Meet ERDO’s Leadership Team
Daniel Lepojarvi
Chief Executive OfficerDaniel Lepojarvi serves as Chief Executive Officer of ERDO, bringing over two decades of global experience in relief and development, and Christian ministry. With a strong foundation in both humanitarian leadership and church ministry, Daniel brings strategic insight, operational expertise and a theological conviction that aligns deeply with ERDO’s mission to serve the most vulnerable.
Prior to his appointment as CEO in May 2025, Daniel served as ERDO’s Director of International Programs, providing oversight and direction to the organization’s global development and crisis response initiatives. His leadership during this period helped deepen ERDO’s programmatic impact, strengthen global partnerships and navigate complex challenges with clarity and compassion.
Before joining ERDO, Daniel spent 15 years with Fida International, the Finnish Pentecostal mission, development and humanitarian organization, in various leadership roles across East Africa, the Middle East, Central and Southeast Asia. His international assignments took him and his wife, Sirkku, to Tanzania, Cambodia and Jordan, where they served alongside local churches and partner organizations in implementing transformative, community-based development initiatives and humanitarian responses. Earlier in his career, Daniel also served in pastoral ministry in Finland.
Daniel holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business and a Master of Theology in Development Cooperation and Deaconship. Born to a Canadian mother and Finnish father, he was raised bilingual and shaped by a global, third-culture upbringing — equipping him to lead diverse teams with cultural intelligence and relational depth.
His passion for care, justice and holistic transformation — particularly for the most vulnerable and those living in extreme poverty — fuels his leadership. At ERDO, Daniel continues to lead with humility, faith, and a deep commitment to seeing lives restored and communities flourish.
Carol Froom
Director of Resource DevelopmentJoining ERDO in 2010, Carol brought over 25 years of experience in fundraising and communications. A graduate of the University of Toronto and Sheridan College, Carol started her career in the publishing industry.
In the late 1980’s through the 1990’s Carol held senior leadership roles at World Vision Canada, and a senior marketing role in the banking industry. Carol also started a writing and design firm.
In 2000, Carol joined the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA/WAP) as Director of Development and contributed on a global level to animal welfare fundraising activities. In 2005, Carol joined Christian Children’s Fund of Canada as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications. She participated on several international fundraising and communications committees within the global ChildFund Alliance.
Having travelled extensively through many developing countries, Carol has photographed and written about the needs of children and their families living with the effects of poverty. It is Carol’s mission to tell these stories and move people with resources towards a joyful gift of support. Carol’s passion for empowering women comes through her work at ERDO and her advocacy efforts for providing education to female children worldwide.
Daniel Korpela
Director of International ProgramsDaniel Korpela comes to ERDO with over 15 years of experience in international development, with a strong track record of leadership in both field and head office settings. He is originally from Toronto but spent much of his childhood in Africa, where his parents served as PAOC global workers.
Daniel holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto in Environmental Studies and International Development Studies and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science, specializing in Development and International Cooperation, from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
Living and working in Tanzania, East Africa, for eight years, Daniel led large-scale community development initiatives in partnership with national churches. Most recently, he served at the headquarters of Fida International in Helsinki, leading their global work in innovation, corporate collaboration, and institutional funding.
Daniel’s commitment to Christ-centred transformation, his collaborative leadership style and his strategic vision for holistic community development align strongly with ERDO’s mission and values. He brings a deep respect for local partners and churches, along with a passion for building effective, sustainable and innovative programs that respond to the practical needs of vulnerable communities.
Rebecca Geisler
Director of Operations & Donor CareRebecca is a gifted administrator with a background in both small and large corporate settings, including non-profit, property management and tourism industries. Joining ERDO in 2009, Rebecca has worked in various administrative positions and brings over 15 years of management experience to the organization.
In her most recent role as the Database Manager, Rebecca has learned to use technology and reporting tools to optimize workflows and ensure accurate, efficient and compliant data management. These experiences fostered a strategic mindset, and incredible capacity for problem-solving, including resource allocation and long-term planning.
Rebecca has a rare gift of seeing the overall picture of an organization without losing sight of each small detail. Rebecca asks the hard operation questions, challenging processes and procedures to create an environment of excellence. Not losing sight of the human component, Rebecca constantly looks for people’s giftings and how each person can best contribute to the whole.
