President & Board Members
John Miller President
John has been in the tourism industry in Muskoka for over 40 years. After studying to be a Chef in the Culinary Management program at Georgian College, he shifted to tourism management. Since that time, he has managed many hotel and resort properties throughout Muskoka before joining Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre in 2001 as General Manager. He was promoted to President in 2015.
During his time with MSDC John has been involved with or directly responsible for over $23 Mil in capital projects with the company. The senior management team has doubled in size under John’s leadership as a result of their effectiveness, financial results over the past few years have been the best in the history of the company.
Over the past 20 years John has served on many boards for non profit organizations including Explorers Edge, Muskoka Tourism, Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce, Bracebridge Soccer Club, Muskoka Watershed Advisory Group, Muskoka Wharf Association and the District of Muskoka Climate Change Mitigation Taskforce. John lives in Bracebridge with his wife Sue and they have 3 sons. His interests include soccer, hockey, skiing, reading, cooking and music.
Gary Getson Board Chair
Gary has over 40 years of experience in business working with both private, public and not for profit organizations. His career with IBM included a variety of roles. It concluded with becoming a founding Partner in the World Wide IBM Consulting Group where he led the national Information Technology Strategy and Planning Practice.
Subsequently, he served a ten-year term as a crown appointee on the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board of Ontario, a body that oversees the Medical Profession Colleges in the Province. This role required utilizing adjudication skills involving a variety of emotional, ethical and medical issues.
As a part owner of an advisory consultancy, he specialized in innovation and team effectiveness. He continues to utilize his skills in helping Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre develop it’s strategy and organizational effectiveness.
He has been an active volunteer in many organizations throughout his career and was recently recognized for his leadership in the Antique and Classic Boat Society of Toronto, where he was a prior President.
Gary holds a Bachelor of Engineering from McGill and an MBA from University of Toronto.
His other interests include; woodworking, boating and golf.
He and his wife Jan have been long time cottagers on Lake Muskoka where they currently spend most of their time.
Ingrid Bahen Director
Ingrid brings over 35 years of helping organizations bring meaningful change, transformation and innovation to their business through the adoption of emerging technologies. Ingrid has provided digital consulting and project leadership across all business sectors focusing on multi-channel delivery. After a successful career at IBM and as an independent consultant, Ingrid will leverage her skills and experiences with the Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre revitalization program to help bring The Muskoka Story including Indigenous, non-Indigenous, watershed and steamship history, culture and sustainability to new audiences through world class physical and digital experiences.
As a volunteer, Ingrid is passionate about mentoring young people and is an active Mentor with girlsementorship.org, a not for profit offering an innovative mentorship program for high school girls facing multiple barriers.
Ingrid was born in Sarnia, Ontario, lived in Europe for a few years during high school years returning to Canada to complete a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Computer Science from Western University. Ingrid and her husband Ken have two adult kids and recently moved from Toronto to Bracebridge in 2021.
Jim Byers Director
Jim Byers has been coming to Muskoka for more than four decades, having moved to Toronto from California after meeting Don Mills resident Barbara Lonergan on a train in Italy. He quickly fell in love with the lakes and the rocks and the trees and the people of Muskoka, and takes particular delight in seeing one of our steamships plying along the water on a bright, sunny day.
Jim holds a political science degree from UCLA and has been a full-time journalist for more than 40 years. He landed a job at the Toronto Star soon after moving to Canada, and spent 32 years at the paper. He covered municipal politics in the Toronto area for many years, and twice served as bureau chief for the Star’s Toronto City Hall bureau. He also spent 15 years in the sports department, covering the Blue Jays in the early 1990s, as well as golf and the odd NFL game. He also covered the Toronto Raptors for several years, and led the Star’s coverage on the ground at six Olympic Games, starting with Sydney in 2000 and ending with Vancouver in 2010.
After his second stint at Toronto City Hall, Jim was named travel editor at the Star. He spent five years at the job, and then left to work as a freelance travel writer. He has stories published with National Geographic, The Los Angeles Times, The Globe and Mail, The Star, and many other publications.
He’s very active on social media and does regular television and radio interviews about the travel industry.
Jim serves on the board of directors of the Society of American Travel Writers, and counts himself lucky to have three great kids and three wonderful grandchildren (with more on the way!).
Dan Cornacchia Director
Dan is an experienced business advisor with a focus on strategic planning, finance, corporate governance and risk management. He is a Retired Partner of Ernst & Young where he served clients of the firm in the financial services and entrepreneurial markets for 36 years. Dan also held various leadership positions at the firm including Office Managing Partner, Greater Toronto Area, National and Ontario Director of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Program and Canadian Community Engagement Champion.
As a volunteer, Dan has served as a co-founder, director and officer of various national and local charities and not for profit organizations for over 40 years. He joined the Board of the Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre in 2013 and serves as its Treasurer.
