2008 - 2011

Amir Ali Alibhai (British Columbia)

Governor

Amir Ali Alibhai is well known to most artists throughout the Lower Mainland in BC and across the province and the country through his work as artist, curator, educator, volunteer and passionate contributor to the Arts for the past twenty years.  
  
Amir was one of the founders and past president of the Rungh Cultural Society, which published Rungh, a magazine of contemporary diasporic South Asian Culture (1992-1997), and was part of the initial staff team that established and developed the innovative Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre, working as an Arts Programmer from 1997 to 2008. He was a Cultural Planner for the City and District of North Vancouver’s joint North Vancouver Office of Cultural Affairs, where he was responsible for developing granting programs for arts organizations before talking on his current role as Executive Director of the Greater Vancouver Alliance for Arts and Culture.

He is an active inter-disciplinary artist and has practiced as a curator of visual arts and community based arts, working with artists and organizations throughout BC, representing most disciplines and degrees of professional practice.  He has worked as a gallery educator and curator at the Richmond Art Gallery (1989-1996), assistant and guest curator at the Surrey Art Gallery (1995-1997), and as an independent curator/cultural writer since 1989.

As a volunteer, Amir has served on various boards and committees throughout his career, including several years on the Board of ArtStarts in Schools and, more recently, the Board of the Canada Council for the Arts (2005-2008).  During his term on Canada Council, he was the Board liaison with the Racial Equity in the Arts Committee (REAC), the Public Lending Right Commission (PLR), and he also served on the Executive and Governance Committees.  Amir holds a bachelor's degree in microbiology (Immunology1985), a bachelor's degree in fine arts (Painting 1989), and a master's degree in curriculum studies (Art Education 2000); his master's thesis was on cross-cultural collaboration.

Liz Barron (Manitoba)

Governor

Liz Barron has been involved with self-directed contract work for the last 15 years. Liz ‘retired’ from the federal government in 1991. her background include management and marketing skills in the in the not for profit and private sectors. She partners with other like minded businesses and has extensive background in Aboriginal and diversity issues within the cultural sector.

Currently operating a Winnipeg-based arts consulting business, Liz Barron’s mission is to enhance the health and viability of Canada’s cultural sector by implementing training and development workshops, better business practices, improving youth-at-risk learning opportunities and expanding diverse cultural markets. With key skills in the development of Aboriginal youth based learning programs in broadcasting and IT, Liz has written and designed video production workshops, e-commerce websites and media literacy skills for youth. Since 1995, Liz has serve small, media and large organizations in the private and public sectors from Vancouver to Halifax, and has assisted numerous individual artists and entrepeneurs in the cultural and business communities. Ms Barron has sat on juries for the Manitoba Arts Council; the Ontario Arts Council; the Canada Council for the Arts; Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards (three consecutive years) and on the CBC Radio ‘Best Of’ jury. 

Liz is one of the original founders of Urban Shaman Gallery, an Aboriginal contemporary artist run centre, working as the curator and executive director for numerous years.

Erika Beatty (Nova Scotia)

Governor

Erika Beatty is CEO of Symphony Nova Scotia, one of the most recorded and broadcast orchestras in the country. 

Ms. Beatty (B.A. ACS: Finance and Economics, U.W.O.) has worked in the arts for more than 20 years and for the past 15 years, held leadership positions with orchestras in New Brunswick, Mississauga, Niagara, and Winnipeg before making Halifax her home in 2007. 

She is also a volunteer board member for Orchestras Canada, served on the Cultural Policy Advisory Committee for the City of St. Catharines and the Regional Municipality of Niagara, and has served on juries for the Canada Council, the Province of Nova Scotia’s Culture Division, and FACTOR.  She is also tickled to be one of the Events co-chairs for the Bluenose Marathon, and volunteers for The Grainery Food Co-op in Halifax’s North End. 

Michel Beauchemin (Quebec)

Governor

Michel Beauchemin has been the executive secretary for the Association québécoise des autreurs dramatiques (AQAD) since 1996.  The AQAD’s mandate is to defend the moral, socia, professional and economic interests of playwrights, librettists, writers of adaptations and French-language translators from Quebec and the rest of Canada, who are active in theatre and opera.  He is also the Director for two independent organizations branched out from the AQAD to fulfill more specific aspects of its mandate: the Société québécoise des auteurs dramatiques (SoOAD), a management collective which perceives copyright dues for public representations or reproductions on all medias for authors members of the Société, and Auteurs dramatiques en ligne (ADEL inc), a virtual library and bookstore where the general public may read and buy hundreds of franco-canadian authored plays.

He is also, amongst other things, the coordinator of the Table des créateurs sur le droit d’auteur and of the DAMIC (Droit d’auteur / Multimédia-Internet / Copyright) and the co-president of the Creators’ Rights Alliance (CRA).  Finally, he is a member of the Comité permanent sur l’amélioration des conditions socioéconomiques des artistes, created in June of 2004 by the Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications, Mrs. Line Beauchamp, as well as a member of the Board of Governors for the Conseil québécois de l’Association littéraire et artistique internatinoale for Canada (ALAI). He was until recently the vice-president of the Coalition for Cultural Diversity.

