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Board Members
Lily Z. Hudson
Founder and Executive Director
Growing up in a music-loving family, Lily spent her youth involved in many community events, bands, and choirs.
Although holding a degree in Business Management and worked within international trading and supply chain field for over 20 years both in China and after she immigrated to Canada in 2000, going through and seeing the struggles of new immigrants around her, Lily was inspired to make a significant change in her life.
In 2013, she founded Redleaf CuItural Integration, a community organization aimed to bring people of all backgrounds together, especially newcomers who faced language barriers and lacked a sense of belonging. Incorporating her love for Arts and Culture, she established a variety of programs for Chinese seniors and later expanded to programs for youth and events for the whole community.
Outside of RCI, Lily promoted Chinese performing arts as a past board member of Arts & Culture Council of Burlington, and advocates for senior’s well-being as a member of Halton Age Friendly Network.
Her favourite Chinese proverb is “Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see it” (Confucious). Through RCI’s cross-cultural activities, she hopes to bring together people from diverse backgrounds to shine a spotlight on every culture’s beauty.
Mary Ren
President
Mary moved to Burlington on Canada Day in 2000 and fell in love with this lakeside town ever since. Before immigrating to Canada, she graduated from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies with a major in English literature and worked as a university English lecturer and as a product manager in the marketing department of Kellogg’s.
After settling down in Burlington, Mary used her expertise in marketing and a better understanding of the two cultures to set up her own company and successfully introduced Canadian advanced construction technology to the China market.
After her parents moved to Canada, Mary saw the needs of new Chinese immigrants, especially seniors, and began to actively participate in the volunteer work of RCI. She served as a board member of RCI since 2018 and is now responsible for the recruitment, training, management, and coordination of volunteers for large-scale events.
Mary’s mother and in-laws are all benefiting from RCI’s programs. She is very proud of her work in RCI, because it not only serves her family members but other seniors in the community as well.
Both Liu Li's mother and in-laws have benefited from various elderly projects carried out by RCI. She is very proud of her work at RCI, because it not only serves her family, but also serves the entire Chinese community and helps everyone better integrate into the local community.
Sean Huang
Marketing
Graduated from Tsinghua University with a major in Hydro and Hydraulic Engineering and a 2nd degree in Chinese Language and Literature (Editing), Sean has been professionally engaged in the heavy and civil engineering construction industry.
Sean is currently a Civil Estimator in Canada's largest infrastructure construction company: Aecon Construction Group Inc. and is a Canadian Gold Seal Certified construction cost engineer.
Being an active participant in community services, religious groups, as well as arts and cultural groups, Sean is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Burlington Missionary Baptist Church, Director of the APA-Atlantic Photographers Association, Deputy Secretary-General, Editor-in-Chief of the Celebrity Photographers Interview column, Honorary Consultant of the North America Mobile Photography Association (NAMPA), volunteer photojournalist for Manitoba Chinese Tribune magazine.
Sean has contributed a lot to his local communities. His photography lectures, in-field practice, and online training courses are very well received and appreciated by seniors from RCI all year round. He has also held dozens of lectures on mobile photography for various non-profit organizations and associations.
Sean is very happy to be able to provide services to his beloved community and RCI!
Tinghui Liu
Seniors Program
Mr. Liu was a researcher in environmental protection and water treatment technology before retirement. He first came to Canada as a visiting scholar at the National Research Council of Canada in 1981 for 3 years. In 1988, he moved to Canada, working at the Membrane Research Institute of the University of Ottawa in the research and development and application of membrane separation technology. Mr. Liu retired in 2009.
Mr. Liu has lived in Burlington for over 20 years. He is also one of our few seniors who has a long history of studying and working in Canada before retirement. Mr. Liu has a unique perspective of the Chinese community’s growth and involvement in the city of Burlington. He was an active advocate for the establishment of Redleaf Culture Integration and actively participated in RCI’s activities and enthusiastically assisted new Chinese immigrants to settle down in Burlington.
His contribution to RCI enriches our understanding of the cultural differences between Chinese and local communities which provide a profound insight in RCI’s mission and strategy.
Cynthia Zhao
Secretary & Youth Program
Cynthia graduated from Nanjing Normal University with a major in English Linguistics and Literature. She worked as a high school English teacher and headteacher in Nanjing Foreign Language School for many years and has gained rich experience in both education and teaching.
