World Housing Founders
World Housing Founder's provide the necessary funds to support our operations so that we can place 100% of our donors contributions towards gifting homes to families in dire need.
OUR FOUNDER
Pete Dupuis
World Housing co-founder Peter Dupuis had already earned a worldwide reputation as a real estate entrepreneur and marketer when a chance meeting in 2009 with TOMS Shoes’ founder Blake Mycoskie took his life in a radically different direction. Inspired by Blake’s example and business model, Peter spent three years in a graduate program studying social entrepreneurship, modern philanthropy, slum housing and landfill communities. His work culminated in a successfully defended Masters thesis: “World Housing: A Blueprint for Creating Third World Bottom of the Pyramid Housing Supply Through a First World One-for-One Real Estate Gifting Model.” In 2013, Peter and his business partner of 32 years, Sid Landolt, co-founded World Housing.
Why We're Here
World Housing believes that homes are the key turning point where the momentum of community begins to have effects that radiate beyond individuals and into entire families, villages, cities, and countries. Our vision includes the work we do building communities in developing countries, with an expanded commitment to also fund safe and sustainable housing projects in our own communities here in North America.
Together with our community of donors and our building partners, World Housing provides housing to the world's most vulnerable people and allows families to thrive. Children who grow up in safe, stable homes have greater freedom to pursue education, and raise the standard of living for themselves, their families, and future generations to come.
World Housing homes cause a ripple effect. And those ripples change lives.
Our Board of Directors
World Housing’s Board of Directors bring a broad range of global perspectives and an incredible depth of experience to help guide our strategic direction.
Pete Dupuis
President
World Housing Co-Founder Peter Dupuis leads the World Housing Board of Directors, and oversees all aspects of strategic development for the organization he created in 2013. Pete is passionately committed to growing World Housing's social impact by developing a sustainable philanthropic model that becomes an important legacy of change in the world. Pete's incredible energy attracts a powerful network to World Housing, and his leadership style inspires all who are involved.
Richard Bell
Secretary
Richard Bell has practiced real estate and estate planning law for over 25 years. He is the founder of Bell Alliance LLP based in Vancouver, BC and co-founder of Avesdo, in Toronto, Ontario.
Richard's passions include technology, helping others, his family and his dogs. In addition to World Housing, he supports a number of local charities and currently sits on the Board of the Small Housing B.C. and was past Chair of the Arts Club Theatre Company.
In December 2015, Richard joined World Housing as an Ambassador and since has been instrumental in growing our donor family through his deep connections within the business community. As a Founder and member of the Board, Richard continues to be an inspiring leader of social change for World Housing.
Tina Tory
Treasurer
With backgrounds in social work and accounting and finance, Tina brings a well-balanced set of skills and passion to World Housing. She heartily shares the Mission and Vision of the Organization, believing strongly that everybody deserves a home, community and access to resources in order to thrive and looks very forward to being a part of the team! As a CPA, CGA with her own firm Merge CPA, Tina brings her financial expertise to the mission of World Housing. “Serving alongside world-class game changers, I play the role of Board Treasurer in an organization that intends to radically impact homelessness in developing nations.”
Ravi Mann
As a second-generation developer, Ravi Mann has spent a lifetime surrounded by real estate. Since graduating from UBC’s Sauder School of Business with a specialization in Finance, Ravi tailored his career path as an investment professional to complement his real estate background and inherent passion for the built environment. Today, Ravi is President and Co-Founder of Propetual Capital Partners—an innovative real estate private equity firm that invests in, and actively manages, institutional-quality real estate development projects on behalf of individual investors.
In seeking out meaningful impact investments to authentically complement Propetual’s ESG strategy, Ravi connected with World Housing Founder, Pete Dupuis, to systematically contribute to various World Housing initiatives across the developing world. In recognition of Ravi and Pete’s direct alignment of personal and professional values, Pete invited Ravi to serve on World Housing’s Board of Directors. Ravi remains honoured and grateful for this opportunity to extend his contribution to World Housing beyond Propetual’s financial commitments.
Ravi also serves as Director of Finance and Investment for Isle of Mann Property Group and is a Board Member of NAIOP’s Developing Leaders Committee.
Peter Lenkov
Peter Lenkov is a television and film writer, producer, and comic book author. He is best known as the showrunner of the reboot series Hawaii Five-0, MacGyver and Magnum PI. In 2005, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on the hit TV series 24. In 2011, Hawaii Five-0 was awarded Best New Drama at the People's Choice Awards. As a Los Angeles resident, Peter has worked in his community to assist the unhoused and is now ready to do it on a global scale. Even closer to home, Peter has helped his two teenage sons launch their own charities -- WYATT’S GARAGE supporting Pediatric Cancer Patients and HEARTS & HANGERS for Disaster Relief.