Dan holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Industrial Engineering) from the University of Toronto and is a CPA, CA (Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant). He was recognized as a Fellow of CPA Ontario in 2003.
He has enjoyed Muskoka as a cottager for over 25 years and as a permanent resident for the past 10 years. Dan also enjoys golfing and sailing.
Robert Marrs Director
Bob enjoyed a multi-decade career in business banking in Toronto. He worked closely with clients in many different business sectors, including not-for-profit, helping them navigate their challenges and opportunities to achieve optimal success.
Bob was born in Hamilton, where he worked summers at Hamilton-based steel companies while attending university. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree at University of Guelph and an MBA at York University’s Schulich School of Business.
Bob has been a resident of north Toronto for several decades and has been enjoying cottage life in Muskoka for many years. He participates actively in multiple water sports. He also finds relaxation in deck and dock renovation and landscaping. His other hobbies include keen interests in music performance and video production.
Deborah Martin-Downs Director
Deborah is a second-generation cottager on Breezy Point, Lake Muskoka.
Deborah is an environmental professional trained in Environmental Studies U of Waterloo (1979) and has a Masters of Zoology/Environmental Studies from University of Toronto (1984) and a PhD from Lakehead University. Over her 40 year career she has held progressively senior positions in the public and private sector. For 16 years she was an environmental consultant specializing in aquatic ecology and consulting on and leading teams to carry out impact assessments on a variety of assignments including development, landfills, restoration projects, water supply and sanitary servicing, pipelines and road/highway projects. She left the private sector to become a director at Toronto Conservation Authority and spent 8 years leading a team of ecologists, engineers, geoscientists and watershed specialists responsible for flood management, watershed monitoring, storm water management, watershed planning, development and environmental assessment review and source protection. She joined Credit Valley Conservation in 2013 as the Chief Administrative Officer, a position she retired from at the end of 2021, leading a staff of over 200 environmental specialists to address protect and restore the Credit River Watershed.
She has served as a director of Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement (2006-2012) and held provincial appointments to the Walkerton Clean Water Centre Board and the Green Belt Council. Deborah volunteered for 12 years (1992-2005) on the Don Watershed Regeneration Council, a committee of Toronto Conservation charged with implementing a watershed plan to restore the Don River in Toronto. She has been a Director of the Muskoka Lakes Association since 2015 holding the positions of vice president, Chair of Government and Land Use Committee and President 2020-2022. She is also a Director of the Federation of Ontario Cottagers Association.
Deb is married to Jim Downs, has 2 sons and 2 grandchildren.
Rick McGraw Director & Chair Muskoka Discovery Centre Revitalization
Rick has been a businessman and entrepreneur for over 50 years. He has started a number of businesses and developed them into significant enterprises. He has owned and or been a major shareholder of many private businesses as well as taken several companies public, the first one being in 1987. The business types have included, but not limited to auto retailing, trucking and logistics, environmental services and money management.
As a volunteer, Rick has served on many not for profit Boards both national and local in scope. He has served in a leadership role in the Muskoka Steamship & Discovery Centre organization for over 25 years. Rick has lead a number of fundraising campaigns including the one to build Wenonah II (2002), the Wheelhouse Campaign in 2015 and the Watershed Wonders campaign in 2017-18. He initiated the Revitalization Committee and has Chaired it for the past five years. He is leading the campaign to build the next permanent exhibit for the Discovery Centre called the Steam Era Exhibit featuring Wanda III a unique 1915 steam yacht.
Rick was born in Vancouver and graduated with a B Com from the University of British Columbia before permanently moving east to Toronto and establishing a family in Toronto. He and his wife Gayle have a blended family with four kids and ten grandchildren. They have been cottaging on Lake Muskoka for 35+ years. Rick’s hobbies include wooden boats, golf, horseback riding and hiking!
Blair McMurchy Past Chair
Blair McMurchy is a hands-on executive with an established record of achievements, accountable for providing academic and administrative leadership, supervision and direction to faculty, managers, support staff and students.
McMurchy holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, a Master of Arts in Education and Community College Administration from Central Michigan University, a Bachelor of Education (Adult Education) from Brock University and a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology & Anthropology) from the University of Guelph.
McMurchy began working at Humber as a Professor in 1991; he was also a Director of both Placement & Promotion and Professional & Continuing Education in the School of Media Studies & Information Technology, as well as a lecturer at the University of Guelph.
McMurchy’s family have been avid lifelong cottagers. McMurchy is the past President and Chairman of the Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre and a current active board member. McMurchy’s mandate as the Chairman was to enhance the education factor for all guests for both Steamships and Discovery Centre, with emphases to reach out to the younger generation with age appropriate educational interactive activities and themes. McMurchy is also the former Co-Chair of the Gravenhurst Muskoka Wharf Board, a position in which he was appointed to by the Mayor of Gravenhurst, Ontario.
