The Board of Directors of The Mary A. Tidlund Charitable Foundation consists of Mary Tidlund, Nicole Entz, Alex Squires, Robert McMahon Patrick P. Grace, and Gulshan Lodhi.
Mary
Tidlund, President
Canmore, Alberta
Mary A. Tidlund was born in Calgary, Alberta and adopted at the age of 7 by a loving Calgary family. Along with 3 other adopted children, Mary shared her childhood with at least 40 foster children that her parents nurtured and loved. Later in her life she reunited with her birth families.
After completing a science degree in Geography, Mary began a 15-year career in the oil industry; later becoming President and CEO of a publicly traded oil exploration and service company. She located the head office for the company in Saskatchewan where she was committed to the community through her entrepreneurial work. Her activities expanded to include drilling and trucking companies, clothing store, art gallery and restaurant based in Arcola. Mary's business employed more than 250 people. Mary's commitment to her community was recognized nationally in 1993, where she was a finalist in the Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. In addition, Mary received an In Award for having the most impact on the local community.
An industry downturn led Mary from the oil business and she turned her energy to traveling internationally where she expressed her desire to serve others. On October 14, 1998 she founded the Mary A. Tidlund Charitable Foundation, a public foundation that has grown to work in 22 countries with over 65 programs. The foundation financially supports and participates in programs in Canada and overseas. Key initiatives include medical clinics and workshops, the construction of schools and playgrounds, palliative care, educational sponsorship, providing meals for the homeless, water and micro credit. In October of 2000, she received the Black Achievement Award for Humanitarianism and in May 2010 the Woman of Vision Award with Global TV. Focusing on women and children, Mary's long-term goal is to empower individuals to provide for themselves and create self sustaining programs for the foundation.
Nicole Entz, RN
Okotoks, Alberta
Nicole is a Nurse Practitioner in an independent practice in Okotoks, Alberta. Nicole received her RN from the Foothills Hospital school of nursing in 1982. Following a stint living in Nigeria, West Africa, Nicole developed an interest in community development, capacity building and health promotion. Her nursing education has allowed her to practice from the bedside, in management and in nursing education. After receiving a MHS with a focus in leadership in 2003, Nicole took on a role of tutoring Athabasca University students in community health promotion a role which she continues to enjoy to this day. She received a post grad diploma in advanced nursing in Primary Care in 2009. Nicole also has the opportunity to work with a sexual health clinic in her family practice.
Clark Alexander Squires, received a BA Sc in Industrial Engineering and an MBA from the University of Toronto. Alex worked for Shell Canada in the pipeline, marketing and refined products planning areas. Mr. Squires entered the investment business in 1980 by joining Pitfield Mackay Ross as Senior Energy Analyst covering Canadian integrated oils and senior producers. Pitfield was merged into Dominion Securities in 1984 which was acquired by the Royal Bank of Canada in 1988. Mr. Squires was author of a major report on Petro-Canada, published in 1985, prior to the Company's IPO in 1991. He moved to Loewen, Ondaatje, McCutcheon Ltd. (LOM) in 1991 where he focused on smaller cap oil and gas producers and oilfield service companies. LOM was particularly active in inner oil and gas financings in 1993/94.
In November 1995, Alex moved to Brenark Securites and in July 1997, went to Brant Securites, where his is a partner and continues to focus on small cap companies, a niche for the firm. He is a Director of Brant Securities.
Mr. Squires received his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1983 and was a director of the Toronto Society of Financial Analysts from 1984 to 1986. He is also a past president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Investment Analysts (CAPIA) and served on the board of the New York based, National Association of Petroleum Investment Analysts (NAPIA). He chaired a joint NAPIA/CAPIA conference in Toronto (1991) and co-chaired a similar conference in Calgary (1987). Alex currently sits on the boards of St. Michael's Hospital Foundation, The Squires Club and Friends of Varsity Blues Football.
Alex has two sons, Darrell (22) and Edward (20).
Robert
McMahon
Sea Cliff,
New York
This month, Sea Cliff resident Robert J. McMahon will celebrate 31 years as executive director of St. Christopher-Ottilie Services for Children and Families. When he began his tenure in 1973, the agency was known as St. Christopher’s Home and its limited services consisted of a 56-bed transitional program for children in Sea Cliff and a small foster boarding home program. Today, St. Christopher-Ottilite, headquartered in Glen Clove, cares for more than 5,000 children daily at 81 locations throughout Long Island, Brooklyn and Queens. This remarkable growth has included the merger in 1985 with the Ottilie Home for Children in Briarwood, Queens, a 1996 merger with Madonna Heights Services in Dix Hills and a 1999 merger with Family Dynamics, a New York City-based agency.