Rose Bellosillo (Ontario)

Secretary & Chair of Awards Committee

Rose Bellosillo is currently the Director of Development for Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival. She has worked with groups such as the Forest City Gallery in London, the Royal Ontario Museum Foundation, Red Sky, Native Women in the Arts, b current, the Centre for Instructional Technology Development and the Toronto Arts Council in the areas of organizational planning, resource development and communications, general management, event planning, research and policy.

As a proud advocate and supporter of arts and culture, she sits as a Board Member for the Images Festival for Independent Film and Video and is involved in the TAC’s Toronto Arts Online working group and the Toronto Festivals network. She has acted as an advisor for various initiatives of Canadian Heritage, the Ontario Arts Council and the Cultural Careers Council Ontario, served as a board member of the Philippine Women’s Centre of Ontario and on the steering committees of the Arts Management Series for Euclid Canada/the Centre for Cultural Management and the Arts in a Pluralist Society Initiative of the University of Toronto. Rose is a recipient of the 1997 Warner Lambert Prize in Arts Administration from the University of Toronto.

Tim Borlase (New Brunswick)

Chair of the Arts and Education Committee

After graduating in 1974 with a bachelor of arts (honours) in theatre from the University of King's College, Halifax; Tim Borlase then earned a bachelor of education in social studies from Dalhousie University in 1981. He was awarded a master's of education in fine arts and native education from the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education in 1980.

Mr. Borlase was a program specialist for art, music, drama, Labrador studies, and social studies with the Labrador School Board for 28 years. He was the Director of the Labrador Institute of Memorial University from 2002-2006 where he involved the university in responding to the educational, cultural and research needs of Labradorians. He is also the author of numerous publications on the heritage and culture of Labrador.

Mr. Borlase has been actively involved in promoting and sustaining the arts and culture of Labrador for more than 30 years.  He is the founder and organizer of the Labrador Creative Arts Festival, an event which involves about 4500 students annually from many Labrador communities in the presentation of their original scripts on issues of concern and workshops with professional artists. He has been dedicated to the Association of Cultural Industries both as its president and one of the authors of the Cultural Policy for the entire province.

In 2005, Mr. Borlase retired to New Brunswick where he continues to work on cultural policy and the Labrador Creative Arts Festival. He teaches part time at a new Performing Arts School at the Capitol Theatre, studies French, sings with the Université de Moncton choir and has joined the Moncton Music Festival Committee.

Rudy Buttignol (British Columbia )

Chair of the Governance Committee

Rudy Buttignol is the President & CEO of Knowledge Network Corporation, British Columbia’s public educational broadcaster. He also serves as a contributor and moderator at the documentary co-financing forums in Toronto, Leipzig, and Amsterdam.

Buttignol is the President of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, Foundation, Chair of the Gemini Rules & Regulations Committee, and past Chair of the Board of Directors. He is Vice-Chair of the Association of Education Broadcasters of Canada; Chair of the International Advisory Council of the Toronto Documentary Forum; a member of the Board of Governors of the Banff Television Foundation; and serves on the advisory councils of DokLeipzig and the European Television Management Academy in Strasbourg.

From 2000 to 2006, Buttignol was TVO’s Creative Head of Network Programming, and Commissioning Editor and Creative Head of Independent Production from 1993 to 1999. Buttignol founded TVO's award-winning series The View From Here, and commissioned documentaries such as Manufactured Landscapes, The Corporation, Dying at Grace, Hitman Hart; Hardwood; Diamond Road; and Yo-Yo Ma: Inspired by Bach.

From 1975 to 1993, Buttignol was an independent producer, director, and writer. His documentary work includes Jack Bush; Neon: An Electric Memoir; Art Off This Earth; and Soviet Space: The Secret Designer.

Rudy Buttignol was born in Pordenone, Italy. He is a graduate of the faculty of Fine Arts at Toronto’s York University and a nine-time Gemini award-winner. In 2007, Buttignol received the inaugural Outstanding Industry Achievement Award from the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival.

Luc Fortin (Québec)

Governor

Since 2006, Luc Fortin has been President of the Québec Musicians’ Guild, a professional association of more than 3200 freelance musicians. A partner of the American Federation of Musicians and member of the International Federation of Musicians, the Guild defends and promotes the economic, social, moral and professional interests of its members. Fortin is also a board member for the Canadian Conference of Musicians, which unites Canadian musicians’ associations who are members of the American Federation of Musicians, and Vice-President of the Board of the Fonds d’investissement de la culture et des communications (FICC), a venture capital fund that acts as a financial partner for companies that create, produce, distribute and promote cultural products and services. He acts as trustee of the Canadian Musicians’ Pension Fund and has been appointed to the Standing Committee of the Socio-economic status of artists by the Québec Minister of Culture.

With a Masters degree in Music from the University of Montréal, Fortin is also a professional musician and manager of his own record label and publishing company. He is currently a municipal councillor for Verchères, Québec. 