Stepping into the position of Director of Operations and Donor Care, Rebecca continues to strive for operational excellence, and is committed to mission-driven work and thriving donor relationships.
Driven by a deep passion for missions and child advocacy, Rebecca has cultivated a diverse skill-set to bring a lasting impact to ERDO and the people we serve. A constant mentor, Rebecca empowers her team to grow in their abilities, continue a life-long path of learning and achieve their full potential.
Tricia Baboolal
Director of Finance & Human ResourcesTricia Baboolal holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto where her studies focused on accounting and economics. After graduating she worked at KPMG LLP, one of the largest multinational accounting firms, in the Toronto audit practice. She led audit teams in executing financial statement audits for public and private clients, reporting under Canadian and U.S. GAAP in the manufacturing and distribution sectors with sales in the range of $20 million to $900 million. While working at KPMG, Tricia obtained her Chartered Accountant designation.
In 2008 Tricia joined ap Valuations Limited, a boutique valuation firm, as an Associate and began pursuing a Chartered Business Valuator designation, which was achieved in November 2012.
Prior to joining ERDO in July 2012, Tricia worked as the Chief Financial Officer of a Christian charity where she managed the centralized finance department in effectively maintaining the accounting systems for twenty-one Canadian locations as well as human resources, operations and legal matters.
At ERDO, Tricia runs the financial department and ensures all donations are used correctly as stated.
She is passionate about financial accountability and runs her department with a high standard of excellence. Tricia is also the head of Human Resources at ERDO. She is dedicated to the work culture at ERDO, ensuring a healthy and supportive workplace for every team member.
Meet Our Board of Directors
David Wells
Clergy/ExecutiveDavid Wells serves as general superintendent of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC). He was appointed general superintendent in 2008 after serving as the district superintendent of the BC/Yukon District. The PAOC has close to 1,200 affiliated churches, satellites and church plants, 3,700 credentialed ministers and a constituency of close to 250,000 people across Canada. Internationally, the organization has over 300 global workers serving in more than 50 nations.
Dave serves as the Vice-Chair of the Pentecostal World Fellowship, the President of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches of North America and on the global executives of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship and Empowered 21. He served on the board of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada from 1999-2013, and served as chair of that board from 2007-2013.
Dave completed his undergraduate studies in theology at Vanguard College in Edmonton, Alberta, and has a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry from Briercrest Seminary, Saskatchewan. He has been awarded honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees by McMaster Divinity College, Briercrest College and Seminary and by Pentecostal Bible and Leadership Institute, Malawi. Dave served as senior associate pastor at Broadway Church in Vancouver, BC from 1994 to 1999, and previously pastored in Hamilton, ON, Calgary, AB, and Red Deer, AB.
Dave has served as a Canadian chaplain for the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan Am, Parapan, Commonwealth and Invictus Games as well as managing the Multi-Faith Centre at several of these Games. He has also served on the executive boards that co-ordinated the Christian community for service at the Calgary 1988, Vancouver 2010 and Toronto 2015 Games.
A native of Edmonton Alberta, he cheers for the Oilers and the Eskimos, and as a “true north” Canadian he cheers for the Raptors and the Blue Jays.
Dave and his wife, Susan, live in Burlington, Ontario. They have three children—Shannon (Eric), Jonathan (Melissa) and Jordan (Justine)—and eight grandchildren, one of whom is in heaven.
Laurie Wallace
Tech Entrepreneur & InvestorLaurie has worked in the technology industry for close to 40 years. His entrepreneurial spirit has led him to found and lead a number of early stage technology firms. He is currently an active investor and serves on a number of boards. Laurie is an active member of Broadway Church and has served on its board for many years. He currently chairs CityReach Care Society which feeds 4,000 people a week through their food distribution program. Laurie lives in Vancouver with his wife Lily. They have two adult children.
Len Hummel
Financial ManagementLen Hummel has been working with the PAOC in a financial role since 2019. Prior to that he worked for a Canadian bank for over 25 years, serving in corporate, international and commercial credit roles. With a strong desire to see the gospel spread and to serve the poor, he appreciates ERDO’s child sponsorship, crisis response and community development programs and feels privileged to serve on its board. As the Lord has been compassionate (Ps 103:4), so Len values the work of ERDO in its service to the poor.
