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Ms. Christianson is currently Chair of the Manitoba Foundation for the Arts, is Vice-Chair of Arts Stabilization Manitoba, President of the Portage and District Arts Council and a member of the ArtsSmarts Portage Committee.  She was Chair of the Manitoba Arts Council for seven years and in the past has served as Chair or President of the Manitoba Dance Theatre, and the Manitoba Arts Gaming Fund Commission.  She has served on the Board of Directors of Prairie Theatre Exchange and as Vice Chair of Manitoba’s Arts Policy Review Committee.

Larry Desrochers
General Director and CEO, Manitoba Opera

Larry Desrochers is a respected theatre director and arts administrator. His 25-year career spans work in the theatre, festivals, film, events and opera. Among the positions he has held are: Founding Executive Producer of the Winnipeg Fringe Festival; Associate Artistic Director of the Manitoba Theatre Centre; Marketing/Development Associate for Prairie Theatre Exchange; and Director/Producer of the 1999 Pan Am Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Desrochers also served as Executive Director of the Winnipeg Film Group prior to joining Manitoba Opera in 2001 where he is now General Director & CEO. In 2003, the University of Winnipeg made Desrochers a Distinguished Alumni in recognition of his contribution to the arts community in Manitoba.

Spencer Duncanson
Artistic Director, Little Opera Company

Spencer Duncanson is an arts educator and performer. A talented operatic singer, Spencer also has experience in film and stage as a narrator and actor. He is the founding Artistic Director of The Little Opera Company.

Spencer is the Visual and Performing Arts Department Head at Sisler High School in Winnipeg, where he coordinates the fine art, band, choral music, dance and drama programs. He has been a sessional arts instructor at the University of Manitoba and teaches voice at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts.  He has initiated many arts based projects and programs, including the establishment of one of the first public school dance programs in Manitoba and the development of mentorship projects with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

Spencer is Past Chair the Winnipeg Arts Council and has served on the boards of Dance Manitoba and the Manitoba Music Educators Association. He is a member of ACTRA, the Manitoba Choral Association and the Arts Education Group. In the past, Spencer has been a committee member of the Manitoba Regional Music Festival and the Manitoba Provincial Honour Choir.

Spencer Duncanson holds a Masters of Education in Curriculum/Arts Education and a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in School Counseling from the University of Manitoba. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Music Education form Brooklyn College in New York and is a graduate of vocal performance at the University of Nevada-Reno.

Richard Irish
Vice President, Community Affairs & Area Marketing, Investors Group

Responsible for the strategic development and direction of Investors Group’s community investment and sponsorship programs, Richard also oversees a team of area marketers who support the local marketing activities of the Investors Group marketing councils and Region Offices. After five years in private practice in the areas of corporate and commercial law, Richard joined Investors Group in 1987. For more than 18 years, Richard and his team have created a wide range of marketing sponsorships, client and prospect events, referral and lead generation programs as well as community outreach programs ranging from professional golf and figure skating sponsorships to cultural events to social marketing initiatives. More recently, Richard’s role has been expanded to include the strategic direction and utilization of the Investors Group Charitable Giving Program.

A frequent presenter on sponsorship, community relations, and corporate citizenship issues, Richard is also an active community volunteer. He has chaired Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers and the Manitoba Opera. He has been a board member for Volunteer Manitoba, the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone, United Way of Winnipeg and Pantages Playhouse Theatre. Richard was a founding member of the Conference Board of Canada’s Business-Education Partnerships Forum and was vice-chair of the Conference Board of Canada’s Corporate Community Investment Council. Other voluntary positions have included work for the 1999 Pan American Games Society, CancerCare Manitoba and the Juvenile Diabetes Association of Manitoba.

Richard Irish is currently Deputy-Chair of the United Way of Winnipeg’s Community Investment Committee and an Agency Liaison Volunteer. He is also a member of the Corporate Citizenship Committee for Imagine Canada.

Barbara Anne Nepinak
Founder and Coordinator, Summer Bear Dance Troupe

Barbara Nepinak, a trained Cultural Awareness Coordinator, is a registered band member of the Pine Creek Ojibway First Nation who resides in urban Winnipeg. Barbara has mentored many individuals both in the federal government and other public sector agencies.

Barbara is the Founder and Coordinator of the SummerBear Dance Troupe, a First Nation performing group. The Dance Troupe has received several awards and has had the opportunity to travel such places as Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Sweden and recently Taiwan.

