Rob Kennedy, President
Rob joined the Board in 2021 with the merger of the Northumberland Land Trust (NLT) and the Lone Pine Land Trust (LPLT). He joined the Board of LPLT in 2014 and eventually became President. He represented the LPLT in merger talks with NLT and is now serving as the President of the merged entity.
He graduated in 1981 from the University of Waterloo with a degree in civil engineering. His family moved to Northumberland County in 1992. Rob, along with his brother and cousin, started up Peak Engineering & Construction Ltd. The three partners sold the company to their employees and retired from the business in 2014. Rob has served on numerous Boards over the years, including his local church. Rob is married to fellow Board member Freda Kennedy, and they have four daughters. Rob and Freda donated the land that is currently the NLT’s Kennedy Reserve. They live on 300 forested acres north of Grafton, which they intend to donate to the NLT.
“My love for nature came early in life during family hikes on the Bruce Trail and camping holidays,” said Rob. “After retiring from business, I decided to pursue my passion and love for nature and joined the Lone Pine Land Trust Board.”
Susan Casson
Susan joined the Board in 2025.
Susan Casson is a native of Northumberland County and graduated from Queen’s University. She taught in the Orangeville area and then became director of racquet sports for a fitness facility. Following retirement, Susan returned to her hometown of Port Britain. Susan has been an active member of the conservation organizations wherever she has lived. She has been the land steward for the family farms and followed similar stewardship practices as the Northumberland Land Trust does.
Susan Casson says “I am very excited to be a part of the Northumberland Land Trust and to help bring awareness of the benefit of preserving the natural world to the communities in the County, as well as expand the nature reserves that the Northumberland Land Trust protects.
Richard Holland
Richard joined the Northumberland Land Trust’s board in November 2020, and he now serves the Board as Treasurer.
After more than 30 years in the banking industry in the UK & Canada he joined the Ontario Public Service and managed the finances of projects in five ministries before retiring in 2016.
Richard and his wife Sarah moved to Northumberland County in 2000, first to Cobourg and then four years later to the Northumberland hills, midway between Grafton and Baltimore. He has served as the treasurer of the local branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario and continues to serve on the Northumberland Hills Hospital Auxiliary board, managing its finances.
“I first became aware of the Northumberland Land Trust in 2017 when our neighbours were considering donating part of their property to the Trust,” says Richard. “That donation was completed in December 2019 and we now overlook the Bonebakker Nature Reserve.”
Frank Godfrey
Frank joined the Board in 2025.
Frank Godfrey is a long-time resident of Northumberland County. He and wife Tish have four children and 10 grandchildren. Frank is a graduate of Guelph University. Frank worked in the fields of Occupational Health and Safety and Human Performance in Ontario’s nuclear generating plants. He is now retired.
Frank has volunteered with many local regional and provincial boards. Most recently these include President of the Willow Beach Field Naturalists and Treasurer of the Art Gallery of Northumberland. He co-founded and is currently active with the Joint Working Group –Wesleyville which is supported by the Northumberland Land Trust. As well as volunteering Frank Godfrey owns a managed forest in Hamilton Township
“I believe that the Northumberland Land Trust is achieving remarkable results with more exciting growth to come. The goal of preserving natural spaces is one that means a lot to me”
May Haslam
May joined the Board in 2025.
May Haslam has worked in the field of providing training at the post-secondary level for special needs clients. May moved to Northumberland eleven years ago and was struck by the biodiversity of flora and fauna in the area.
May says “I have always been a naturalist; from playing as a child in Toronto ravines, to my time as a Girl Guide and Ranger, to assisting the banding of birds at Manomet, Massachusetts. Track ID, birding, managing invasive species, all of these are important to me.” She feels that the work done by the NLT is vital to assisting our native fauna and flora to maintain their existence. Connecting more and more properties to provide corridors for wildlife as well as education of the public through walks and organized work parties are excellent objectives.
Kate Hayday
Kate joined the Board in 2025.
Kate Hayday is a technology consultant, writer, analyst, and multidisciplinary artist. Co-founder of Maker’s Dozen, an interactive digital media and content creation company, she has over 20 years experience working with clients in multiple sectors, from a robotics cluster through government and arts organizations.
Kate works passionately in the spaces where art, science, and nature intersect. A former freelance journalist, her work has appeared in major publications, including Toronto Life, blogTO, and the National Post. She has written on everything from life in the woods to primers on AI. She is also an enthusiastic teacher, leading workshops ranging from beginner needle felting to beginner robotics, how to identify animal tracks, and how to paint with wild plants. In 2018, Kate moved from the heart of downtown Toronto to a log cabin in a small 25-acre forest. An avid naturalist, a walk with Kate through the woods can take a very long time, as we may stop to chat about every bird we hear and fungus we find.
Graeme Harris
Graeme joined the Board of the Northumberland Land Trust in 2023.
He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen’s University (’83), a Bachelor of Applied Arts (Journalism) from Ryerson Polytechnic (’85) and attended the Université de Paris (Sorbonne). He retired in 2017 after more than 30 years in corporate communications when he advised C-Suite executives at BMO, RBC, UBS and Manulife. In 1994 and 1995 while based in Paris attending the Sorbonne, he spent time in Kyiv and acted as an international liaison for multinational companies wishing to set up businesses in Ukraine. He was also a media relations instructor for the government of Ukraine and UNESCO.
Graeme has divided his time between Northumberland County and Toronto since 1996 when he and his partner purchased a 72-acre property at the headwaters of the Shelter Valley watershed. He has served on several volunteer Boards including the Red Door Family Shelter, the National Magazine Awards Foundation, the Glenn Gould Foundation Gala, and is currently on the Board of the Canadian Journalism Foundation. He is a past member of the Arthur W. Page Society.
