Gloria was born and raised in Guelph by a Polish father and an Italian mother. Her life has always been interesting, and she has always been able to see issues from multiple perspectives!
Gloria attended Holy Rosary elementary school, St. James High School and John F. Ross High School. She has been involved in numerous sporting and cultural organizations since she was quite young, and has a very strong orientation toward caring and community.
Her caring nature led her to become a registered nurse. She has practiced nursing since 1981 and continues to develop her capacity in this and related areas. She holds a degree in Health Science, a degree in Education, a Masters of Nursing and is currently working towards her doctorate. She is also published in the health care field and in the municipal world. She is a certified mediator and has sat as an adjudicator with the License Suspension Appeal Board.
Gloria’s strong community orientation is the reason that she has been a member of Guelph City Council for over 16 years. Her commitment to public service is also evidenced by the facts that:
- she has worked on numerous Boards and Commissions of City Council including Vice Chairing the Police Services Board, Chairing the Finance and Administration Committee, the Economic Development Committee, Community Services Committee, Governance, Economic Development and Information Services Committee.
- she has served on the Museums’ Board, the River Run Board, the Fire Services Allocation Committee, St. Josephs’ Hospital Board, General Hospital Board, the Social Services Committee, and the Health Unit Board.
- she is currently a board member of Wellington Hospice, a member of the Legion, and volunteers for many community groups.
Gloria acts in an emergency in place of the Mayor. As a pro-active member of Council, she has brought forward many initiatives including the development of a Youth Council for Guelph, support for the Neighbourhood groups and Neighbourhood coalition, and the development of an Accountability and Transparency Committee.
In addition to all of the above, she is the single mother of two happy, successful, grown children who also reside in Guelph.
If you know Gloria, you know that she has boundless energy. This energy and the benefits it has provided to others have been applauded in several ways. She is a Past President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).
She has been recognized as a Woman of Distinction in Guelph. She is also a recipient of the 2006 YMCA Peace Medal Award, which recognizes people who have used their talents, experiences and abilities to enhance the lives of others and proven that everybody can be a peacemaker in one way or another.