Barbara has received the Recognition Award for ‘Honouring Women of Distinction’ from the Original Women’s Network in Manitoba.  Barbara was recognized by the Inter-provincial Association of Native Employment in Manitoba for her contributions in support of Aboriginal employment.

Currently, Barbara is a national board member for Cultural Human Resources Council and First Director of the Manitoba Aboriginal Arts Council Inc. She is a member of the Canadian Executive Service Organization, the Inter-Provincial Association of Native Employment, and the Manitoba Aboriginal Human Resources Strategists.

Cynthia Rempel-Patrick
Executive Director, Steinbach Arts Council

Cynthia (Cindi) is the Executive Director of the Steinbach Arts Council, where she has initiated program development in dance, music, theatre and visual arts. She has completed the Arts and Cultural Management Certificate Program at the University of Winnipeg. Cyndi is classically trained in voice and piano, and has taught music privately for 22 years. She performed for six years with the Treble Teens show choir, touring Europe and North America. She has been an accompanist on piano a solo organist, choral director and stage manager. Cyndi has an entrepreneurial background and has designed, manufactured and sold custom clothing throughout Western Canada.

Cyndi’s extensive volunteer service includes serving as President of Southeastern Manitoba Music and Arts Festival, member of Southeastern Manitoba Music Teachers Association, and the Eastman representative for the Manitoba Arts Network. She is also the Board Treasurer for the Arts & Cultural Industries Association of Manitoba.

Douglas Riske
Executive Director, Manitoba Arts Council

Douglas Riske has been Executive Director of the Manitoba Arts Council, a provincial agency responsible for the funding of professional artists and arts organizations in Manitoba for the past nine years.

Riske has 40 years of experience in the Canadian professional arts and cultural sector, including work as an actor, stage manager, director, artistic director, producer, consultant, teacher and cultural manager.

Trained at the Banff Centre of Fine Arts and the University of Alberta, Douglas has also studied in England and Europe courtesy of Canada Council awards. His work as an artistic director and director has taken him across Canada to theatres in Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Richmond, Victoria, Vancouver, plus the Stratford Festival and Winnipeg’s Manitoba Theatre Centre. In 1996 he was appointed Executive Director of the Yukon Arts Centre Corporation in Whitehorse.

Riske has also been active in various industry associations including Canadian Actors Equity Association and ACTRA, the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres, the Association of Cultural Executives and is the Past Chair of the Steering Committee of the Canadian Public Arts Funders. He has received both the Queen’s Silver and Golden Jubilee Medals, recognizing his work in the sector.

Derek Smith
Retired Senior Business Executive

Derek Smith has held a number of senior positions in the arts and cultural sector. Since 2004 Derek has been the Executive Director of Arts Stabilization Manitoba.  Derek has served on many boards including the Manitoba Arts Council, the Winnipeg Youth Orchestras, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Banff School of Advanced Management. He was a member of the Advisory Committee to the University of Manitoba Continuing Education Program and currently is active on the Manitoba Arts and Cultural Management Program Advisory Council for the University of Winnipeg’s Division of Continuing Education.

Thom Sparling
Executive Director, Arts & Cultural Industries Association of Manitoba

Thom Sparling has spent many years working in the local music industry in Winnipeg, playing various roles such as record label owner, venue manager, record producer, band manager, consultant, and live sound and lighting technician.

At the University of Manitoba Programming Department Thom was involved in the production of shows at various university venues. Thom helped to found the West End Cultural Centre as venue manager, publicist, show producer and acting general manager. In 1991 he launched the critically acclaimed indie label, Oh Yah! Records. Thom was the founding Executive Director of the Western Canadian Music Awards from 2002 to 2005.

Currently Thom is the Executive Director of ACI Manitoba, an organization dedicated to training, infrastructure development and sustainability in the arts and cultural sector in Manitoba.

JEY Thibedeau-Silver
Arts Educator

JEY Thibedeau-Silver is an arts educator with extensive experience in teaching drama and theatre arts, curriculum development, program planning and facilitation. JEY was the Education Director at Prairie Theatre Exchange (2001-06) and taught drama in several Winnipeg schools. Most recently she taught the Senior 1 to 4 drama program at St. Mary’s Academy, where she created the curriculum for theatre classes and the extra-curricular drama production.

JEY has implemented programs for youth at-risk, former street workers, early childhood, gifted and talented, and members of the diversely-abled community. She is the Vice-Chair for the Alliance for the Arts Education in Manitoba and a member of the International Drama Educator’s Association.