“We realized that we were stewards of an important piece of wildlife habitat in Northumberland County,” says Graeme. “We took a course in silviculture at the University of Toronto, and maintain the property to ensure a healthy forest, field, and stream.”
John Davidson
John joined the Board in 2021.
John graduated from York Mills CI, Toronto in 1961. Following a flirtation with a career in medicine and the Canadian Navy, he joined Clarkson Gordon (now Ernst & Young) and obtained his CA with Honours in 1968. In 1995 John retired from EY and continued his career on a part-time basis as a consultant.
During his years in Toronto, John served on several professional committees and volunteered with Red Cross Blood Services, Planned Parenthood and Owl Children’s Trust, publisher of children’s magazines. John and his wife Irena moved to Port Hope in 2007. In 2010 he became a Founding Director of Northumberland 89.7 FM, our local community radio station, and later served for a year as Treasurer of the Art Gallery of Northumberland. John currently is an active Rotarian and on the Boards of Port Hope Heritage Foundation and Northumberland Arts Gallery and Shop. John is married with two children, and six grandchildren. He enjoys European travel, sailing, skiing and Italian cooking.
“My Road to Damascus conversion, to the cause of preserving our natural heritage, came in 1998 and 1999, as I single handed my 30 foot Nonsuch, anchoring in out of the way nooks and crannies of Georgian Bay,” says John. “There were many moments of spiritual re-awakening. The work we do at the Land Trust will ensure that my neighbours and their descendants and mine can have that same opportunity. “
Doug McRae
Doug joined the Board in 2021 with the merger of the Northumberland Land Trust (NLT) and the Lone Pine Land Trust (LPLT). He became involved with the LPLT in 2006 as a volunteer, then joined the Board shortly afterwards. He is also currently the Steward for the NLT’s McColl reserve.
After graduating high school Doug began working as a field biologist. For 20 years he worked as a senior guide with North America’s top-ranked bird tour company, Field Guides Inc, required extensive international travel. His career also involved research studies in various parts of Canada, Finland and Cuba, Park Naturalist at Algonquin and Presqu’ile Prov. Park, biological inventories, guiding, consulting, and education. He is currently teaching a 2nd year Ornithology course at Fleming College, and a 1st year Wildlife Observation Skills course.
Doug has lived in Northumberland Country since 1984, and has a lakefront property near Brighton which he plans to donate to NLT once habitat restoration initiatives are complete. He has been published extensively in newspapers, scientific, and popular journals. He was a founding member of the Ontario Field Ornithologists and the Ontario Bird Records Committee and has served on the Board of OFO and several naturalists clubs.
“After nearly 50 years in the conservation field I truly believe that Land Trusts are the most cost-effective and certain way to protect important biological features forever. We are not influenced by competing pressures or the politics of the day but rather by the simple principal of protecting land and managing it for its biological health and diversity. We all know that our natural environment is under great stress right now and for me, NLT is where I go to find hope”
M. Virginia MacLean
Virginia joined the Board in 2024.
Virginia is a lawyer called to the Bar of Ontario has represented municipalities, companies and individuals, litigating before administrative tribunals( OMB now OLT etc) the Ontario Courts at all levels and ,the Federal Court. She also represented clients before municipal councils and committees, as well as the Provincial Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills.
Virginia commenced practice in a small Ontario town. Joined the Provincial Government , Companies Division , followed into Business Practices Division ( attended regularly before the Commercial Registration Appeal Tribunal.).Was Director of Legal Services for the Corporation of the City of Mississauga , a partner at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP before Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyer LLP . Became a sole practitioner in 2006 practicing in Oakville.She has established expertise in all aspects of municipal law including planning and development, the Building Code Act, expropriation, licensing, municipal by-law drafting and the prosecution and defence of municipal by-laws and statutes.
Professional Credentials
Queens Counsel (now K.C.) 1982
Certified Specialist (C.S.) Municipal Law -Local Government /Land Use Planning
Law Society Medal (L.S.M. ) 2010
Past President Ontario Bar Association(2002-2003) ,past Director Canadian Bar Association , former Chair Professional Development and Advocacy and Government Relations Committee(OBA), ,Former Director of the Ontario Expropriation Association, past President Womens’ Law Association of Ontario, Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario 2011-2015 ,2015 -2019.
Adam Yahn
Adam joined the Board in 2024
Adam Yahn is a public affairs and government relations professional, living in Cobourg with experience in junior and minor hockey. He carries strong results-oriented people skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and achieve team goals. He is also recognized for team building and team motivation and can manage multiple tasks and meet tight deadlines. As a driven, self-starter he is adept at organization, relationship building, and for producing results.
His key strengths include crisis communications, research, administration, government relations, governance, leadership, advocacy, management, and project management.
Since August 2018, Adam has worked for Summa Strategies, Ottawa where he was a Senior Consultant and is now Vice-President and Partner. Adam supports some of Canada’s top industry associations and companies, including those in the sport, retail, transportation, housing, environment, construction, and technology sectors, navigating complex files and financial asks. As an Owner/Operator for Summa Strategies, Adam serves as a senior strategist on client files, provides strategic counsel to clients on emerging issues and keeps frequent contact with key government stakeholders to identify high-value opportunities for clients. This includes drafting strategy documents, advocacy plans, briefing materials, and communications for clients. He regularly meets with Cabinet Ministers, elected officials and staff on issues related to clients’ files. Adam also offers strategic communications advice on messaging that resonates with the public and decision-makers, ensuring that clients are telling their stories the right way and in the right places.
He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Ottawa and Master of Public Administration with the University of Victoria.