About Me

Facilitation, strategic planning, event management, project management and administration, I have extensive experience to assist your organization in reaching its potential. Creative and innovative solutions, the ability to bring clarity to discussions and writing, and a deep passion are all assets I can bring to your company, your organization. Integral to the design of the innovative young audience programmes – eyeGO to the Arts and River Run Centre’s Linamar for the Performing Arts, I believe that the investment in youth is core to a successful community. As General Manager of ACE, the national Association of Cultural Executives and the Open Ears Festival of Music & Sound, and author of Raising the Curtain, a manual for young audience presenters, I appreciate the time, energy and commitment invested in the cultural field as well as the challenges that face the sector. As project manager for a provincial performing arts conference – Ontario Contact and a cutting edge marketing research project, the Values & Benefits Study, I bring an overall perspective to the assets and resources of the cultural sector. An active volunteer within Waterloo Region, I curate a contemporary dance series and serve on the boards of Dancetheatre, David Earle and JM Drama/Registry Theatre and is on the founding board of a new arts enabling organization, Creative Waterloo Region (CWR). CWR is a collaboration between the business, political and arts sectors to create an environment for more interesting and stable arts creation. In recognition of my community service I have received the Canada 125 Medal for Community Service (1992), KW Arts Awards (1998), and 2009 Oktoberfest Women of the Year (Arts & Culture). I bring strong facilitation skills, passion, an ability to engage others in my sessions, whether training or planning, and an intense interest in communicating the value of the arts in our communities.

Volunteer Activities

On the board of JM Drama, one of my roles is to direct a show every second summer. In 2010 we presented Cabaret. Follow this link to see a clip posted by The Record, our local paper.

Working with this cast I was reminded how important the arts are to our communities. One cast member learned more about his heritage as a result of his parents attending the performance and having their memories stimulated by what they saw. We all need to talk about the impact of the arts on our lives so that they are seen not as a frill but an essential element of healthy communities.

District 7080 Rotary Shoebox Distribution

I have the pleasure of chairing this team which works with clubs in Tucson Arizona, and Nogales and Aqua Prieta Mexico. I am team leader for the advance team in Nogales. See the attached for information on the project this year as appeared on local tv. For the viewpoint of the team see the attached.