Board of Directors and Team
Board of Directors
Ginny Dennehy - President
ginnyd@thekeltyfoundation.org
Ginny, along with her husband Kerry, formed the Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation after the loss of their son Kelty in March 2001. Ginny has been on the board since its inception as the secretary, an advocate speaker on depression, and a dedicated leader of many of the Foundation's events. After Kerry took on the CEO position at Pacifica, a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centre in east Vancouver, it was voted that Ginny would take on the role of president. Ginny previously worked for IBM for 28 years where she honed many skills that would be an asset to this position.
The many different speaking engagements over the years telling Kelty's story in hope that it will help remove the stigma associated with depression has been exceedingly rewarding for Ginny. After the loss of Riley in 2009, Kelty's sister, Ginny was reminded that is equally important to involve the whole family when dealing with a family member who suffers from depression.
"I believe we are at an interesting turning point with the foundation, we know there is still so much to do and I believe by taking on this leadership role we will make that difference that is so desperately needed to help those who suffer from depression".
Kerry Dennehy - Secretary
kerry@thekeltyfoundation.org
Kerry Dennehy was co-creator with his wife Ginny of the Foundation in 2001. "After we lost our son Kelty, Ginny and I immediately and instinctively agreed to form The Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation to warn others of the dangers of depression". Kerry was the President of the Foundation for 8 years before turning over the reigns to his wife Ginny. Together the Dennehy;s are very proud of the $ 4 Million dollars that they have raised to date dedicated to help prevent depression related suicide in young people.
Kerry is currently the CEO at Pacifica, a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centre in east Vancouver.
Rory Moss - Treasurer
rory@thekeltyfoundation.org
Rory was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. After graduating from the University of Victoria, he spent five years in residential and commercial real estate financing. Since then he has been a Director for Vision Media, an environmentally friendly guerilla advertising firm. Rory is the nephew of Ginny and Kerry and has been inspired by their commitment to raise awareness of depression in youths. After successfully running a fundraiser for the BC Cancer foundation, Rory has committed his focus to help KPDF spread awareness and help decrease the incidence of depression related suicide in youths. He was recently elected to the Board of Directors, and is honored to be a dedicated member of this foundation. Rory lives with his wife Brooke in Vancouver, B.C.
Sue Rea - Communications
susan@thekeltyfoundation.org
A former easterner from Montreal, Sue's love of skiing brought her to the West Coast in 1975. With a degree in Commerce (Marketing) from the University of British Columbia, Sue has embraced careers with the Keg Steakhouse and Bar Restaurants, General Foods, McKim and McCann Advertising agencies and currently with Edward Chapman Woman as a marketing consultant. Sue has been a board member of the Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation since 2002.
Kelty and Riley Dennehy grew up with Sue's children so the death of Kelty at the age of 17 shocked the Rea's family core. The tragic loss of Kelty illustrates how the death of a child from depression related suicide sends a family unit into a place of darkness and quagmire of unanswered questions and feelings that are not easily pacified. The loss of Kelty committed Sue to support and work with the foundation's awareness initiatives and fundraising efforts to help save the lives of children and youth suffering from depression.
In the last several years, Sue has organized fundraising events at Bar None and the Rowing Club as a means of bringing parents and their children together in a fun, dancing environment with local rock and roll bands. Sue believes that the foundation's connections with youth and social media are the future in helping to raise awareness of the incidence of depression and depression related suicide amongst their peers.
Members of the Society
Jim Conrad - Member
jim@thekeltyfoundation.org
Jim Conrad has been a storyteller and voice actor for over 20 years. From commercials and animation, to movie trailers and documentary narration, Jim's voice has been heard worldwide.
"Stories and storytelling are the vehicle that moves metaphor and image into experience and reality..in telling and listening to stories..we provide perspective
to our human condition, allowing us to see reality in it's full context, as part of it's larger whole, giving form to the invisible, making the images move, throwing color into the shadows..and of all the devices available to us..storytelling is the surest way of touching the human spirit..through the human voice".
Jim is honoured to be on the board of The Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation to help tell his story and in doing so, begin the conversation about depression and mental illness with everyone.
Jim Conrad lives and works in Vancouver, British Columbia..and, the story continues.
