LEADERSHIP TEAM
Sascha Ellis (he/him) • Executive Director • sascha@canoe.org
Sascha started as Executive Director in 2021 but has been part of the Project Canoe community for many years now. He is a Child and Youth Worker with over 15 years of experience working with youth in outdoor, community, justice and educational settings. From 2014 - 2021, Sascha worked with 360°kids and was integral in launching and growing their Youth Hub in Richmond Hill. Sascha is passionate about creating programs that empower youth and their families to develop new life skills while building strong connections.
Sascha loves all things comedy, the Toronto Raptors, dancing around the kitchen and his family. He looks forward to sharing his love of camp and the outdoors with his daughters (Madeleine, 3 and Norah, 1).
John Hissink • Director of Programs & Operations • john@canoe.org
After being a summer canoe trip leader at Project Canoe in 2016 and 2017, and leading some contract trips in 2015 and 2018, John has returned to PC to fill the Director of Programs & Operations role. John has been canoe tripping since being introduced to it as a volunteer at Camp Outlook in 2009 and has been helping out Outlook in various ways ever since. John also spent some summers running leadership programming and leading trips with Camp Kirk in 2018 and 2023. A big believer in the interplay between challenge and teamwork required on a canoe trip, the most exciting part of trip for John is when someone does something they didn’t think they could do. John’s current favourite trip food is a coconut curry stir fry and favourite lake in Algonquin Park is McIntosh.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Peter Szathmary (he/him/his) • President/Co-Chair
Peter has been a volunteer with Project Canoe since 2011, working on Fund Development Committee and the Finance Committee. Having spent many summers of his youth camping and canoeing with Scouts Canada he gained a love for the wilderness early in life and remains an avid tripper to this day. Working with the passionate people at Project Canoe fulfills Peter’s desire to support the wellbeing of Toronto’s youth by sharing the healing power of the wilderness.
Peter has been a technologist for over thirty years, specializing in information technology for trading floors and wealth management. Peter is a lifelong Torontonian with two grown children who both share his love for the outdoors.
Landon Roedding (he/him) • Treasurer
Landon, a Chartered Professional Accountant, has over 14 years of experience in financial reporting and is currently working at Blue goose Pure Foods as their financial controller. Landon previously worked for Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP as a senior manager in their audit practice as well as working in senior financial roles with Sherritt International Corporation and Kinross Gold Corporation. Landon grew up with canoeing and hiking integrated into his family vacations and has nurtured a passion for the outdoors ever since. Landon enjoys sharing his love of the outdoors with others through canoe, camping and hiking trips. In his role as Treasurer, Landon has leveraged his many years of experience in financial reporting to support the financial functions of Project Canoe and ensure sound financial practices are being followed.
David Litwin (he/him)• Secretary and Member
David began volunteering with Project Canoe in 2018 and joined the Board in 2023. As a young adult, David worked for many years at summer camp and is passionate about youth well-being. He is an avid canoe tripper and loves the peace and sense of personal accomplishment he feels in the backcountry. David is legal counsel at Ontario's Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority, a not-for-profit regulator that works to keep Ontario's retirement homes safe and secure.
Trevor Gooden (he/his/him) • Member
Trevor Gooden is an avid outdoors enthusiast who was introduced to Project Canoe by a fellow board member. After spending much of the pandemic driving coast-to-coast across Canada and spending time in several national parks, Trevor developed an expanded appreciation for the benefits of the country's outdoors. This experience, in combination with Trevor's upbringing in a diverse community, has made him passionate about providing racialized and underprivileged youth with the developmental benefits and personal growth that come with easy access to Canada's outdoors.
Trevor studied economics and is a graduate of Queen's University. Today, he works in Toronto as an Associate with Heidrick & Struggles, a professional services firm.
Tamara Daniel • Member
Tamara is a service design and innovation strategist who's focuses on addressing complex social challenges in order to build equitable and resilient futures for all. She previously worked in the social service sector, both developing and implementing programs and as a Psychothrepiast with LGBTQ+ youth and their families. She is still an avid tripper and with over 15 years expereince at sumer camp, she wholeheartedly believes in the power outdoor programming has in developing and empowering youth.
Segen Mehreateab (she/her) • Member
Segen's journey with Project Canoe began in 2019 as a canoe tripper and she has found herself happily connected to the community ever since. She has a history of experiences in youth mentorship, outdoor education and program design. Segen is the creator of the Local Explorers- land based healing programming for Black and Indigenous youth. She loves empowering youth to see themselves as the strong, brave, and brilliant beings that they are. As a member of the board, Segen is interested in supporting Project Canoe grow to serve a variety of needs in the community year round. She holds a Masters in Social Work and is a community health youth therapist in North Etobicoke.
Ren Wiebe (he/him) • Member
Ren caught the canoe camping bug on a 10-day father and son trip at the age of 9. He has been a life-long tripper and appreciates the lessons and life skills that come from group wilderness adventure. In his professional career he has spent the last 30 year dedicated to leadership development as a coach and team facilitator. He started volunteering with Project Canoe in 2020, sitting on the Human Resource and Governance Committee. He facilitated the 2021 Strategic Planning Process for Project Canoe and in 2022 joined the Board.
Maysam Fadel (she/her) • Member
Maysam joined Project Canoe as a volunteer in Summer 2022, working on the Fund Development Committee. Maysam is a human rights advocate who brings over 10-year experience of working in the humanitarian and non-profit industry with United Nation Agencies and other non-profit organizations.
She is currently working with WoodGreen Community Services in Toronto, Canada as a Manager of Volunteer & Student Services. Maysam believes that every human has potential and can make a difference. She’s passionate about empowering communities, building bridges and strengthening collaboration between people.
Stephanie Wright (she/her) • Member
Stephanie began volunteering with Project Canoe in 2023 and joined the Board in 2024. With over 10 years of experience in outdoor experiential education, she has successfully led dozens of youth canoe and hiking trips ranging from 2 to 36 days. Currently, as the Youth Program Lead for Next Gen Men, Stephanie empowers educators with the knowledge and tools to promote positive masculinity in their classrooms and is evaluating the organization’s online community for masculine-identifying youth on Discord. Engaging with youth every day, she ensures her work is strengths-based, youth-led, and inclusive, consistently prioritizing the lived experiences and perspectives of young people. Outside of the office, you can find Stephanie crocheting or paddling a canoe while joyfully singing "Believe" by Cher.
Mike Robillard (he/him) • Member
Mike has been with Project Canoe since 2023 after retiring as a Technology Executive in the Financial Industry. Being part of a team that is passionate about change and making a difference in the community has always been in the forefront for him. Recently retired, Mike enjoys spending time outdoors year round and being connected with the beauty that nature provides. Gathering with family and friends is always top of mind and now he can spend even more time with his wife, three adult daughters and granddaughter. Mike grew up on a farm in Southwestern Ontario and spent most of his adult life working/living in the GTA. Being obsessed with hockey and the Toronto Maple Leafs is his Achilles’ heel.
Holly Molaski (she/her) • Member
Holly was a canoe trip leader for Project Canoe in 2016, so she knows firsthand how transformative PC's canoe trips are for youth. She has also worked with a handful of other Canadian charities doing youth-facing work as a leadership facilitator. Holly now works in the tech entertainment industry as a Sr Creator Manager, focused on strategy and operations. She chairs the program committee at Project Canoe, and remains an avid canoe tripper, hiker, mountain biker, and general outdoor adventure enthusiast.