Meet our Leadership: Board of Directors
We are governed by an elected national board of directors with regional representation across Canada. The Board develops policies and strategies for the association and provides leadership and guidance to chapters. The Board meets monthly via conference calls and in person three times annually.
Executive
Jennifer Stebbing - President
Jennifer is a lawyer at Ross & McBride LLP and practices predominantly in the area of estate planning, administration and accounting. Since her call to the bar in 2009, she has practiced in estate law; first as a litigator and now as a planner and administrator. Jennifer completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) at the University of Windsor in International Relations and went on to complete two law degrees with cum laude honours at the University of Ottawa and Michigan State University with a specialization in International Law. Jennifer is currently attending Osgoode Hall Law School for a Masters of Law specializing in Tax. Jennifer is a volunteer at heart and is involved in many different local organizations and spends her spare time hiking and participating in various community events.
Lizbeth Wall - Vice President
In 2003, Lizbeth retired from Health Care as a Labour Relations Specialist specializing in Human Rights and Labour Relations issues. Since retirement she has been spending most of her time volunteering and enjoying an active lifestyle. In 2013 Lizbeth was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and despite the overwhelming diagnosis, one of the best things that has happened to her was finding the CCA and specifically making friends at the B. C. Chapter. She quickly learned the value of this very compassionate group of people.
She became a member in 2013 and joined the Vancouver (now B.C.) Board in 2014 and took on the task of Membership Director. In 2015 she added VP to her membership tasks and in 2017 became President until 2020 and at present continues as Membership Director for the B.C. Chapter. Besides volunteering with the CCA, she has also volunteered at YVR as a Greencoat and at a Hospice for over 11 years with her dog Farley. Lizbeth currently lives in beautiful Vancouver with her husband Bryan, and their dog Farley and is lucky to have her daughter Jessica to give her nutritional guidance as a Registered Dietitian.
Andrew Kotys - Director & Treasurer
Andrew Kotys lives in Kleinburg, Ontario, is married with 4 children who are all attending University. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University Of Toronto and received his C.A. designation while working at Ernst & Young. He has served as the CFO of two highly successful private entrepreneurial organizations in addition to his 10 years at Ernst & Young. His daughter, Sophia was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2015, and another daughter Juliet in 2019. He is highly committed to helping the CCA assist other Canadians manage and overcome celiac disease in their day to day lives.
Wanda Walkden - Secretary
Wanda lives in Toronto and is currently the Chief Human Resources and Communications Officer for Staples Canada. Wanda has over twenty-five years human resources experience gained in a variety of industries. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Western Ontario and is a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP), a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) and has completed her Human Resources and Compensation Committee Effectiveness (HRCCE) with the Institute of Corporate Directors. Wanda was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2018 and was so thankful for the resources CCA provided, that she decided to give back to CCA through volunteering. In her spare time, Wanda’s winter pastime is curling and in the summer she enjoys golf, cottaging and any activity on the water.
Janet Bolton - Past President
Janet Bolton joined the Board of CCA in 2018 and served as President of CCA from 2020-2022. Janet led CCA’s 2019 reorganization to transition the organization to a donor-funded rather than a member-funded model. Janet currently chairs the Governance Committee of the Board. Janet is an Ontario lawyer with 25 years of practice experience as a partner at a Toronto law firm and as an Associate Vice-President at TD Bank Group. Janet recently retired from TD in order to work as a legal consultant. Janet is also President of Hanlan Boat Club, a not-for-profit community rowing club in the Toronto Portlands.
Directors
Lisa Acimovic
Lisa lives in Mississauga, ON with her husband and two children, both attending university in Health Sciences. Lisa holds a Commerce degree from the University of Western Ontario and a MBA from Laurentian University. Lisa obtained her CGA designation in 2011 and CPA designation in 2014. She has also completed a Certificate in Business Excellence at Columbia Business School in 2021. Lisa has held various Corporate Controller roles throughout her career, mostly working for large entrepreneurial organizations. Lisa was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2011 after many years of being unable to receive a proper diagnosis. She is excited to volunteer with the CCA in hopes of learning more and helping others navigate their way through the challenges that celiac can cause in everyday life.
Doris Foster
Doris began her career as a Registered Dietitian in the hospital sector. She then went on to obtain an MBA and has many years of experience in health care management. She is now Director of Support Services at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences in Whitby, Ontario. Doris has previous board experience with the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research. On a personal note, one of Doris’ daughters was diagnosed with celiac disease at the age of 3; she herself was diagnosed about ten years ago. Doris looks forward to working with the Board to improve the quality of life for those with celiac disease in Canada.
Rumi Jasavala
Rumi lives in Oakville, Ontario and is a self-employed IT professional who has over 40 years of IT experience in various fields of business. Rumi is proud of his heritage having been born in India, lived in the UK for 30 years and now residing in Canada with his wife and three children. His love and interest for helping others and his passion for sports has allowed him to serve on the Ontario Zoroastrian Community Foundation, Oakville Soccer Club, and the Brampton Etobicoke District Cricket League. Being involved in these organizations, he has held positions of President, head coach and treasurer. He is a qualified Tennis, Soccer & Cricket coach and particularly enjoys the interaction and mentoring of youth. He was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2011 and was able to manage his transition with the help of the Canadian Celiac Association mentor program. He believes in the work the CCA is doing and hopes to be able to add his experience to help others to manage their Celiac Disease and continue a normal healthy life.
Manisha Gupta
Manisha lives in Toronto. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree from the University of Toronto as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Rotman School of Management. She is a passionate marketer who has specialized both her degrees in the field. Currently, Manisha works as a Marketing Manager at TD Bank. She was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2018 after a 6-year journey. She is committed to spreading awareness about celiac disease, particularly to impact the time it takes to get diagnosed and improve overall quality of life. In her spare time, she loves going to concerts, sporting events, and performing Bollywood dance.
Steven Poirier
Steven is originally from Montreal, lived in New Brunswick for 13 years but now calls Toronto home. He is a retired senior executive with 40 years experience primarily in the Food and Beverage industry in a range of mid-size to large corporations both Public and Private such as McCain Foods, Moosehead Breweries and Constellation Brands (now Arterra Wines Canada). Steven’s areas of expertise include; Marketing, Sales, New Product Development and General Management. Having spent many years in a highly regulated industry, Steven is experienced in working with multiple levels of government agencies. Since retirement, Steven has been active consulting in the beverage industry as well as sitting on the Board of a small Public company. Steven has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University and an MBA in Finance from York University. Steven has two daughters and three grandchildren. His youngest daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2005, so he has become acutely aware of the challenges that people with celiac disease face everyday.
