Meet our Leadership: Board of Directors
We are governed by an elected national board of directors with regional representation across Canada. The Board develops policies and strategies for the association and provides leadership and guidance to chapters. The Board meets monthly via conference calls and in person three times annually.
Executive
Doris Foster - President & Chair
Doris began her career as a Registered Dietitian in the hospital sector. She then went on to obtain an MBA and has many years of experience in health care management. She recently retired as Director of Support Services at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences in Whitby, Ontario. Doris has previous board experience with the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research. On a personal note, Doris and both her daughters have celiac disease, each diagnosed at different stages in their life. Doris looks forward to working with the Board to improve the quality of life for those with celiac disease in Canada.
Rumi Jasavala - President Elect & Vice Chair
Rumi lives in Oakville, Ontario and is a self-employed IT professional who has over 40 years of IT experience in various fields of business. Rumi is proud of his heritage having been born in India, lived in the UK for 30 years and now residing in Canada with his wife and three children. His love and interest for helping others and his passion for sports has allowed him to serve on the Ontario Zoroastrian Community Foundation, Oakville Soccer Club, and the Brampton Etobicoke District Cricket League. Being involved in these organizations, he has held positions of President, head coach and treasurer. He is a qualified Tennis, Soccer & Cricket coach and particularly enjoys the interaction and mentoring of youth. He was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2011 and was able to manage his transition with the help of the Canadian Celiac Association mentor program. He believes in the work the CCA is doing and hopes to be able to add his experience to help others to manage their Celiac Disease and continue a normal healthy life.
Don Leslie - Treasurer
Don lives in North Vancouver along with his wife and has two adult daughters. He is very motivated to help the lives of people impacted by celiac disease as both his wife and oldest daughter are afflicted with the disease. Don is very aware of the lack of knowledge and support for the disease and looks forward to helping Celiac Canada in any way he can.
Don was the CFO at A&W Food Services of Canada for 18 years, which provides him direct knowledge of the challenges of ensuring Celiacs easy access to restaurant establishments. He graduated from UBC in 1986 with a B.Comm and became a CPA (CA) in 1989 while working at KPMG.
He retired from A&W in 2021 and therefore now has the time and energy to devote to new challenges, including improving the lives of those impacted by celiac disease through the activities of Celiac Canada.
Lizbeth Wall - Past President
In 2003, Lizbeth retired from Health Care as a Labour Relations Specialist specializing in Human Rights and Labour Relations issues. Since retirement she has been spending most of her time volunteering and enjoying an active lifestyle. In 2013 Lizbeth was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and despite the overwhelming diagnosis, one of the best things that has happened to her was finding the CCA and specifically making friends at the B. C. Chapter. She quickly learned the value of this very compassionate group of people.
She became a member in 2013 and joined the Vancouver (now B.C.) Board in 2014 and took on the task of Membership Director. In 2015 she added VP to her membership tasks and in 2017 became President until 2020 and at present continues as Membership Director for the B.C. Chapter. Besides volunteering with the CCA, she has also volunteered at YVR as a Greencoat and at a Hospice for over 11 years with her dog Farley. Lizbeth currently lives in beautiful Vancouver with her husband Bryan, and their dog Farley and is lucky to have her daughter Jessica to give her nutritional guidance as a Registered Dietitian.
Raman Sehmbi - Secretary
Raman lives in Surrey, British Columbia where she works as a lawyer practicing family law and mediation. She completed her law degree a semester early at Queen’s University and her undergraduate degree in international relations and commerce at the University of British Columbia.
Raman’s journey with celiac disease commenced with suffering from symptoms earlier on in her childhood, but she was not diagnosed until more recently when she was 28 years old. She followed a majority plant-based diet since she was 15 years old, so many of the symptoms she suffered from were written off as being caused by her diet. Now that she has become formally diagnosed, she strives to educate and encourage those around her with similar symptoms.
Outside of work and her time on the Board, you can find Raman out on the open road, in the passenger’s seat of her partner’s car, with no destination. When not planning her next adventure, you can find Raman on a reformer at her favourite Pilates studio, experimenting with gluten-free recipes, or enjoying a cardamom-rose tea or coffee with her loved ones. Raman aspires to live her life in accordance with the Zoroastrian principle “good thoughts, good words, good deeds.
