Board of Directors

Katie Misener is an Associate Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Faculty of Health at the University of Waterloo. Her published research focuses on the capacity and social impact of nonprofit community sport organizations, with a particular focus on how capacity can be enhanced to support sport service delivery and foster social engagement through sport. Dr. Misener’s research interests also include the role of sport and recreation organizations in family health and well-being by creating innovative ways to engage parents in youth sport.

As an active leader in both academic and community spheres, Dr. Misener has served as a Board Member for the North American Society for Sport Management and Parks and Recreation Ontario (PRO). She works closely with community organizations through her research and teaching, currently serving on the Boards of Active Together Family Sports and the Rangers Reach Community Fund. In addition, she volunteers with multiple sport organizations in the Kitchener-Waterloo Region, reflecting her commitment to bridging research and practice for the benefit of communities.

Allan Cayenne, is a Realtor and a serial volunteer. As a lifelong resident of Waterloo Region, he is passionate about giving back to the community that has given so much to him. He truly believes that this Region is one of the best places to live and that is why he loves helping people find a place to call home here. It is also why he spends a lot of his time volunteering for various organizations over the years including the YMCA, the Waterloo Region Community Foundation, Caribana Ignite, Camino Wellbeing and Mental Health and Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest where he served three years as President and Chair of the Board.

Allan has dedicated a lot of his time to community building and wants Waterloo Region to be a place where everyone feels connected and a strong sense of belonging. He uses his background in marketing and events to support organizations that are actively looking to add to the vibrancy of the community and create positive change. 

Tim Jackson is President and CEO of Shad Canada, a live-in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering Arts and Math) and entrepreneurship program for high school students.

Tim has an extensive background as an entrepreneur, business and not-for-profit leader. He has served as CEO of the Accelerator Centre, an incubator for technology startups, was a Vice President at the University of Waterloo and was Executive Vice-President at the MaRS Discovery District, one of the world’s largest urban innovation hubs. He co-founded Tech Capital Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm, and served as CFO and CEO at Waterloo based technology firm PixStream (sold to Cisco Systems).

Tim has been an active volunteer in his community chairing the boards of organizations such as The Ontario Trillium Foundation, The Waterloo Public Library, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region and the Centre in the Square Theatre. He has cofounded two charitable organizations

Tim currently sits on the boards of Manulife Bank of Canada (Audit Committee chair), Bold Innovation Group Ltd and the Waterloo Region Community Foundation.

Kelly joined the University of Waterloo in May 2013 as Senior Director, Community Relations & Events.  In her role, Kelly represents the University on a wide range of community initiatives, including the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce and Waterloo Public Library boards. 

Kelly has a long history of grants and community investments; she is past chair for the Ontario Trillium Foundation regional grant review team, and has administered multi-million dollar community grant portfolios in both government and charitable sectors. 

Kelly earned her Masters degree from the University of Guelph and is currently a part-time PhD student in Recreation & Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo. 

Lynne is currently Vice President at the Waterloo Region Community Foundation. Lynne is responsible for the organization’s overall granting, donor relations, marketing, communications and volunteer engagement strategies. Prior to joining WRCF in 2018, Lynne held many senior and executive leadership roles in the insurance industry for over 25 years, with a particular focus on Marketing, Corporate Communications, Community Relations and Public Affairs.

She has been a tireless advocate for this community for many years, volunteering on the Board of Directors and Committees for a diverse collection of local organizations, including the Food Bank of Waterloo Region, Conestoga College School of Media and Design, Waterloo Region Community Foundation, YW Kitchener Waterloo, United Way of Kitchener and Waterloo, and the Creative Enterprise Initiative. Lynne has also spent a great deal of her life serving as a frontline volunteer for several organizations in both Waterloo Region and Ottawa. She holds a Masters of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Ottawa.