Camila Soares
With 14 years of experience in impact driven business, entrepreneurship and building start-ups from the ground up, Camila is the founder and CEO of IMPACTO a social impact network that promotes connection between people who wish to offer knowledge, time, resources and skills to impact projects in order to strengthen and boost them, promoting a social match. .
Expert in connecting companies and the humanitarian world, Camila has deployed tailor made solutions, products and services using ground research, design thinking and user centered design to refugee empowerment programs in the Middle East, Africa and Brazil to agencies such as: UNICEF, UNHCR, USAID, NRC and Save the children.
Filmmaker by heart with a Marketing, Humanitarian and Social Entrepreneurship background, Camila joins World Housing to help expand the mission to provide homes to the world’s poorest families.
Stefan Dupuis
As the son of Co-Founder Pete Dupuis, Stefan Dupuis has been involved with World Housing since it’s inception and shares Pete’s passion for social entrepreneurship, innovation and creating change. Stefan holds a Masters of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, and in 2012 funded a home in the very first World Housing community as part of an entrepreneurship project. He has worked with World Housing over the last 10 years assisting in business development, partnerships and in an advisory role. In 2022 he officially joins the Board of Directors where he aims to contribute further to the growth of the organization with a focus on fundraising and creating sustainable strategic partnership models. As Vice President of S&P Real Estate, Stefan understands the power of the real estate industry and believes that unleashing its philanthropic impact potential can help solve the issues of homelessness around the world.
World Housing Team
World Housing is a hybrid organization of full and part-time workers and volunteers. Every member of our team is socially focused, independent-minded, and driven to make a positive social change in the world.
Don McQuaid – He/Him
Don is a serial entrepreneur who brings decades of experience in developing successful business relationships through his creation of several start-ups, including event production, digital broadcasting, and social media companies.
After working with World Housing at its inception helping to launch its social and digital media profile, Don visited Cambodia for a 'home gifting' and met Scott Neeson of the Cambodian Children's Fund in 2013. This inspired Don to join World Housing to work alongside lifetime friend Pete Dupuis as the Managing Director. Don is passionate about building a sustainable social-business model for World Housing.
Sam White – She/Her
Sam joined World Housing in 2017, and brings her passion and a strong belief that a group of dedicated individuals can change the world. Sam leads operations and partnerships, working with our NGO building partners, and with her team to develop co-operative philanthropic programs with businesses and individuals who become World Housing Ambassadors. Her love of travel has exposed her to the despair of poverty, and she truly believes that a home is at the root of transformation for families and communities.
Merge CPA
Finance – Tina Tory & Melissa Warkentin
Merge CPA's vision is enhancing client business by providing professional, efficient and effective assurance, taxation, consulting and book-keeping services in a simple, straight-forward and easily understood manner. As part of the World Housing team, they contribute their expertise to ensuring all our accounting and financial commitments to our donors and building partners are strictly adhered to complying with CRA and IRS standards for a registered charity.
Tina Tory, founder of Merge CPA understands World Housing's needs and is an important part of our team of professionals who share their values and vision. Tina values community involvement on both local and international levels. In the past she has served as Treasurer on various not-for-profit boards. Currently she is actively involved in volunteering with the CPABC Financial Literacy program, leading seminars and learning activities to organizations across BC.
Melissa Warkentin, came to us over a year ago with 5 years of public practice experience. She has a passion for details and meticulously handles our day to day finances. Melissa graduated from the BBA program at the University of the Fraser Valley in 2015 with a major in accounting.
Jessie Keillor – She/Her
Operations & Administration
Jessie Joined World Housing in 2022 and is our newest team member working as our operations assistant. Through Jessie’s extensive travels around the globe she has developed a huge passion for social justice with the desire to foster community growth by listening to, and amplifying the voices of the people that world housing serves. Jessie’s formal background is in marketing, operations and systemization of businesses making this current role a combination of everything she loves.
Jiwon You – They/Them
Impact Analysis & Donor Communications
Jiwon joined World Housing in 2022 and is a new addition to the team, taking on the position of Impact Analysis & Donor Communications Manager. They recently graduated from Princeton University with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies. There is much overlap in Jiwon’s passions in social activism and their intellectual interests. At the heart and soul of Jiwon’s drive is not to enforce, but rather help facilitate change among the diverse communities that World Housing works with. Through the work that they do, Jiwon strives to continuously contribute to meaningful philanthropic impact on a global scale.
Summer White – She/Her
Social Media
Summer joined World Housing in 2022 as a university intern taking on the role of Social Media Manager. She is currently studying at McGill University with a major in Political Science and minors in Communication and Psychology. Summer’s interest in social/human rights activism and international development solutions, along with her passion to experience new cultures inspires her involvement with World Housing. She looks to expand her education and experience and learn more about global philanthropic impact as part of the team.