The Rideau Trail Association (RTA) is governed by a Board of 12 Directors, eight of whom are elected and four of whom are ex-officio. The ex-officio Directors include one representative for each of the three Rideau Trail Association Clubs; and the fourth is the immediate Past President of the Association. Directors are elected for a term of one year.
Officers are responsible for conducting day-to-day business of the RTA within their assigned responsibilities. They are organized in committee structures that report and provide input back to the Board. Officers are selected by the Board.
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
President – Rusty Bassarab
Vice President – currently vacant
Secretary – currently vacant
Treasurer – Hua Lei CPA, MBA
Membership Director – Evert de Boer
Marketing and Communications – Ingrit Monasterios
Trail Coordinator – Alan Smith
Activities Coordinator – Jim Moss
Ottawa Club Chair – Peter Weir
Central Club Chair – Dorothy Hudson
Kingston Club Chair – Jim Moss
Directors
Russell (Rusty) Bassarab
Rusty is a Hike Leader, golf enthusiast, photographer 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.
Randal Goodfellow
Randal, a keen hiker, is semi-retired and living in Westport. He is currently a commercial syrup producer and a woodlot manager in addition to being the founding member of the Westport Tourism Group. He has extensive background in the agriculture and food industry, government relations; as well as in both for-profit and not-for-profit Boards and is now a Director with the RTA.
Dorothy Hudson
RTA Central Club Chair, Ex-officio RTA Director. Dorothy has been an active member of Central Club for over 35 years, having led hiking and ski trips as well as being part of the Central Executive and the RTA Board. Dorothy lives in Smiths Falls, where she chairs the Municipal Heritage Committee and leads historic walking tours. She has walked several routes of the Camino de Santiago in Spain, Portugal and France. She looks forward to being closely involved the the organization once again.
Cassy Keilbar
Cassy recently moved to Kingston with her family and has joined the RTA Board as a Director. Cassy is an experienced business leader and volunteer, coupling business management with not-for-profit knowledge (this is the second Board that she has served on). Cassy enjoys hiking in natural settings and is very interested in assisting with conservation efforts.
Hua Lei, CPA, MBA
Hua Lei, serves the RTA both as a Director on the Board and as Association Treasurer. Hua lives in Ottawa and has Board experience as the Assistant
Treasurer of the Friends of the Ottawa Hospital and now an Accounting Officer with the Ottawa Hospital Auxiliary. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant, has an MBA from Laurentian University, and
has completed the Canadian Securities Course.
Susan Long-Poucher
Susan serves the RTA as a Director. Susan has been an avid hiker her whole like, and is happiest on a coastal trail. Semi-retired, she’s recently returned to school to study Environmental Education. She has been involved with several not-for-profit organizations and looks forward to working with the energizing group of RTA volunteers.
Margaret MacSween
RTA Kingston Club Representative, Ex-officio RTA Director Margaret retired in 2017 from ScotiaMcLeod in Calgary where she was a Portfolio Manager and Director of Wealth Management. A life-long learner, curious and adventurous, she and her husband moved to Kingston in 2018 to explore a beautiful part of the world and to be closer to her maritime roots. She joined the RTA in early 2000 and just completed the WE2E (Feb 2024). She is currently serving as Vice President of the Kingston Region Seniors Association Board of Directors and is eager to take a more active role in the RTA.
Shruti Patil
Shruti joined the RTA in 2024 and currently serves as a Director. With eight years of experience in Information Technology, Asset Management, Engineering, Project Management, and Business Analysis, she brings a wealth of expertise to her role. An avid hiker and trekker, Shruti has explored the Himalayan mountains and is now discovering the beautiful trails in Canada. She is an active member of the Kingston Club and is passionate about making a positive impact in the community through her leadership.
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. At present he continues to be the Chair of the Kingston Club, is an RTA Director and is the RTA Activities Coordinator. Jim is also a Certified Hike Leader and has been very active in organizing special hiking events for the RTA.
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 is also the RTA Trail Coordinator, providing leadership for volunteers doing trail mapping, maintenance and landowner liaison.
Sharen Yaworski
Sharen Yaworski has been a member of the RTA Board for many years. She is currently the RTA Past President and therefore is an Ex-officio Director. 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.
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 is the Chair of the Ottawa Club and is an Ex-officio Director.