As the month of May ends, and we are getting close to our last daily post about the faces of SWR, it became even more important to recognize these two gents… one out going and one incoming. 

The SWR Finance Team is entirely volunteer run, and supported by our office manager, Krista. And this team has incredible power behind it… other NGOs are astonished that this team is entirely volunteer run. This team, which also includes Julie and Hannah, is led by the Finance Manager. And we are in transition in this role. 

Patrick Kelly has been SWR’s Finance Manager for these past years. Patrick’s day job is as the CFO of the  Township of Wilmot and he knows his stuff. He is smart, dedicated to the community, and so committed to SWR’s financial health. These last years have been very transformational for SWR and Patrick has been a foundational support through this time. We could not have done it without him. 

More importantly though, Patrick is fun! He loves to dance, plays piano with his girls, he is fun and playful. His sharp wit and balance between getting business done and enjoying life is contagious. And he never forgets to be a kid (cause aren’t we all kids at heart?). He even dresses up as Elf on a Shelf during the holidays in December and poses for photos around his workplace!

It is, however, time for Patrick to move onto his next adventure. He is stepping down from the role of Finance Manager at SWR, and he will be sorely missed. But he is passing the torch onto Ashton Romany. 

Ashton and Patrick work together at the Township of Wilmot, and Ashton has been engaged with SWR for the past few years in a number of ways. He has sat on our CimateActionWR sector committees, he is our champion for the Regional Sustainability Initiative, and he is the chair of the Wilmot Green Team. 

Ashton knows his stuff. He is an incredible smart cookie and we are so lucky he is stepping into this role. And that he is willing to devote the time to SWR to help us have the resources to continue to move forward in our efforts to reduce impacts and transform our community. 

We are so looking forward to the weeks, months, and years ahead working with Ashton, and getting to know him better. To see some of his fun, quirky sides, and get him more deeply engaged with SWR. 

Welcome to the team Ashton!

Thank you for all you’ve done Patrick!