Ken Jewett
Founder

Ken started in business with the Abitibi Paper Company in 1950 to 1970. In 1958, he pursued an interest in cooking into a study of the frozen prepared food market. At age forty (in 1970), he left Abitibi and spent the next year arranging financing and equipping a plant for a new business called Marsan Foods. Marsan produces frozen meals for supermarket chains, restaurant chains and the health care field and was a winner in competition across Canada as one of “The 50 Best Managed Companies“ in 2005 and 2008, earning “Platinum” status in 2012 & 2013.

Jewett started community work as an Assistant Scoutmaster. He had a farm in the Brooklin area where he planted thousands of trees and opened the property for Scout camping. He was a former Director of the Toronto Advertising and Sales Club. Ken was a Big Brother and is an Honorary Life Director of Big Brothers. This was a ten-year involvement. Ken was Past President of the Canadian Food Service Executives Association. He served as Chairman of the Committee of Convocation at Trinity College School in Port Hope as well as serving on the Board of Governors. He owned East Bay Marina on Lake Muskoka and served as a Director of the Muskoka Lakes Ratepayers Association and is also a member of “The American Association of Therapeutic Humor”.

Ken is the founder/entrepreneur of two successful enterprises: Marsan Foods and Maple leaves Forever. Ken was a Trustee of the Trees Ontario Foundation from 2002 until 2007, and also served on Trees Ontario (now Forests Canada) Board of Directors. Ken founded Maple Leaves Forever in 1997 and formalized its establishment in 2000 – the growing charitable organization in now in it’s 25th successful year of championing the planting of Native Canadian Maple Trees. On Ken’s 91st birthday, the Museum of Nature in Ottawa honoured him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his life-long and outstanding dedication to promoting environmental education on the importance of the Native Canadian Maple through Maple Leaves Forever. As a result of his work on Ontario Envirothon and the Focus on Forests for Forests Ontario, Ken was awarded the 2023 Susan Wieck Forestry Education Award and the 2023 NCF-Envirothon Hall of Fame Award.

Ken was married to his beloved wife Edie Jewett for 68 years until her passing in 2022. They have two sons and one daughter.

James C. Jewett
Member of the Board, Secretary

James attended Trinity College School in Port Hope and Bishops University in Lennoxville. He had a successful career in commercial real estate prior to joining Marsan Foods Limited. At Marsan, he pioneered the healthcare division that is now recognized as Canada’s leader in convenience feeding for long-term care and acute-care facilities.

Today, James is Vice President of Marsan Foods and oversees the sales and marketing throughout North America, earning awards including Supplier of the Year for Loblaws. As well, he holds the titles of Secretary and a Director of Marsan Foods. Apart from Marsan, James’ interests include skiing, squash, and golf. James is a Sick Kids Leader and is active as a fundraiser for the Yellow Bus Foundation. Most recently James has joined the Board of Directors at Sheena’s Place a community based center offering assistance to individuals and families affected by eating disorders.

James is also a member of the Bedford Park Players, a community based theatre group who perform annually in support of The Big Little Caravan of Joy which brings arts-based curriculums to underprivileged children in remote Canadian communities.

James is married to Cindy, they have two children.

Graeme Jewett
Member of the Board

Graeme Jewett graduated from University of Western Ontario 1981 and joined Marsan Foods September of the same year. After working in most areas of the business, he became President in 1995. Graeme oversaw growth of the business from $10 million in sales to over $100 million. He is currently Chair of McDermott House Canada, a foundation supporting Veterans causes, and Trustee of Trinity College School. He is Past President of The Badminton and Racquet Club, and past Board member of Further Poultry Processors.

Graeme is married to Laura and together they have two daughters, Stephanie and Carter.

Robert H. Keen, RPF
Member of the Board

Rob Keen is a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) and Executive Director of the Canadian Tree Nursery Association, established in 2023 to support Canadian tree nurseries’ work in facilitating the nation’s forest restoration efforts. Prior to establishing the Association, he served Trees Ontario for more than 20 years, first as a Consultant and later as CEO, overseeing its merger with the Ontario Forestry Association, and resulting in the formation of Forests Ontario in 2014.

Throughout his career, Rob has championed the sustainability and stewardship of Canada’s forests, including as a Director and Chair of the Algonquin Forestry Authority and as Director of the Invasive Species Centre, and is currently a Director of Maple Leaves Forever and Chair of the Sustainable Forest Licensee, Westwind Forest Stewardship Ltd. For his work, Rob received the Clean50 Lifetime Achievement Award in the fall of 2022 and the Forests Ontario Award in 2023. 

Tony DiGiovanni
Member of the Board

Tony Giovanni recently retired after 33 years as Executive Director of Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association. He is now spending his time serving on the board of a number of related horticultural organizations this includes Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, the Toronto Botanical Gardens and Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation, Trees for Life and Maple Leaves Forever. A career highlight was having a Grove of Native Maples planted in his name on the Landscape Ontario property.

Scott Cameron
Member of the Board

Scott graduated from the University of Toronto’s Bachelor of Commerce program in 1997 and acquired the designation of Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 2001. Scott’s experience encompasses all aspects of financial management and administration with broad knowledge and success in a financial and accounting environment.

Scott started his accounting career at KPMG in Toronto and spent 6 years as an auditor.  Following that, he became Regional Controller for Black and McDonald, an industrial electrical and mechanical contractor, and then Director of Finance and Operations for Executive Programs at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. 

Scott is currently the Director of Finance and Administration at Forests Canada (formerly Forests Ontario), a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to making our forests greener through tree planting initiatives and educational programs. Forests Canada has facilitated the planting of more than 41 million trees.

D. Walter McCormick, CFA
Consultant to the Board

Walter has 40 years’ experience working with high net worth Individuals, Trusts and Pension Plans. Together with his partner, Garreth Fallis, Walter and his team at Richardson GMP provide their clients with a wide universe of investment options within an open architecture environment.

Walter graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and became a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute in 1984.  Walter was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1986.

Walter has been active in various community charities , foundations and boards.  Walter served on the Robarts’s Council and is a former member of the Board of Governors of Trinity College School in Port Hope and was a Director of the Muskoka Lakes Association. Walter has been an active member of fund-raising committees for the Toronto Community Foundation, the Sick Kids and Arthritis Foundations.  He is currently a director of the Foundation Board of the West Parry Sound Health Centre, The Grenadine Initiative and Griffith Island Club.