Our Team.
Founder & CEO
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Gary Hater is a former professional biologist with a bachelors and a master’s
degree. His professional career was in the environmental field and centered
around water quality, air quality, bioremediation, research and development, and
waste water treatment.
Gary started in the aquarium hobby in the mid 1960’s and moved almost
exclusively into goldfish in the 1980’s after breeding livebearers, South American
and African Cichlids. Over years he has bred over twenty varieties of goldfish and
has maintained several rare lines for decades. These rare lines include
Philadelphia Veiltails, English Veiltails, Bristol Shubunkins, and Broadtail Moors.
His hobby is best described as very large with 70 - 90 indoors tanks and tubs, and
numerous (>15) outdoor ponds and seasonal tubs. Gary has brought Steamed
Eggs into the mainstream for feeding juvenile and adult fish.
He was the first President and founding member of The Goldfish Council, a
501(c)3 a non-profit charity. Gary was a co-chairman of the Goldfish Society of
America, (GFSA), and a member of the American Goldfish Association, (AGA).
Born and still lives in Cincinnati, Ohio where he continues to be a member of the
Greater Cincinnati Aquarium Society, (GCAS). He has been a club member for over
30 years. Other interests include fishing, Chestnut farming, bee keeping,
gardening and koi keeping. Gary has been retired since 2015. Married for almost
50 years.
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Cherie Vukic
Secretary
Bio
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Lisa Olson
Regional Director
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From the very beginning, Lisa Olson’s passion in life has been all creatures great & small. As a youngster she spent hours observing insects, furred, feathered & scaled creatures in the garden. When other kids played “house” she opted to be the family pet or sidled off to take earth worms for a stroll in her doll pram (in lieu of dolls..the worms were more interesting:)
Over the span of 50+yrs she’s shared her home with a variety of creatures as pets, show prospects or short term rehab subjects (all obligatory childhood rodents, hedgehogs, raccoons, squirrels, cats, dogs, horses, newts, chameleons & FISH of course)!
Her very first “pet” was a bright orange goldfish she ever so creatively (or not) named …Goldie! He was the most cheerful, vibrant colour & she took such pleasure in observing him go about his fishy business. In recent years her interest in goldfish has resurfaced. Infected by the enthusiasm of fellow fish fanciers & encouraged by local mentors, she’s advanced to more exotic varieties of goldfish. Today she mainly keeps & (mostly accidentally) breeds Thai orandas, however, as with most GF enthusiasts, there are always a few other varieties swimming around to keep things interesting.
Lisa currently lives in Canada with 3 dogs, 2 cats, an entirely unreasonable number of fish & her long suffering husband. She works far too much & in her free time enjoys baking, gardening & learning the tips & tricks of successful fish husbandry & genetics from fellow hobbyists & mentors.
As of the writing of this bio, her husband forbids her to have anymore tanks/ponds or water receptacles of any sort, that might be used for housing more fish….we’ll let you know how that goes…
Julie Marczak
Regional Director
Tony Reynolds
Region Director
Ted Tai
President
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Ted Tai, one of the senior goldfish hobbyist and mentor to many in North America, has been breeding and raising goldfish for over 40 years. He has kept virtually all colours and breeds of goldfish. Ted currently keeps tosakin, jikin, various oranda, side-view ranchu, lionhead, bubble-eye, Bristol shubunkin and crown pearlscale goldfish. Over the past few years, he has been working on creating a unique goldfish for Canadians called the “Canakin”, which is a red & white goldfish with a maple leaf shaped tail. Ted’s cousin, Billy Tai, is also among the top goldfish breeders in North America. They frequently exchange rare breeding stock between themselves and with others across Canada.
Born and raised in Canada, Ted currently resides in Burlington, Ontario. He has travelled extensively across Canada and has lived in Toronto, Mississauga, Guelph, Ottawa and Calgary.
Ted has been a member of the Goldfish Society of America, the American Goldfish Association and the Goldfish Society of Great Britain. In 2016, he joined The Goldfish Council as a board member representing Canada. Ted is the first Canadian to serve in the role of President at The Goldfish Council. It is not uncommon for Ted to fly to goldfish shows or events across North America, generously sharing his decades of knowledge and experience on all things goldfish.
Ted is the founder & organizer of the Canadian Goldfish Symposium event which first debuted in Breslau, Ontario Canada (hosted by Andrew Bridgemohan/The Fish Sempai) back in June 2019. Ted is also the creator & organizer of the Canadian Goldfish Virtual Competition event, an annual online goldfish show for Canadians.
Joshua McWilliams
Treasurer
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Joshua McWilliams grew up in sunny Marion County Florida with a love for animals, he even won his first goldfish at a fair that lived 10+ years. Joshua’s involvement with 4-H and the Future Farmers of America led him down the path of raising, breeding, and selling many different types of animals; including rabbits, dairy goats, swine, poultry, cattle, pigeons, and sheep. His livestock won numerous championship titles in competitions across the USA.
As an adult he was searching for a hobby involving animals that he could raise living in a city high-rise condominium (St Petersburg, Fl). Joshua there found the goldfish fancy. His interest sparked his thirst for knowledge about the fancy, which brought him to where he is today. He jumped in head first with a breeding program concentrating on Butterfly Telescope and has expanded his focus to other varieties like Eggfish, Frogheads, Lionheads, and Fantails. Joshua has also joined a few other select breeders around North America in the Blue Egg Phoenix preservation project.
He is the current Treasurer & Judging and Standards Chair, immediate past President, former Vice President, Regional Board Member and Membership Chair of The Goldfish Council (TGC). He was a key player in the early stages of TGC, hosting educational events, shows, fundraisers, and membership drives. He became a TGC Certified Goldfish Judge in 2016. Joshua moved to Cincinnati in 2018 and has expanded his aquatic hobby to include koi and other tropical fish. Joshua is an Area Manager for Amazon Air, at the worlds largest Amazon Air Hub in Hebron, KY. On the weekends he enjoys gardening and time outdoors tending to his urban mini farm. He also loves attending, judging, and competing in Goldfish and Koi Shows across the USA.
Bryan Rhodes
Regional Director
Al Esposito
Region Director
Open
Vice President
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Bio
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Rob Crosby
Regional Director
Mark Rausa
Region Director
Boa Dang
Regional Director
Join Us
The Goldfish Council is a volunteer driven non profit organization. This often means that we are in need of help with various projects and to fill open roles within the organization. When we have open positions we will post them to this page seeking qualified candidates. As TGC is a volunteer based non profit organization all positions are unpaid, but the experience of helping to shape the goldfish fancy around the world is a greatly fulfilling reward unto itself. All officers of The Goldfish Council must be registered members with up to date dues paid. If you’re interested in one of the open positions and would like to join the team please email our memberships@thegoldfishcouncil.org(Membership Director).