Staff and Board
Learn more about the people guiding the Donner Canadian Foundation.
Staff
Our staff members are responsible for the foundation’s operations.
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Amy Buskirk
Program Director
Amy Buskirk has worked for the Donner Canadian Foundation for over 20 years and, in 2021, also became program director of the William H. Donner Foundation. She serves as vice-chair of Environment Funders Canada as well as chairing its program committee. She earned a BA in History from the University of Michigan and an MSc in Economic and Social History from the University of Oxford.
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Debbie Gosney
Administrator
Debbie Gosney joined the Donner Canadian Foundation more than 30 years ago, and has overseen grant and office administration for over 25 years.
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Helen McLean
Executive Director
Helen McLean is the executive director of the Donner Canadian Foundation, where she has worked for 25 years. She has also held that role at its sister organization, the William H. Donner Foundation, since 2021. She previously held senior positions at the Toronto Community Foundation, Ketchum Canada, and Arts and Communications Counselors.
A former director of Philanthropic Foundations Canada, she currently serves on its finance committee. She recently completed her term as a director of the Mabin School. Helen has an MBA from York University’s Schulich School and a BAH from Queen’s University. -
Karine Parvin
Program Officer
Karine Parvin (she/her) joined the Donner Canadian Foundation as a program officer in 2023. She previously held program and partnership coordination roles in the Canadian charitable sector and the French public sector, including a two-year program manager position in the Republic of Congo. She studied at Wilfrid Laurier University as an exchange student and earned a Master's degree in International Relations from Sciences Po Lille.
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Julia Wong
Intern
Julia Wong has been a Donner Canadian Foundation intern since October 2021. She is currently studying Music at York University and working toward an Associate Diploma at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Julia is also interested in studying languages, such as Mandarin and Greek. In 2022, she was the recipient of the Thomas W. Doherty Prize in Piano, First Prize for the York University Chinese Language Speech Contest, and the Dagonas Family Scholarship.
Board
Our esteemed governors provide oversight of the foundation’s granting, finances, and management.
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Gregory S. Belton
Chair
Gregory S. Belton, CM, CVO, LLD, is the Executive Chairman of Hub International Ontario, the largest insurance brokerage in Canada and top-five globally.
He is the immediate past chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (London, UK) and a Director of the St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation, past co-chair of the Curators Circle at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and past Director of the Toronto General Hospital Foundation.
He has been awarded the Order of Canada, made a Commander of The Royal Victorian Order by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, received the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from York University. -
Dr. Marie Delorme
Governor
Dr. Marie Delorme, BSc, MBA, PhD, CM, is CEO of The Imagination Group and serves on the boards of CWB Financial Group and Premium Brands Holding Corporation. She is a Member of the Order of Canada and was named as one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women.
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Margot Franssen
Governor
A strong advocate for women’s rights, Margot Franssen is an Officer of the Order of Canada and received the Outstanding Achievement in the Advancement of Women Award from the United Nations. Named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Women in Canada, and one of the 21 Leaders of the 21st Century, Margot has three honorary degrees.
She founded The Body Shop Canada and has served on many boards including Goldcorp, CIBC, Women’s College Hospital, Canadian Women’s Foundation, Women Moving Millions, and York University.
Margot co-chaired the National Task Force on Sex Trafficking of Women and Girls. As well, she co-founded The Canadian Centre To End Human Trafficking, which operates the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline. -
Stephanie Hanson
Governor
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Kyle Hill
Governor
Kyle Hill is the President of Alaska Commercial Company, a retailer in rural Alaska with ownership by the Winnipeg-based North West Company. Kyle holds a BSc from Mount Allison University and an MSc and PhD from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He is a Co-Founder of Teach For Canada.
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Christopher Roosevelt
Governor
Chris Roosevelt is a fourth-generation Donner family member. He is a retired commercial fisherman who lives in New Hampshire as a homestead farmer of livestock and produce on the unceded ancestral homelands of the Abenaki and Pennacook Indigenous Peoples.
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Brittany Roy
Governor
Brittany Roy is a fifth-generation Donner family member. She is a marketing and communications leader in the beverage industry and holds a BA in Economics and Art History from Colorado College and an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
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Dillon Roy
Governor
Dillon Roy is a fifth-generation Donner family member. He is an entrepreneur and has a real estate practice. He was a member of the Canadian national team that won the 2014 World Lacrosse Championship.
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Anita Winsor
Governor
Anita Winsor is a fourth-generation Donner family member. She served as a Senior Advisor at the US Agency for International Development; as Deputy Director of the Pan American Development Foundation; and as a Professional Staff Member at the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She was also a trade representative for the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce and authored The Complete Guide to Doing Business in Mexico. Subsequently, she founded Starpath Dolls, an award-winning toy company.
She has a BA from Smith College and an MPhil from the University of Cambridge. She currently serves on several charitable boards. -
Curtin Winsor
Governor
Curtin Winsor is a third-generation Donner family member. He draws upon deep public and private sector experience, including serving as US Ambassador to Costa Rica from 1983 to 1985. In the private sector, he worked for Chase Manhattan Bank and also founded American Chemical Services Company in West Virginia.
He received a BA from Brown University and a Master’s degree and PhD from American University. He serves on the boards of the Media Research Center and the Center for a Free and Secure Society.