Mark Von Marksfeld - Member
mark@thekeltyfoundation.org
Mark was born in South Africa and lived in South Africa and Germany before moving to Vancouver. After graduating from the University of Western Ontario law school in 2002, Mark was called to the Bar of British Columbia and now works as a corporate/commercial lawyer in Richmond, BC.
Mark has been inspired by Ginny and Kerry's commitment to help young people suffering from depression notwithstanding their own tragic personal experience with this condition. Mark is excited to help raise awareness to the very real threat of youth depression and suicide, especially because he also has a personal connection to this matter.
Kelty Team
Deb Lacroix - Executive Director
deb@thekeltyfoundation.org
A native of Montreal, Canada, Deb Lacroix, bilingual in French and English, moved to British Columbia in 2006 after several years in London, England and New York, USA. Since beginning her career in Montreal in the fashion industry in Sales, over the years her professional experience grew to include marketing and communication in both the real estate and technology industries.
Deb is honored to take on the role of Executor Director at The Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation and welcomes the challenges associated with taking the foundation to its next phase of contributions to Mental Health projects, to removing the stigma associated with mental health diseases and to increase the resources accessible to families affected by the disease.
Deb is excited to bring her professional, personal and philanthropic experiences to the table and join the team in making a difference for these young people and their families across the province and throughout the country.
Deb has two children, Zoe, age 9, and A.J., age 6.
Lisa Bay - Youth Liaison
lisa@thekeltyfoundation.org
Lisa Bay is a graduate of the Honours Psychology undergraduate program at the University of Western Ontario. Along with fundraising initiatives and volunteering at the Resource Centre, Lisa will be monitoring all social medias outlets to spread awareness for the foundation. Throughout her education Lisa explored her love for psychology and gained a significant amount of research experience both through volunteering as a research assistant and writing her own thesis. She first became involved with the foundation in October 2010 when she began volunteering at The Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre in BC Children's Hospital.
After becoming familiar with the centre and realizing how important the contributions of The Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation have been to the mental health field, Lisa expressed an interest in working directly with the foundation.
In addition, Lisa's personal struggles with anxiety and depression motivate her to work with causes that aim to help others suffering from similar problems. Her back- ground in psychology as well as her desire to help others make Lisa a great fit for the foundation.
Lisa is honoured to be the Youth Liaison Coordinator for the foundation and is looking forward to bringing her unique perspective to future projects. Along with fundraising initiatives and volunteering at the Resource Centre, Lisa will be updating the foundation's web- site as well as creating social media outlets to spread awareness for the foundation. One of Lisa's main goals is to connect with the adolescent population and be a voice for other youth struggling with mental illness.
Tegan Moss - Communication Liaison
tegan@thekeltyfoundation.org
Tegan Moss is honored to be joining the incredible team at the Kelty Foundation. After losing her cousin Kelty in 2001 and then again her soul sister Riley in 2009, Tegan is more determined than ever to prevent other families from having to experience a loss such as theirs. Her passion for philanthropy was ignited after Kelty's death when she wrote and directed a play on teen suicide-depression to raise money for the foundation. In the following years Tegan volunteered in various organizations including mentoring underprivileged kids in Los Angeles and teaching drama to children with Autism and Aspergers. During the last four months Tegan has been living in Indonesia working on her psychology degree and volunteering as an English and Drama teacher in the slums of North Jakarta. She also volunteered at two local orphanages and ran the School House Program at the Canadian Women's Association Jakarta to raise education funds for children in poverty. Throughout this time Tegan has had a successful 20-year film and television career including projects such as X-files, Fringe, Flashpoint and a nomination for a Gemini Award in 2007. With her passion, unique experiences and personal motivation, Tegan is incredibly excited to be able to bring her ideas to the table and help youth and their families deal with the struggles of mental illness.
Kevani Macdonald - Social Media Liaison
kevanimacdonald@gmail.com
Originally from Scotland, Kevani moved to Whistler in 2006 when her love skiing drew her to the mountains. Since graduating with a degree in Design & Marketing from Teesside University in England, Kevani has worked in advertising and marketing agencies, growing through her career to the level of Client Service Director. Always a sucker for new challenges and following her passions, Kevani is now pursuing a career in the fashion industry and hopes to continue to use her knowledge of marketing to help organizations like the The Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation and small local companies make themselves heard.