Len and his wife, Cathy, live in Toronto. They have 3 young adult children. As a family, they enjoy outdoor activities together. Len and Cathy value the importance of serving actively in their home church.
Doug Crouse
ClergyPastor Doug Crouse has been in Pastoral ministry for the past 34 years. He is serving presently in His twentieth year as Senior Pastor at Southside Pentecostal Assembly (www.spaforlife.com) in Edmonton Alberta alongside his wife Wanda. It is his joy to see the message of Jesus come to the hearts of all people, and he is privileged to serve on the ERDO Board towards this purpose.
Jennifer Crits
EducatorJennifer Crits is a public school principal with the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB). She holds a Masters in Leadership of International Education. Her roles in both the Toronto District School Board and the WRDSB, along with partnership programs through Wilfrid Laurier University, have focused largely on new teacher development, literacy achievement, mentoring and French programming.
Partnering with local services and resources to feed, care for and support families with parenting and life skills for community development has been the foundational heartbeat behind Jennifer’s daily work. She was a director on the Kitchener Education Credit Union Board of Directors for several years. Her service in PAOC churches has involved work in teaching, leading, and speaking for Christian Education, Young Adults, Women, Family and Seniors ministries, along with service in the music and arts departments.
Murray Cornelius
Clergy/ExecutiveMurray Cornelius is an optimist, an encourager, a lover all things sports and a Cross-Fit wannabe. He believes the best in people, prefers meat to vegetables, is competitive to a fault, has a great memory for the unimportant, is a bit shy and passionately works to advance the Kingdom of God.
Murray serves as the Executive Director for Mission Global, providing the strategic direction for the PAOC’s International Work. He serves as Chair of the Board of ERDO (Emergency Relief and Development Overseas), the charity that delivers care on behalf of the PAOC. He serves as the Chair of VOH Africa, which cares for orphaned and vulnerable children in Africa.
Together with his wife Cindy, Murray served as a global worker in Southern Africa for 20 years, engaged in Pastoral Ministry, Church Planting, Theological Education and Social Engagement.
Murray has a BSc (Hons) from Carleton University, a MCS from Regent College and is a PhD candidate at AGTS.
He and Cindy enjoy safaris in Africa, cruises, and travel. He is the father of Jared and Jason and the grandfather of Liam and Nico.
Mary Ann Charters
Market ResearchOriginally planning to pursue a conventional finance career, Mary Ann became intrigued by the market research industry during a final year elective course at the University of Alberta. What really fascinated her was exploring the intersection of management science and psychology with business issues. That same course led her, even prior to finishing her degree, to Advanis, where she started working as one of its early employees in the mid-90’s. Over 25 years later, she still loves helping clients make better decisions as they navigate the ever-changing consumer and business landscape. Mary Ann has extensive experience leading market research engagements in both the private and public sector. In 2021, Mary Ann earned her CAIP designation from the Canadian Research Insights Council.
When she’s not engaged in her work, Mary Ann can be found, along with her husband, filling driver, teacher or chief cheerleader roles at one of their three kids’ sports, music or dance pursuits. She also continues to diligently combat looming middle-age through, among other things, pre-sunrise ‘boot camp’ style workouts, multiple volunteer roles at her local church, and regularly trying out new healthy food recipes on her sometimes unsuspecting family.
Ivan Butler
Manufacturing ExecutiveIvan Butler began his career as a tradesman and eventually went into sales and project management. He established a company that provided metal fabrication and construction services to projects worldwide. He was chair of the Construction Labour Relations Association of NL for several years where he provided leadership in concluding many collective agreements for major construction projects in the province. Ivan served for 27 years as a Trustee on a Pension, Health and Welfare Plan. During this time he completed numerous educational programs aimed at Board Governance and fiduciary responsibilities.
Ivan served as chair of the Board of Directors of a 90-bed nursing home for 8 years. He later served as a member of the Board of Governors of Eastern Pentecostal Bible College / Masters College and Seminary in Ontario for approximately four years. Since 1982 Ivan has hosted and directed a popular church-based radio program called, Old Old Story, heard each week across the Province of NL as well as Benin, West Africa. In addition to the Board of Directors of ERDO, he also serves on the National Board of Teen Challenge Canada. Ivan lives in St John’s, NL, with his wife Irene. They have two sons and three grandchildren.