In his 30 years at the helm of St. Christopher-Ottilie, Mr. McMahon has been a leader in the area of children’s issues and serves on a host of city and state committees and the boards of several of New York’s leading child advocacy groups. He has guided the agency’s response to ever-changing social concerns by developing a broad continuum of services to meet the needs of the children and families most affected. In 1976, St Christopher-Ottilie opened the first Intermediate Care Facilities when the Federal Class Action Lawsuit mandated the closing of Willowbrook. The new facilities provided care for severely retarded and mentally handicapped children in a caring and loving environment. In 1979, Mr. McMahon was appointed co-chairman of the Child Welfare Standards Advisory Council created by the state legislature to implement the Child Welfare Reform Act. He currently serves on the Board and Executive Committee of New York State Council of Voluntary Child Care Agencies, a statewide organization of voluntary agencies serving children and families in preventative services and foster care. He has served as president of the Coalition of Children’s Mental Health Agencies, a statewide organization promoting mental health services to children and their families. Among other commitments, Mr. McMahon has served as president of the Child Welfare Information Services; on the Health and Welfare Council of Nassau County; the New York State Advisory Council to the commissioner of Mental Retardation/Development Disabilities; and the Child Welfare League of America, a national advocacy organization. In 1982 Mr. McMahon was appointed by the Governor of New York State to the Social Services Title XX Block Grant Advisory Council. Presently he serves on the Board of The Human Services Council; chairs the Fiscal Director’s Committee of New York City’s voluntary child welfare agencies; and was recently elected vice president of the board of the newly formed Victory Children’s Academy Charter School in Roosevelt. For the past several years, he has served as vice president of the Long Island Children’s Network that is looking at mental health services for Long Island’s children.
On the local level, Mr. McMahon also served for 13 years on the North Shore Central School District Board of Education, four years as president. Additionally he found the time to teach religious education at St. Boniface in Sea Cliff.
Robert J. McMahon holds a BA in Education from Notre Dame University, an MA in Education from Fairfield University, and he attended the Institute for Not-for-Profit Management run by Columbia University Graduate Schools of Business, Health Sciences and Social Work – a program funded by the Greater New York Fund.
When asked about his 30 years at the helm of St. Christopher-Ottilie, Mr. McMahon is quick to point out the incredible contributions of dedicated staff members. He will tell you that they come to the agency with great commitment and many stay for a very long time. Today, Mr. McMahon continues to be challenges and invigorated by the work St. Christopher-Ottilie does on behalf of children and families.
This information is reprinted from: “ Robert McMahon Celebrates 31 Years at St. Christopher-Ottilie.” Glen Cove Record Pilot, 6 May 2004: Vol. 32, No. 32
Patrick P. Grace
New York,
New York
Patrick is co-founder and Managing Partner of Apollo Philanthropy Partners, a strategic consulting firm serving private philanthropists, foundations and non-profits. He also oversees the philanthropic activities of his extended family. In this capacity, he is Chairman of the Board of Grace Institute, a tuition-free school for women in New York, and President of the Santa Maria and Sarita Kenedy East foundations.
Patrick serves on the boards of a number of other nonprofit entities, including KickStart International, Inc., The Cardinal Suenens Center at John Carroll University, the College of Mount Saint Vincent, Citizens Against Government Waste, and Catholic Charities Community Services (Archdiocese of New York). He also has provided ad hoc support to other ventures such as Millennium Promise, Accion International and Grace Outreach.
The bulk of Patrick’s professional career was in financial and general management roles at W. R. Grace & Co. He was President of Grace Logistics, Inc., where he led a global supply chain restructuring process that identified more than $200 million in recurring annual savings. In his earlier tenure with Grace, Patrick was CFO of Kascho GmbH, a German chocolate manufacturer. He also held financial management positions in the pharmaceutical, chemicals, retailing, restaurant, natural resources and other industries in which Grace participated. Patrick has been a director of Chemed Corporation (CHE-NYSE) since 1996, and Krele Pharmaceuticals, Inc., since 2007.
Patrick was liberal arts major at the University of Notre Dame and holds an M.B.A. degree in finance from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He lives in New York City with his wife and their three children.
Gulshan Lodhi
Waterloo, Ontario
After graduating from medical school and family and community medicine in 1976, Gulshan worked at the Regent Park Community Health Centre in Toronto, which provided comprehensive primary health care to the residents of Cabbagetown, including a large population of new immigrants to Canada. Currently, she is working for Woolwich Community Health Centre, providing primary care to diverse group of people including Mennonite and developmentally delayed population. She works part time for Region of Waterloo Public Health Department in Sexual Health Program and Sexually Transmitted Disease. She provides primary care to students at University of Waterloo from 1981 to 2004 and is currently a consultant physician for Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence and train registered nurses in the above program.
In all of her work thus far, she has been a member of a multidisciplinary team consisting of registered nurses, nurse practioners, social worker, health promoters, psychologists and psychiatrists. She has always been a strong advocate for this type of approach to health care delivery. Member of good standing with the following Associations:
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
Canadian Medical Protective Association
Canadian Medical Association
Ontario Medical Association
K-W Academy of Medicine
St. Mary's Hospital
Grand River Hospital.