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Steering Committee

Steering Committee

Jan-Fryderyk Pleszczynski

Chair,
Montreal Arts Council
Chair
Chair,
Montreal Arts Council
Chair

“Jan-Fryderyk Pleszczynski is the CEO of 4U2C. As a member of the Cirque du Soleil’s executive team, Jan-Fryderyk leads the efforts of the studio specializing in the creation and production of video content, stage design and multimedia experiences for the live entertainment industry.

Prior to holding this position, Jan-Fryderyk invested himself for a decade in the transformation of a Montreal-based 3D animation studio into a leader in the film, TV and interactive entertainment industry. He also practiced corporate law for a number of years at one of the top Canadian law firms.

Deeply involved in his community, he is currently chairing the Conseil des arts de Montréal, sitting on the board of directors of the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde and is a council member of the Order of Montreal.”

Nichole Anderson

President & CEO, Business / Arts
Ex Officio
President & CEO, Business / Arts
Ex Officio

“Nichole Anderson, President and CEO of Business for the Arts, holds an undergraduate degree in International Relations and a Masters degree in Art History from the University of Toronto. She joined Business for the Arts in 2006 and has worked with an ever-growing team of volunteers, Board Members and colleagues to develop programs and events of national scale that stimulate business volunteerism and investment in the arts.

Prior to her role at Business for the Arts, Nichole managed the corporate art collection at Hbc, which included Ken Thomson’s beautiful Canadian Art collection, and helped develop museum programming and exhibits for the company’s new museum sites and community events across Canada.

Nichole holds a number of volunteer positions, including Board Member of the Arts Access Fund, which gives full year scholarships for children and youth from underserved communities to take lessons in the arts discipline of their choice. She is a Member of the Canada 150 Advisory Committee for the City of Toronto, and an active volunteer in community.

She is a past Member of the Toronto TELUS Community Board (4 years); Board Member of the Art of Time Ensemble (6 years); Member of the Steering Committee for the City of Toronto’s Creative Capital initiative (3 years); and Vice President of the Health Arts Society Ontario (5 years). She studied music seriously from the age of three, with a focus on the violin, and plays informally now with family and friends.”

Jim Fleck C.C.

Past Chair, Business / Arts
Ex Officio
Past Chair, Business / Arts
Ex Officio

“Dr. James D. Fleck, C.C., earned a B.A. from the University of Western Ontario and a D.B.A. from Harvard, before returning to Canada to help found the Faculty of Administrative Studies at York University. He has had a distinguished career in the private and government sectors as well as academia, serving as Secretary of Cabinet for Premier William Davis in the Government of Ontario. He is the founder and former CEO of Fleck Manufacturing Co. and has served on many corporate boards.

An emeritus professor and recipient of an Honorary Degree from the University of Toronto, he was the President of the Art Gallery of Ontario and is Vice Chair of the Museum of Civilization, founder of the Toronto Music Garden and the Power Plant, and Chairman of the Harbourfront Foundation. Dr. Fleck received the Edmund C. Bovey Award in 2003 and was honoured with the Angel Award for Philanthropy in the Arts by the International Society of Performing Arts in 2009. Jim also received the Governor General’s Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts in 2009.”

Robert J. Foster

Chair,
Business / Arts
Ex Officio
Chair,
Business / Arts
Ex Officio

“Robert J. Foster, B.A, M.A. (Economics), CFA, is Founder, President and CEO of Capital Canada Ltd., an independent investment banking firm. Mr. Foster has provided years of successful support to Canadian companies and entrepreneurs in the aviation, sports and entertainment industries. Mr. Foster’s passionate avocation has always been his volunteer work in Toronto’s arts and cultural community.

Mr. Foster is currently Chair of Artscape and Vice-Chair of Business for the Arts. He serves on the boards of the Harbourfront Foundation, Luminato, The Mayor’s Task Force – Arts & Theatre, The National Arts Centre – Ontario Scene and The Toronto Theatres Working Group.

In 2011, Mr. Foster was the lead Co-Chair for a year long examination of Toronto’s cultural capacity and priorities, which resulted in the Creative Capital Report for the City of Toronto. Mr. Foster was named co-recipient of the Rita Davies and Margo Bindhardt Cultural Leader Award at the Mayor’s Lunch in 2013. Over his lifetime, Robert Foster has generously donated his time, expertise and financial support to more than 30 city and country building initiatives and organizations.”

Howard Jang

VP, Arts and Leadership, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Ex Officio
VP, Arts and Leadership, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Ex Officio

“Howard R. Jang was appointed Vice President, Arts and Leadership, effective January 8, 2018 at Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity. A native of Vancouver, BC, Jang came to Banff Centre from Simon Fraser University (SFU), where he was professor of Professional Practice in the School for the Contemporary Arts and Director of the SFU Woodward’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.

