballooning and hang-gliding from his bucket list. Next up the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge!
Elizabeth Kim, Vice Chair
Elizabeth J. Kim (she/her) is a lawyer in private sole practice with a focus on litigation in immigration and refugee matters. Born in South Korea, she moved to Canada and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto, followed by a Juris Doctor from Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. In 2016, she moved to the Waterloo Region with her partner and served as a volunteer with Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation. She is currently Vice Chair of Waterloo Region Community Foundation. She is grateful to be part of the communities the WRCF serves and looks forward to creating meaningful impact in addressing the needs of our communities.
Melissa Ireland
Melissa Ireland (she/her) is the Director, Indigenous Relations at the University of Waterloo. She is known to be a wholistic social work practitioner, community development advocate and Indigenous community engagement specialist. She has extensive experience in leadership, strategy, and communications in the post-secondary sector. Guided by having opportunities to be contributed to just as much as she gets to contribute to others, Melissa is known to hold ethical spaces in workshops, trainings, circle facilitation and social justice conversations. Melissa is Mississauga Anishinaabe kwe, a member of Curve Lake First Nation and lives in Waterloo Region with her family. Melissa has a BA in English Rhetoric and Professional Writing from the University of Waterloo in 2010. She completed her MSW in 2017 in the Indigenous Field of Study at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Mehrunnisa Kharodia
Mehrunnisa (she/her) is currently Director of Partnerships and Operations at Social Venture Partners Waterloo Region. Since joining SVP, she's loved connecting with other non-profit leaders, and learning about social issues impacting the community. Mehrunnisa completed her MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2021, with a specialization in strategic management, which has been important in her work at SVP. In her work prior, she worked in the amateur sports world, managing programs at every level, from youth participation to high performance athletes. Mehrunnisa also sits on the Board of the Hespeler Tennis Club, managing the junior programs for the club. And like many juniors at the club, she’s trying her hand at tennis. She’s proud of her backhand but needs to work on her serve. Originally from Cambridge, she took some time away to explore Ottawa and Toronto, but her heart brought her back home.
Laura Mae Lindo
Dr. Laura Mae Lindo (she/her/elle) is a respected activist and educator who holds both a Masters and PhD in Education. Committed to centering the most vulnerable in all she does, Dr. Lindo's work is enhanced by her acute knowledge of how to put anti-oppression theories into practice. A courageous public speaker, Dr. Lindo is known to take on issues often left unaddressed by the mainstream. From philosophy to politics, and from the academy to the community, Dr. Lindo grounds her practices in gratitude and love.
For a full listing of our Board of Directors and their bios, visit our website at www.wrcf.ca/board. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@wrcf.ca or by phone at 519-725-1806.
