Meet the Team

Andrea Gardi Head Shot

Andrea Gardi
Executive Director

My three favourite things to do in the RTO4 region:

  1. Attending the Wiener Dog Races at Grand River Raceway
  2. Visiting the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
  3. Trying new sour beers at craft breweries.

Andrea Gardi joined RTO4 as a Project Manager, and is thrilled to be putting to good use her undergraduate degree in Honours Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a Master’s degree in Tourism Policy and Planning from the University of Waterloo.  Her professional background includes positions with economic development and destination marketing organizations across Ontario.  Using strong organizational and analytical skills, she has a passion for growing the tourism industry in the region she was born and raised in.

Selected as one of Destination International’s 30 under 30 in 2017, she also received the AACB Scholarship to represent the group in Hobart, Tasmania.

Marie Zimmerman
Director of Projects and Partnerships

My three favourite things to do in the RTO4 region:

  1. Swimming in Lake Huron
  2. Attending Festivals
  3. Cycling the G2G Trail

Marie Zimmerman has worked for five Canadian arts festivals in music, dance, jazz, film, and literature, acting as Artistic Director, publicist, HR consultant, emergency plan architect, strategic planner, Treasurer, and Executive Director.  She is one of the founding members of the Guelph Fab 5, a collective of local arts festivals.  She has managed carbon measurement and reduction projects, helped festivals achieve net carbon zero and thus win national and international sustainability awards, spearheaded community engagement projects, award-winning tourism initiatives, robust risk-management strategies, and powerful creative partnerships among businesses, not-for-profits, and government bodies.  She has a passion for the tourism industry as well as for sustainability, education, and arts and culture, which she brings to her new role as Interim Executive Director with RTO4.

Karen Mitchell

Karen Mitchell
Senior Project Manager

My three favourite things to do in the RTO4 region:

  1. River Bugging the rushing waters of the Grand River.
  2. Glass Blowing in the winter in Fergus.
  3. Rappelling the Elora Gorge.

Karen has worked at Ontario’s Regional Tourism Organization 4 Inc. for over a decade; a tourism destination development incubator for the region with a focus on growing destinations by creating strong and sustainable destination networks.

Skilled in destination development and tourism product development, Karen works closely with tourism organizations to enhance the tourism destination by executing projects in Elora & Fergus such as the launch of the Craft Gin Trail in 2022, that foster collaboration, build relationships, improve the tourism product, expand the network and market the destination.

Having completed a Graduate Certificate in Tourism Management through Royal Roads University, Karen is currently working to complete her Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) certification through Destinations International and looks forward to using her strong organizational, analytical and communication skills to grow tourism in the region.

Charlotte Moore
Senior Manager of Digital Innovation

My three favourite things to do in the RTO4 region:

  1. Attending Hillside Festival every summer in Guelph
  2. Hiking the beautiful Elora Gorge with my dog
  3. Shopping for antiques in St. Jacobs

Charlotte is passionate about creating innovative ways to move the needle on improving digital as a whole within her home region of RTO4. She is a firm believer that you can make a lot with a little in the continually advancing digital world. Previous to joining the RTO4 team, Charlotte gained invaluable experience working in digital marketing at Guelph Tourism for 4 years. Her post-secondary background in Music as well as Non-Profit Management allows her to have a unique set of skills, combining creative thinking and project management expertise. Charlotte believes in empowering others to take control of their own digital path to success and working with Destinations to cultivate a new way forward in Tourism through digital hygiene, design and development. She is a lifelong learner, creative thinker, connected storyteller and cultivator of ideas while continually asking ‘why’.

Brenda Greydanus Head Shot

Brenda Greydanus
Accounting Manager

My three favourite things to do in the RTO4 region:

  1. Driving through country roads in Perth by motorbike
  2. Ordering a handmade pizza in Downtown Stratford
  3. Finding the perfect pumpkin on a farm visit in Huron County

Brenda joined the team in 2015 and quickly endeared herself to colleagues and clients alike. Her nonjudgmental and fun-loving personality makes her easily approachable by anyone. Her dedication and attention to detail supports both clients and colleagues.

Brenda has a strong background in bookkeeping with a diploma in accounting & small business management, experience from many years in agri-business having owned & operated dairy & poultry farms with her husband and bookkeeping experience from a variety of businesses.

A proud mother and grandmother, Brenda loves spending time with family and friends. And in the summer months touring with her husband on their motorbike.

Neal Moogk-Soulis
Research Assistant

Neal Moogk-Soulis is the part-time Research Assistant at RTO4 as well as the Artistic Director of Emmanuel Concerts in Waterloo. He has
25+ years of experience volunteering for various tourism-focused organizations, events and festivals in and around Waterloo Region either on the ground or at the Board level. He is a father, storyteller, and sailor.

Job Opportunities

There are currently no open opportunities.