Directors
Eyobe Amberber
Eyobe Amberber is a CPA with over 10 years of progressive finance experience. He is currently the Controller at KFC Canada. Eyobe was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2010 before his senior year at the University of Toronto. He later went on to marry his wife who also has a gluten sensitivity. As someone who suffered from misdiagnosis and found it challenging to reverse the long-standing adverse effects of Celiac Disease, he has a special affinity for the Celiac community. He’s dedicated to helping advance the awareness of Celiac and being an advocate for change in improving the lives of those impacted. Eyobe lives in Mississauga where he enjoys playing basketball for his rec league and serves as the Treasurer of Boxing Ontario, an organization he knows all too well having been a former Ontario provincial champion.
Nancy Dale
Nancy lives in New Hamburg, Ontario with her husband and two daughters. After completing her Bachelor of Arts in Applied Studies Business Co-op at the University of Waterloo, she completed her Bachelor of Education at the University of Toronto. Nancy worked as a business and guidance teacher and a high school Vice Principal for more than 28 years. Nancy was diagnosed with celiac disease as a baby more than fifty years
ago and has been associated with the Celiac Canada since its founding through her mother, Anne Hammer, who attended the first meeting of the CCA in Waterloo in 1973. Nancy is also a parent to a celiac daughter, Meghan, who was diagnosed 22 years ago. More recently diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, Nancy understands the difficulty Canadians can face when navigating the medical system seeking a diagnosis for a complicated set of symptoms. As an active volunteer with organizations in her community, Nancy is now excited to help with the CCA’s vision that every
Canadian with Celiac disease be diagnosed and empowered.
Stu Guttman
Stu is a highly accomplished community professional and fundraiser, from Montreal with over two decades of experience raising millions of dollars across a range of senior fundraising positions. He has held leadership positions at major international charities, and his expertise spans the entire fundraising continuum, from start-up fundraising program development to helping grow established programs in seasoned organizations. With a keen ability to develop fundraising skills in advancement staff. Stu brings a contagious energy, enthusiasm, and dynamism to fundraising that has helped organizations achieve their fundraising ambitions. In addition to his impressive professional experience, Stu has a personal connection to celiac disease that has fueled his passion for supporting those affected by the disease. Both his brother and sister were diagnosed with celiac disease in their teens, and his 4-year-old daughter recently tested positive. This experience has inspired Stu to devote his time and efforts to providing access to related information and supporting all those affected in any way he can.
Roberta Kramchynsky
Roberta Kramchynsky lives in Ottawa, Ontario and is Vice President, Health Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Food, Health and Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP). Throughout her career in public affairs and government relations, she has focused on the health and health products sectors and worked to find public policy solutions to the health challenges and concerns for Canadians.
Diagnosed with Celiac disease in 2022, Roberta quickly turned her focus to supporting advocacy for the Celiac community by advocating for tax policy changes and raise awareness of Celiac disease.
Roberta holds a Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management from Carleton University and a Master of Business Administration from the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa. She actively volunteers with several organizations to advance wellness, including in her role as Vice President of the Carleton University Alumni Association.
Seán Murphy
Seán will be a familiar face to many people in the celiac community, having been President of the Edmonton Chapter in 2024-25. In his role on the Board, Seán will serve as the Chapter Operations representative, working to strengthen the network between Celiac Canada and the Chapters and Support Groups across the country.
A retired public servant, Seán has extensive experience in strategic planning, reporting, and performance measurement thanks to his work with the Government of Alberta. His career also includes leadership and executive leadership roles in evaluation, policy, Indigenous education and anti-racism – expertise that will benefit the Board and Celiac Canada.
Steven Poirier
Steven is originally from Montreal, lived in New Brunswick for 13 years but now calls Toronto home. He is a retired senior executive with 40 years experience primarily in the Food and Beverage industry in a range of mid-size to large corporations both Public and Private such as McCain Foods, Moosehead Breweries and Constellation Brands (now Arterra Wines Canada). Steven’s areas of expertise include; Marketing, Sales, New Product Development and General Management. Having spent many years in a highly regulated industry, Steven is experienced in working with multiple levels of government agencies. Since retirement, Steven has been active consulting in the beverage industry as well as sitting on the Board of a small Public company. Steven has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University and an MBA in Finance from York University. Steven has two daughters and three grandchildren. His youngest daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2005, so he has become acutely aware of the challenges that people with celiac disease face everyday.
