Tom Fuerth is a retired Professional Engineer from the University of Windsor. Tom also has dedicated over 35 years to public service, first as a Councillor/ Deputy Reeve/Deputy Mayor for Sandwich South and Essex County Councillor, then as a Councillor in the Town of Tecumseh. He has chaired many organizations, including the County Library Board, Windsor-Essex Community Health Committee, Police Service Selection Committee for amalgamated Tecumseh, County Fire, Planning and Personnel Committees, and the Public Relations Committee for Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital. Tom also served as Chair of the Essex Region Conservation Authority and as a Director for Libro Credit Union. This strong background in public service and leadership combined with his experience in developing consensus and team building are strong assets that Mr. Fuerth has brought to the Source Protection Committee.

Antonietta Giofu is a University of Windsor alumnus and has 10 years experience in the industrial and manufacturing field as an Environmental Engineer for Ford Motor Company and Nemak. She is currently the Environmental Services Engineer for the Town of Amherstburg in the Water and Wastewater Department. “I am very excited to be a part of this important committee and look forward to doing my part in protecting our drinking water sources,” she says. Antonietta is hoping to use her experience in both the industrial and manufacturing fields as well as her experience in the Municipal sector to assist the committee in achieving its goal of safe drinking water.

Nelson Santos received his B.A. in Social Science (Political Science) from the University of Windsor. He was first elected to Kingsville Council in 1997 and has served as Mayor for the Town of Kingsville since 2003. Nelson has been a sitting Essex County Councillor since 2000. He is also a past Chair of ERCA, past Essex County Warden 2006-2010 and past Co-chair of the Windsor -Essex Environment Committee. Nelson is honoured to join this dynamic team and is looking forward to providing a supporting role to the improvement and protection of our communities and our environment’s key resources. He hopes to help strengthen our collective efforts to reduce risks that threaten our environmental health.

Kevin Girard is a graduate of the Civil Engineering Technology program at St. Clair College and received his Bachelor of Engineering from Lakehead University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and currently holds the position of Manager of Environmental Services for the Town of Lakeshore. In this capacity, he oversees the Water and Wastewater Division which manages the Town’s water treatment facilities, the Stoney Point Water Treatment Plant and the Belle River Water Treatment Plant, as well as the Water Distribution division. In addition, he also manages the wastewater treatment facilities and collection systems for the Town. Kevin holds an integral role in the protection of the Town’s source water and is enthused to be a part of the team to develop policies at a regional level.

Albert Dionne, CET I have been involved with water since 2000, working for the city of Timmins in the engineering department as a construction inspector and surveyor. After seven years of building and designing infrastructure, I moved over to the maintenance side as a Water Distribution Supervisor. I succeeded in raising the bar on how we did repairs, as maintenance is a lot different from building new. I stayed in that position for eight years, attaining a class 3 water distribution license and ORO for the distribution system as well as becoming a Certified Engineering Technologist with OACETT. During that time, I was on working groups for an expansion to the Timmins water treatment plant and for a booster station, as well as several other water projects. I also took part in many workshops when the DWQMS was being developed. After that, I moved to a smaller community where I was the Director of Works and Operations, responsible for overseeing four water treatment supplies and one wastewater secondary plant. I did this role for four years then decided to come to southern Ontario for my remaining years. I was hired at the Town of Lakeshore in February 2019 as the Public Works Manager and am now back to familiar territory as the Manager of Environmental Services. I am looking forward to being part of the Essex Region Source Protection Committee and hopefully can bring something to the table as well as keep learning from my peers.

Thom is a Registered Professional Planner (MCIP, RPP) and graduate of the University of Windsor and St. Clair College. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Urban Planning, a Masters Degree, and a Diploma in Civil Engineering. Thom has over 30 years of professional and multi-disciplinary experience and has held various roles in both private and public practice including consulting engineering, conservation authorities, and local community and sustainability initiatives; he joined the City of Windsor’s Planning and Building Department in 1998 and is currently the Executive Director and City Planner.

A sheep and cattle farmer from Kingsville, John has served as the Past President of the Essex Christian Farmers, Past Vice President District One Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency, and is a 4H Leader. He is also a support of the Friends of Wigle Creek, is a member of ERCA’s Agricultural Liaison Committee and a proponent of establishing a local food network. With all this experience at hand, it’s no wonder that John was chosen by the agricultural community to be one of their two representatives. “I am very excited about being involved in protecting one of our most vital resources: clean water,” he says. “My father predicted many years ago that in my lifetime, we’d be heavily involved in water related issues. I am hoping to actively promote what’s best for society as a whole while remembering how important water is to productive, sustainable rural agriculture.”

Chris Snip is a Crop Sales Specialist with AGRIS Co-operative working out of the Cottam location and has his Certified Crop Advisor designation as well as being a 4R Nutrient Stewardship Specialist. He is married to Melissa and has 2 children, M’Kaela and Tristan. Chris works with farmers to help them maximize inputs while minimizing their negative environmental effects. In his spare time he enjoys the outdoors with his family, kayaking, hiking, fishing and hunting.

Kevin has worked in Healthcare for the bulk of his career as a Medical Laboratory Technologist, received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Windsor and his Master Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. Kevin began working at the City of Windsor as the Manager Environmental Quality in September 2020. Kevin grew up just northwest of the Essex County Landfill and has been an advocate, with his parents, to ensure safe drinking water for the residents who lived near this landfill. Kevin is looking forward to learning and becoming an involved and supportive member of the Source Protection Committee.