Frank Valeriote

Chair

Frank is the member of Parliament for Guelph. Until his election to the House of Commons in 2008, Frank worked as a senior partner at the law firm of SmithValeriote LLP. Frank is the current Liberal Party Deputy Whip and previously served as the Critic for Agriculture & Agri-Food, Rural Affairs and the Automotive Sector and Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. Frank is also a co-founder of the Parliamentary Coalition on Palliative and Compassionate Care.

Frank has been active in the community for over 28 years. He is a founding member of edsi. He is also the current Chair of an international NGO and is actively engaged in international aid work, traveling 7 times to Central and South America. Frank has also been a past board member of the Catholic School Board, Guelph Wellington Business Enterprise Centre, Alzheimer’s Society of Guelph Wellington, St. Joseph’s Health Foundation and Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis.

David Ranalli

President

David is a founding member and President of EDSI. In this role, David is responsible for the overall development and supervision of EDSI’s micro-credit projects in South America and Africa. He is also travels abroad to conduct the training of the local field staff that administer the micro-credit program in their particular community.

David serves on the board of EDSI and chairs its Credit Committee. David has a B.A in political science from the University of Guelph, and a Bachelor of Common Law and Civil Law from McGill University. He was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 2005 and currently practices law.

Andrea Ranalli

Director of Finance

Andrea is a founding member of EDSI and acts as EDSI’s Director of Finance. In this role, Andrea is responsible for overseeing EDSI’s budget, as well as ensuring that the appropriate financial management and accounting procedures are in place. He is also a member of EDSI’s Credit Committee through which he develops appropriate financial ratios and compliance.

Andrea is a commercial banking relationship manager for TD Bank Financial Group assisting mid-market clients in senior debt commercial lending transactions including secured loans and acquisition financing. Andrea has Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Guelph and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Laurier University.

Justin Varias

Secretary & Director of Marketing

Justin is EDSI’s Director of Marketing and brings with him significant experience in marketing, advertising and media, in addition to having a background in finance and economics. Justin has a focus in developing and implementing strategies to raise funds for edsi’s programs abroad.
During the completion of his Honours B.Comm Degree and Economics Minor at McMaster University, he acted as Director of Marketing for the McMaster World Congress. In addition to running the marketing team, Justin was integral to the successful planning and implementation of this globally recognized event.

Justin is currently a Commercial Banking Relationship Manager for TD Bank Financial Group. Being well travelled and globally thinking in nature, Justin brings a fresh, insightful, and strategic outlook to the EDSI team.

Brad Wilson

Board Member

Brad has been involved with edsi to varying capacities since inception of our organization. He brings with him significant board and charity experience specific to international work. Brad has also proved integral in help shaping the relationships between edsi and agents in the global markets in which we help support.

Igor Mathias

Board Member

Igor is EDSI’s representative in Southern Africa and will be helping the team manage the Swaziland portfolio. He’ll be responsible for helping the local team build a commercially sustainable platform and build on the success of the existing program.

Igor currently works for Kalumbila Town Development Corporation in Zambia and is responsible for bringing forward the company’s developments in Solwezi, Zambia and the asset management of Kalumbila Town. Igor previously worked in Canada and the UK in personal credit and real estate. Igor has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Guelph and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from INSEAD.

John Verdone

Board Member

John is a passionate and driven individual intent on making a difference in the lives of ordinary people struggling to survive in developing countries around the world. Armed with an MBA from the University of Western Ontario, John enjoyed a successful 25 year career in the real estate development and construction industry in Ontario, Canada. Subsequently John felt called to, and developed a passion for, international community development.

As the former President of an international NGO he quietly initiated and supported a variety of community development programmes in multiple countries. For over 15 years John pursued this calling and provided programmes in approximately 14 countries partnering with strong and effective local leaders. John is also a founding member of edsi.

Dr. Anne-Marie Zajdik

Board Member

Dr. Zajdlik is a family physician and regional HIV specialist. She is the Founder and Director of the Masai Centre for Local, Regional and Global Health, a provincially funded HIV/AIDS clinic in Guelph, Ont. She is founder of Bracelet of Hope, a charitable organization that raises awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub Saharan Africa and funds for HIV/AIDS relief in Lesotho, Africa. She is a previous member of the Canadian Medical Team that helped open the first HIV/AIDS clinic in Lesotho.

Anne-Marie is a recipient of the YWCA’s Women of Distinction Lifetime Achievement award, Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellow, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Guelph and the Order of Ontario.