Christopher Stock Director
Elder Christopher Stock (he/him) is a fifth-generation member of Wáhta Mohawk Territory near Bala, Ontario. Christopher’s ancestors relocated from Kanehsatà:ke- Oka Quebec to Muskoka, Ontario, Canada in 1881. He is a graduate of the Mohawk Immersion Adult Language Program at Wáhta Mohawk Territory, as well as a graduate of Queen’s University’s Indigenous Teacher Education Program and holds a Primary/Junior Certification from the Ontario College of Teachers. During his high school years, Christopher was among the contributors to the creation of the first Native Studies course at Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School.
Christopher offers interactive Indigenous cultural experiences through A Journey Begins (https://ajourneybegins.ca) bringing an introduction to North America’s Indigenous People and their culture. He is a cultural interpreter for the Muskoka Discovery Centre and also brings connections to local Indigenous organizations such as the MAILT. Chris was one of the founders of the inaugural See Muskoka Through Our Eyes Annual Traditional Powwow, held in Bracebridge 2024.
Jim Wahlen Treasurer
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Jim was lucky enough to have had a random chance meeting with a beautiful Canadian woman, Debbie Mills, in Banff (it’s a long story…). Debbie and Jim have now been married for nearly 40 years and have two daughters, one granddaughter, and another grandchild on the way. Debbie has been coming to Muskoka all of her life and comes from a long line of cottagers in Muskoka, dating back to great-grandparents who settled in Huntsville and Bracebridge. Jim and Deb built their cottage on Miller Island in Lake Muskoka.
On the professional front, Jim is a Professor of Accounting and the James R. Hodge Chair of Excellence at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, where he has served on faculty for the past 25 years. Jim has recently concluded a 6-year term as chair of the accounting department, and prior to that a 3-year term as chair of the MBA Program. He has published research articles in a variety of accounting journals, two textbooks, and has taught in a number of countries around the world.
Jim earned his PhD in accounting at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining academia, he had several years of professional experience in public accounting. He has served on the audit committee of the Hoosier Trails Council of the Boy Scouts of America and as a pro bono consultant for the Chinmaya Organization for Rural Development in Himachal Pradesh, India.
Rick Zytaruk Director
Rick has extensive experience as a business consultant. He spent much of his career with IBM, working in the applications of technology and process improvement to address business problems. More recently, Rick started Tooketree Passive Homes to build high performance healthy homes that sequester carbon. The sequestered carbon in each home helps to mitigate the climate crisis. Always passionate about innovation and progress, Rick is committed to helping to transform the building industry, from being a major contributor to climate change to helping to mitigate the climate crisis. The goal is to create a better future for generations to come.
Honorary Board Members
Stanley Meek C.A.
With a background as an entrepreneur and a financial restructuring expert, Stan has demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic vision.
Stan joined NAVCO in 1982 as treasurer, tasked with restructuring the company and successfully overcoming its insolvency challenges. His expertise and dedication led to the revitalization of NAVCO, ultimately earning him the position of President.
One of Stan’s notable achievements was his involvement in the redevelopment of the Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst. Collaborating with Mayor Bob Betts, Bruce Evans and Russ Brown, Stan spearheaded a tri-party agreement and facilitated a joint application for grants from federal and provincial governments. Through his efforts, the project secured an impressive $19 million, ensuring the transformation and revitalization of the Muskoka Wharf.
In addition to his contributions to NAVCO, Stan played a crucial role in preserving historical vessels. In 1993, he successfully orchestrated the return of Wanda III to Muskoka from Lake of Bays, with the support of HISSO. Stan’s dedication and commitment to preserving the vessel’s legacy led to a charitable grant of $665,000 awarded to the previous owner.
Throughout his career, Stan held key positions in notable companies such as Stelco, Canadian Food Products, Bowes Company, and Universal Sections. In 1975 he joined Don Park Inc, insolvent at the time and expanded the company to be the largest sheet metal manufacturer for the HVAC in Ontario and sold it in 2005.
His financial expertise and strategic guidance were instrumental in stabilizing and optimizing these organizations.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Stan is a passionate philanthropist. He has been recognized as the largest donator to Junior Squash, emphasizing his commitment to youth development. In 1998 he established the first Nanotechnology Centre in Canada at U of T
Stan’s other contributions to St. Christopher House neighborhood settlement house continuing as a director since 1966.
Past director and treasurer of Muskoka Lakes Golf and Country club and past director of the Muskoka Lakes Association. Founding member of ACBS Toronto chapter.
This reflects his dedication to making a positive impact in his community.
Stanley’s entrepreneurial spirit, financial acumen, and philanthropic endeavors have left an enduring legacy.