Prior to his SFU appointment, Jang served as Executive Director of Arts Club Theatre Company in Vancouver for 14 years. Jang has also held leadership positions at Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Ballet British Columbia, The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and The St. Luke’s Ensemble/Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York City.

Jang’s expertise and passion for the arts is demonstrated through his involvement with multiple regional and national boards including The Canada Council for the Arts, Professional Association of Canadian Theatres, and the Vancouver Foundation’s Arts and Culture Advisory Committee.”

Janice Price

President & CEO, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Ex Officio
President & CEO, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Ex Officio

Janice Price became President of The Banff Centre on March 16th, 2015. She most recently served as CEO of the Luminato Festival, Toronto’s Festival of Art and Creativity, an organization she led since its inception in 2006. As the Festival’s Founding CEO, Janice helped Luminato become one of the world’s largest and most respected annual multi-arts festivals. The Festival reaches over 800,000 audience members annually, and in its first eight seasons commissioned 75 new works. Previous to Luminato, Janice was the President and CEO of The Kimmel Centre for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia from 2002-2006, and prior to that position, she was Vice President of Marketing and Communications and then Interim Executive Director at New York’s Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts. Prior to her professional engagements in the United States, Janice held senior positions at a number of Toronto arts organizations, including the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts and The Corporation of Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall. From 1992 – 1996, Janice was the Director of Marketing and Special Projects for the Stratford Festival.Ms. Price has served on numerous arts-related Boards, and currently serves on Business for the Arts, Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Council, and the Council of Post-Secondary Presidents of Alberta.

Cornell Wright

Chair,
National Ballet of Canada
Past Chair
Chair,
National Ballet of Canada
Past Chair

Cornell Wright is the chair of The National Ballet of Canada. He is a leading corporate lawyer and Co-Head of the M&A practice at Torys LLP.

Brendan Healy

Artistic Director,
Canadian Stage
Committee Member
Artistic Director,
Canadian Stage
Committee Member

Brendan is the Artistic Director, Canadian Stage. He is the former Artistic Director of Buddies in Bad Times. As a director, his shows have garnered multiple Dora Mavor Moore Awards and he is a recipient of the Ken McDougall and the Pauline McGibbon awards. He is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada (where he is also a regular instructor). Brendan also holds a Masters in International Arts Management, in a program jointly offered by the Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas), HEC (Montréal, Québec), and the SDA Bocconi School of Management (Milan, Italy).

Johanna Salloum

Chair, MacKenzie Art Gallery
Committee Chair
Chair, MacKenzie Art Gallery
Committee Chair

Johanna Salloum is a Partner and Director of Investments at PFM Capital Inc., a Saskatchewan-based Private Equity Fund Manager. As a Director of Investments, Ms. Salloum is responsible for managing a portion of the firm’s diversified portfolio and assisting with the overall management of the entire portfolio and of the Funds.

Johanna has served as a Trustee on the Board of the MacKenzie Art Gallery for the past four years, most recently as the President. She is also the President of the Board of the CFA Society of Saskatchewan and is a Board Member of CFA Societies Canada. Johanna holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Great Distinction) from the University of Regina and the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Lynne Skromeda

Executive Director, Winnipeg Folk Festival
Committee Member
Executive Director, Winnipeg Folk Festival
Committee Member

Lynne Skromeda is the Executive Director of the Winnipeg Folk Festival where she oversees the four-day summer festival, which hosts over 70,000 attendees each July, and its year-round initiatives of over 50 concerts and events. A graduate of the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba with specialization in Marketing and Small Business Management, Lynne previously spent over 13 years in the film & TV industry, largely at Frantic Films, where she produced over 150 hours of original award-winning television programming and was responsible for overseeing its business affairs and the international distribution of nearly 600 hours of television. A passionate supporter of her community, Lynne has spent time on the boards of Festivals and Major Events (FAME) Canada, West End Cultural Centre, On Screen Manitoba and the Plug ICA as well as Manitoba’s Premier’s Economic Advisory Council. She is currently on the boards of Manitobans for the Arts, the Green Action Centre and Imagine Canada as well as the Mayor of Winnipeg’s Arts Advisory Committee.

Peter Cathie White

Executive Director, Arts Club Theatre Company
Committee Member
Executive Director, Arts Club Theatre Company
Committee Member

Peter holds a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). Originally the Director of Sales and Marketing with the Arts Club, Peter became the Executive Director in 2014 and has since overseen the opening of the BMO Theatre Centre (in collaboration with the Bard on the Beach), the construction of the Arts Club’s new third theatre, the Goldcorp Stage, and has instituted Education and Community Outreach as integral roles within the company. He is still waiting to be cast in a production but believes that is just a matter of time.