After immigrating to Canada, she worked in the financial industry for nine years. Out of passion for education, she has focused on the placement and guardianship services for international students in Halton since 2015. Besides helping the students settling down at school and at hosting homes, she has encouraged many international students to participate in community volunteering activities, learning about Canadian culture, and integrating into local culture which earned her a good reputation among the School Board, the students, and their parents.
While being enthusiastic about working with international students, Cynthia also actively participates in community activities. She is currently a board member of the Burlington Missionary Baptist Church. Being a board member of RCI, Cynthia has made tremendous contribution to exploring the insight and plan for RCI’s pilot Youth program.
Cynthia has two lovely daughters, and she is fond of culinary arts and is a gourmet food lover.
Fengwu Tian
Seniors Program
Retired as a senior teacher in China before moving to Canada in 2002, Ms. Tian has taught Chinese in middle school for over 40 years. She graduated from the renowned Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University. As well as being a teacher, Ms. Tian has published many poems, essays, and academic papers, and won honorary titles such as excellent teacher and model worker.
Mrs Tian is a senior middle school Chinese teacher and has been teaching Chinese for more than 40 years. As a teacher, she has also published many poems, essays and academic papers, and won honorary titles such as excellent teacher and model worker.
Ms. Tian is one of the original members of RCI witnessing the growth and development of the organization. She served as a key member of the senior advisory committee and participated actively in various programs run by RCI, such as the planning of large-scale events and tracking monthly event reports, etc. Ms. Tian won the Outstanding Volunteer Award given by MP Karina Gould and enjoys a great reputation among senior members of RCI.
Teacher Tian is one of the founding members of RCI and has witnessed the growth and development of the organization. She has always been a major member of the Elderly Advisory Committee, and has actively participated in various projects organized by RCI, such as planning large-scale events and tracking monthly event reports. Teacher Tian has won the Outstanding Volunteer Award from Congressman Karina and has a high reputation among the vast number of senior members of RCI.
Amy Lin
Treasurer & Youth Program
Amy Lin has served as Treasurer on the Board of Directors since 2022. She is an accredited provider of children and youth mental health services in Brant, Halton, and Hamilton, with five years of experience in this field. In addition, Amy has been employed by the Corporation of the City of Brantford since 2011.
Amy holds a Bachelor of Science degree, an Honors Bachelor of Commerce degree, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. She is dedicated to inclusiveness, learning, teamwork, and engagement both in her career and personal life.
Zhiguang Qian
Community Program
In 1990, Mr. Qian visited McMaster University and eventually decided to move to Burlington in 1994. After a successful career as a software engineer at companies such as Northern Telecom, Cisco, and Siemens, as well as the Bank of Montreal and Alliance Data System, he has now retired.
In his spare time, Mr. Qian enjoys singing and has been a member of the Redleaf Choir since 2018. He currently serves as the leader of the choir, dedicating a significant amount of time and effort to ensuring its success. In addition to singing,
Mr. Qian also enjoys participating in various sports such as basketball, volleyball, badminton, and tennis.
Penny Pan
Seniors Program
Penny Pan is a medical doctor who previously worked at a hospital in Nanjing, China before moving to Canada in the 1980s. Upon arriving in the new country, she had to start from scratch and took on various jobs such as working in a factory and teaching Mandarin Chinese part-time with a school board. Later, with the encouragement of her family and friends, she started her own business practicing Chinese medicine for 18 years until her retirement. Despite the busy nature of her business, Penny found this experience to be extremely rewarding.
In her personal life, Penny is a hard-working individual with a love for life and nature. She enjoys traveling, learning new things, and helping others. She has a positive attitude, even during difficult times, and is grateful for the opportunities that life presents to her.
Yanmin Wang
Community Program
Mr. Wang graduated from Tongji University with a degree in Civil Engineering and is a registered engineer in Ontario, Canada (P.Eng.).
He also holds the International Project Management Professional Certificate and Qualification (PMP) from 2013-2022. Prior to immigrating to Canada in 2008, he worked as an engineering manager and leader at various multinational companies. After moving to Burlington, he worked in design, project management, and project quotation for a North American company.
In addition to his professional pursuits, Mr. Wang has a long-standing interest in Tai Chi and has actively sought to learn and practice the discipline. During the 2021 pandemic, he volunteered with Redleaf Cultural Integration (RCI) and played a key role in the establishment and management of the Tai Chi class, serving as the leader. He was recognized as an outstanding volunteer of the RCI in 2021 and 2022.