André Leclerc (Québec)

Governor

André Leclerc is a Partner/Consultant at Gagné Leclerc Groupe Conseil, a firm that supports the development and evaluation of policies, strategies and programs in order to further develop and strengthen the influence of arts and culture.   With a degree in engineering and post-graduate studies in economics, Mr. Leclerc specializes in the development of strategic plans, financial restructuring and project management. He is mainly active in the fields of culture and communications.

Previously, Mr. Leclerc held the positions of Administrative Director of the Théâtre du Trident (1985-87), the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (1987-90), and the newspaper Le Devoir (1990-94). He served as General Director for the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (1996-1999) and coordinated the implementation and the launch of the Observatoire québécois de la mondialisation (2002-03).

Mr. Leclerc has acted as advisor to foster the development and growth of art companies, art venues, festivals, groups and associations and public funders. He is a board member of Culture Montréal and of Les Arts et la Ville, as well as a member of the Forum des partenaires de la Conférence des élus de Montréal.

Tom McFall (Alberta)

Governor

Tom McFall is the Executive Director of the Alberta Craft Council, Alberta’s largest Provincial Arts Service Organization. The Council operates the second largest public gallery in Edmonton and the only gallery in Alberta dedicated to craft culture.

Tom’s background is in industrial design and design history and he has taught at the University of Alberta. He also has extensive experience in curating, writing, lecturing and developing exhibits, particularly on topics of material culture, regional character and folk as well as fine craft.  Tom is involved in arts advocacy, locally, nationally and internationally. He has been president of the Alberta Cultural Action Network and Chair of the Craft Working Group for Trade Team Canada - Cultural Goods and Services. He currently works on the Edmonton Artists Village (PAL affiliate) Board, and several national and international projects of the Canadian Crafts Federation.

Arden Ryshpan (Ontario )

Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee

Arden Ryshpan has worked in the film industry for nearly 25 years in a variety of capacities, with production credits on over 30 feature films and televisions projects. While Chair of the National ACTRA Women's Committee, she wrote and presented a paper on the status of female performing artists, which led to the development of a charter of rights for female performers, now endorsed by actors unions in over 50 countries. Ryshpan was on the Board of Directors of the Dome Theatre of Dawson College and was a faculty member in the drama department. In her previous capacity as Eastern Regional Executive Director for the ACTRA Performers Guild she was one of the union's senior negotiators. After a period of time as Assistant Director General of the English Program of the National Film Board, she became the On Location Production Liaison for ACTRA Montreal and the STCVQ, representing their interests in their dealings with the Hollywood majors. She was previously the Executive in Charge of Directors Affairs for the National Directors Division of the Directors Guild of Canada, where she was responsible for negotiations, lobbying and international representation for Canada’s film and television directors. In September of 2007, she was appointed Executive Director of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.

Kathleen Sharpe (Ontario)

President

and Chair of the Audit Committee

Kathleen Sharpe is a senior manager and administrator in government and the cultural sector.  She has been Executive Director of the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund since its inception in 1999.  The Fund, a unique program established to support cultural tourism attractions through a combination of grants and loans, has committed over $26 million to 250 organizations around the Province.  Prior to OCAF, Kathleen was Director of the Culture Division of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, a post she held from 1991 until amalgamation of the municipality into the City of Toronto in 1998.  Kathleen’s leadership led to the adoption by Metro Council of its first comprehensive cultural policy, Metro’s Culture Plan, in 1994.  She managed the transition of cultural programs and staff of 150 during the changeover from Metro to the new amalgamated City of Toronto.  Kathleen has also held management positions at the Ontario College of Art and Design and The Banff Centre.  Kathleen is president of SharpeCulture, volunteer chair of Toronto Artscape Inc. and a board member of the Canadian Conference of the Arts.

Jason van Eyk (Ontario)

Chair of the Membership Committee

Since graduating from the Schulich MBA program in Arts and Media Management in 2000, Jason has proven his talents as Marketing Manager with CanStage and Marketing Coordinator with Harbourfront Centre. In 2003, he received the national Pfizer Special Commendation for Emerging Arts Managers, in recognition of his early outstanding achievement.

Directly prior to joining the University of Toronto as inaugural Director of U of T ArtsZone, Jason served as the Canadian Music Centre’s Ontario Regional Director (2003 – 2007), where he was responsible for the province-wide management of programs and projects that advance the awareness, appreciation and performance of Canadian composers’ works.

An accomplished violist, Jason holds an M. Mus (Performance and Literature) from the Eastman School of Music, followed by a significant roster of solo, chamber and orchestral performances and broadcasts in Canada, the USA, France, Italy and Germany.

As an active writer, Jason has contributed a regular column to Wholenote magazine, as well as essays to Coach House Books’ The State of the Arts: Living with Culture in Toronto and GreenTOpia: Toward a Sustainable Toronto. He also acted as editor of Ontario Notations – the publication of CMC-Ontario.

Jason has served on the Board of Directors and the Artistic Advisory Committee of the Regent Park School of Music, and as Marketing Chair for the Toronto Coalition of New Music Presenters. Currently, he is a member of the UTSC Arts Management Advisory Council and  and sits on the Board of Governors for the Canadian Conference of the Arts.

Ex-officio

Denise Roy

Past President and Chair of the Nominating Committee