Lou Odette, Chair
Debbie Lai, Vice-Chair
Shequita Thompson-Reid, Secretary/Treasurer
Cheryl Folkes
Catherine Rutto
Alana Walter

Lou Odette, Chair

Lou Odette is the President of the P&L Odette Foundation, a private foundation incorporated in 1975 and headquartered in Toronto. The Foundation has funded charities helping people experiencing homelessness, charities reducing food insecurity, and charities building affordable housing. Lou and his wife Ellen Gaffney conduct additional philanthropy through The Louis L. Odette & M. Ellen Gaffney Charitable Fund. The fund benefits special education services for children, people with disabilities living in developing nations through gifts of wheelchairs at no cost, and mathematical education. Lou is also consultant to Deloitte’s Strategic Analytics and Modeling practice in Toronto. Prior to Deloitte, Lou was Vice President Quantitative Modeling & Research at AIG in Boston, and before joining AIG he founded five companies and two charitable organizations. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from MIT and an MSc in Mathematics from Oxford University, and was an ASP Fellow in Mathematics at MIT through 2014.

Debbie Lai, Vice-Chair

Debbie Lai is an accomplished executive leader with over 20 years of experience in strategic growth and operational leadership across Retail, Consulting, and Healthcare sectors. Early in her career, Debbie practiced as a Clinical Pharmacist and after completing her Rotman MBA at the University of Toronto, she joined Deloitte Consulting advising healthcare organizations in operations and strategy across Canada. Debbie's strategic agility has been honed through deep operating experience in Marketing, Loyalty, Category Management, Project Management, Pharmacy and Procurement. Relied by organizations as a "trusted disruptor", Debbie takes a pragmatic approach to strategy, balancing innovation, investment risks and rewards.

Shequita Thompson-Reid, Secretary/Treasurer

Shequita Thompson-Reid has been working at the intersections of community development and equity for over 18 years. She has successfully led and supported various organizations and systems to achieve high-impact results across multiple levels and sectors, including nonprofit and government spaces. As a skilled facilitator, business owner, and senior executive, Shequita has developed systems that meet community needs in areas such as gender justice, program development, and housing and shelter solutions through identity-centered approaches. She brings a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to equity and social justice.

Cheryl Folkes

Cheryl Folkes has over 30 years’ experience in various aspects of real estate management, including property and portfolio management and property administration. She also worked for three years on a 250-unit residential condo board as well as a related shared facilities committee that served 780 residences. The mandate of both positions involved working in concert to assess and balance the short and long term interests of the unit holders, including creating and implementing operating and capital budgets and directing the operations within the related government regulations. Having been a Toronto resident for 33 years, Cheryl is concerned by the increasing homelessness in this city. She appreciates that circumstances around homelessness can be complex and welcomes this opportunity to work within this organization that, in a caring way, provides a home and community for people who otherwise would continue to struggle to have either.

Catherine Rutto

Catherine Rutto serves as the Women Engagement Coordinator at the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation. Since her arrival in Canada, Catherine has been actively involved in program development, coordination, service delivery, advocacy, research, and supporting women. She holds a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Athabasca University, focusing on Equity Studies. She excels in building strong connections with women through a needs-assessment approach, linking them to various organizations and resources. This strategy empowers women to understand the issues affecting their lives, set improvement goals, and simultaneously address their problems and needs through empowerment. Catherine's experience has equipped her with in-depth knowledge of the social determinants of health, including housing, income, food security, and access to care and support.

Alana Walter

Alana Walter is a commercial real estate lawyer at Bennett Jones LLP in Vancouver, BC. Alana has a general commercial real estate law practice and is called to the bar in both BC and Ontario. Prior to working as a lawyer in BC, Alana worked as a commercial real estate lawyer at a large international firm on Bay Street in Toronto.