The Rideau Trail Association Inc. is governed by a Board of up to 16 Directors, six of whom are ex-officio the Chairs and one additional representative elected by the three Rideau Trail Association Clubs. In addition, the immediate Past President of the Association and the two Newsletter Editors are ex-officio Directors. Directors are elected for a term of one year. The President and Vice-President may serve a maximum of three consecutive one-year terms after which they must vacate the office for a minimum of one year.
To contact a Director or the Board:
- See the contact information in your quarterly RTA Newsletter, or
- Contact the Chair of your local RTA Club, or
- email info@rideautrail.org
Officers
Russel (Rusty) Bassarab
President
Ruth Oswald
Secretary
Hua Lei – CPA, MBA
Treasurer
Evert de Boer
Membership Director
Directors
Russel (Rusty) Bassarab
Rusty is a Hike Leader, golf enthusiast, and graphic arts hobbyist. He is a retired Army officer and has previous experience serving on boards for a variety organizations. Rusty served on the RTA Board as Trail Coordinator from 2019-2023 and as President since May 2023.
Evert de Boer
Evert de Boer completed the Rideau Trail End-to-End in 2020 and looked for an opportunity to give back to the RTA. He joined the RTA board in 2021, serving as Membership Director. He is retired after a 40-year career in the high-tech industry in the Netherlands, Saudi-Arabia, and Canada. Evert is married, has three children and 7 grandchildren.
Herman Doornbos
RTA Central Club Chair, Ex-officio RTA Director
Brian Grant
Brian currently serves on the RTA Board as Vice-President and also as Member-at-Large of the RTA Ottawa Club. Brian was the President of the RTA from 2017 to 2020 after serving 2 years as the representative to the Board for the Ottawa Club. He is a retired public servant where he worked as social scientist for over 30 years. Brian has a special interest in strategic planning, governance, and finance. In 2022, he received the RTA’s Outstanding Service Award in recognition of his valuable volunteer contribution.
Steve Kelly
The Ottawa Club knows Steve as ski leader. He has also helped with construction projects. Steve has been a Newsletter Editor and ex-officio RTA Director since 2014. He believes a newsletter should entertain at the same time as it informs members and other Newsletter readers.
David Skinner
RTA Central Club Representative, Ex-officio RTA Director.
Barry Monaghan
RTA Kingston Club Representative, Ex-officio RTA Director
Ingrit Monasterios
Ingrit Monasterios serves the RTA as Marketing and Communications Director and is also a Certified Hike Leader with the RTA Ottawa Club. Ingrit has a BA in Interpersonal and Organizational Communications from U of Ottawa and a Masters of Library and Information Sciences from the University of Toronto. She recently retired from a career with the federal government and has thirty years’ experience working in library/information management, including marketing and promotion of library services.
Jim Moss
Jim Moss is a long time Professional Manufacturing Engineer who works for General Mills, making the food the world loves. He has been with the RTA for 2 years, is married with 2 boys and lives in Trenton ON. Jim has served on the RTA board since 2021, first as Vice-Chair and then Chair of the RTA Kingston Club and ex-officio RTA Director. Jim is also a Certified Hike Leader and has been very active in organizing special hiking events for the RTA.
Hua Lei – CPA, MBA
Treasurer
Ruth Oswald
Ruth Oswald has served the RTA as Director and Secretary since 2018. Ruth is a Certified Hike Leader, a certified instructor for Hike Ontario’s Safe Hiker course, and has a Diploma in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University. From 2003 to 2009, she served as Secretary for the Grand Valley Trails Association. A retired IT professional, Ruth has a special interest in board governance and information technology.
Peter Weir
Peter Weir is recently retired from 35 years of service with the RCAF as a Movements Expert. Peter has traveled and hiked in many parts of the world, most memorably the trails of Gibraltar, Iraq, and the highlands around the city of Islamabad in Pakistan. In 2021 Peter volunteered for the Communications team as a Newsletter Editor. Peter previously edited the Newsletters for the Quinte Humane society for almost 10 years and his military trade association for over 10 years. Peter has recently stepped up as Chair of the RTA Ottawa Club.
Sharen Yaworski
Sharen Yaworski is in her third year and final year serving as RTA President. Sharen has been active with Kingston club since 2003, most recently as club chair 2016-2020. She is a Certified Hike Leader and a Certified Hike Leader Instructor. She is retired from a 45-year career as a registered nurse, of which the last 17 she was a Nurse Practitioner.
Alan Smith
Alan Smith is an outdoors enthusiast and hike leader, with a keen interest in trekking and running on long distance trails. He is living in the Kingston area with his family and delighted that the Rideau Trail is so close to home. He joined the board in 2023 as a Director and Trail Coordinator, providing leadership for volunteers doing trail mapping, maintenance and landowner liaison.