2012 Arts Advisory Council Members
Arts Advisory Council Members Bios
Arlene Carson
Arlene Carson is a researcher and consultant in health promotion, with particular interest in the social determinants of health and the role of the arts in individual and community health. She holds a BSc (Neurobiology Distinction) from McGill, and MSc and PhD from UBC (Audiology and Speech Sciences). Her career spans work as clinician, project manager and evaluator, consultant to government, university and community-based researcher, and graduate lecturer (Canada and China). Arlene is a classically-trained pianist (Conservatoire de Musique de Québec, McGill). She holds a diploma in Jazz Piano (Grant MacEwan College) and has been keyboardist and vocalist in working bands for over 20 years. Arlene’s volunteer involvement with the arts includes work in radio, film (co-founder Port Townsend Women’s Film Festival,1992), President and Board member of the Edmonton Jazz Society (1980s) and Manager of the Yardbird Suite Jazz club (1987-88). Arlene is a founding Board member (1997) of Gabriola Island’s Community Arts Council.
Jerri Carson - elected AAC Vice Chair for 2012
Jerri Carson received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Victoria. She also holds a BC Teaching Diploma and teaches music and choir at Oakland's Elementary School. Jerri is a piano accompanist and cellist. She is a member of the Victoria Conservatory of Music Cello Orchestra and has also played in the Hampton Concert Orchestra. Among other volunteer activities Jerry helped to write the Teacher's Guide for the Education and Outreach Concerts of the Victoria Symphony.
Patrick Fleck – elected AAC Chair for 2012
Patrick holds Honours Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees from the University of Toronto. After teaching and becoming an administrator in secondary schools, he joined the Ontario Ministry of Education. During his 24 years with the Ministry, he served in several senior executive posts and was a member of various inter-provincial and federal-provincial education policy committees. For over 10 years he was on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Education Association and was made a life member of that organization in 1993. Patrick has been actively involved in the performing arts as a member of the Board of Directors of the Festival Singers of Canada and of Prologue to the Performing Arts. In 2000, he joined the Board of Directors of the Royal and McPherson Theatres Society and served as its President from 2003 to 2006.
Thomas Kouk
Thomas Kouk’s career in marketing and communications includes extensive experience in retail, education, arts, government and tourism. He was the owner and manager of Canadian Art Store operations in Banff and Winnipeg, Government Affairs Manager for the Winnipeg Chamber Of Commerce, and served as a director of the Travel and Tourism Industry Associations of Manitoba and Alberta. He was Director of Communications and Marketing for the Banff Centre for the Arts during the last two of his nine years at the Centre. While in Banff he was elected as a municipal councillor, served as Chairman of the Banff Social Services Board, and Vice-Chairman and head of the Finance Committee of the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital.
Louise MacDonald
Louise has a longstanding interest and career involvement with the visual arts in particular. She has worked with a wide range of artists, art galleries and companies not only in her work with commercial galleries in Calgary, but as a corporate art consultant. In that capacity her clients included TransCanada, NOVA Chemicals, Talisman, CIBC and Telus, among others. She has a History in Art degree from the University of Victoria. Locally, her volunteer work has included the YM/YWCA Women of Distinction Awards, the CNIB Eye Appeal art event and the Esquimalt Art Advisory Committee. She worked for the Greater Victoria Hospitals Foundation for four years and is currently the Executive Administrator and Community Liaison at the Victoria Foundation.
Warren H. Maidens
Warren H. Maidens’ 30 year career in the federal public service included positions as Director General, Personnel Operations, Training and Development for Public Works and Government Services; Executive Director, Planning and Communications, Treasury Board Secretariat; and other senior positions in the Privy Council Office, the Economic Council of Canada and the Public Service Commission. After he retired from the federal public service in Ottawa,he was a Grant Review Council member for the Ontario Trillium Foundation, held various volunteer positions with arts organizations such as The Great Canadian Theatre Company and Opera Lyra and continued occasional professional work for the federal public service such as executive recruitment and development for the Public Service Commission in Vancouver, and organizing the operations of the Romanow Health Commission in Regina, Saskatoon and Ottawa.
Randy Nicholson - elected AAC Funding Committee Chair 2012
Randy is a Chartered Accountant who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and is an alumni of the Banff Centre, School of Fine Arts. Prior to working for the Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia for 17 years, he worked as an independent business consultant in Toronto for various companies in the banking and information technology sectors. Randy’s career in live theatre included providing technical production services, design, stage management and direction for companies in Canada and abroad as well as providing management and governance advice for Victoria’s own Shakespeare and Folkfest summer festivals. Randy is currently an independent business consultant working for government and private industry.
Marilyn Sing
Marilyn Sing is a marketing and communications professional with 20 years experience. Born and raised in Victoria, she has worked in the magazine industry for publications such as Canadian Business, Profit, and WHERE Magazines, and in website and interactive product development with WCG International Consultants Ltd. and Ideas That Play (ITP) Entertainment Inc. She is the founder and past president of the OCTA Collective Society whose mandate is to deliver arts outreach programs to underprivileged children in the capital region. In 2007, she was a recipient of a For Kids’ Sake Award from Today’s Parent Magazine, and in 2008, she was runner-up for Arts Leader of the Year at the CFAX Community Awards. Marilyn is currently Director of Network Communications at WildPlay Element Parks.
Susan Stevenson
Ms. Stevenson has a strong background in the arts having worked across artistic disciplines in Vancouver, Richmond and Toronto. Her most recent position was as a cultural planner for the City of Richmond. Prior to that she was the Executive Director of the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance, Executive Director of the Periodical Writers Assn of Canada, and Program and Membership Coordinator for the Ontario Assn of Art Galleries. She has worked for dance companies, in the media, as a community theatre presenter, and served as a board member, volunteer and juror for a variety of cultural initiatives, including advisor to the City of Vancouver on its cultural facilities task force and implementation team, and as a juror for the Toronto Book Awards.
Robert Thompson
Robert holds an Honours B.Sc. in Fish and Wildlife Biology from the Guelph University and a B.Ed. from Toronto University. He was a career Elementary School Teacher specializing in Special Education in Timmins, Ontario. Robert has served as a Director of the Ontario School Counsellors’ Association and also while in Timmins he co-founded the Timmins Film Society and helped develop the umbrella organization; Arts and Culture Timmins. For ten years Robert was a weekly columnist, special features editor and reporter for The Daily Press. Though officially ‘retired’, since moving to Victoria four years ago, Robert has served on the Board of Intrepid Theatre and volunteers with Victoria Film Festival and Open Cinema. Robert currently manages The Juliet with his wife Susan and loves living within Victoria’s vibrant downtown.
Jessica Van der Veen
Ms. Van der Veen received a BFA in Theatre through UBC and Simon Fraser University in 1987 and subsequently worked in Vancouver for 25 years as an actor, director and acting teacher in the film and television industry. During this time she also served as Director of the Part-Time Studies Division of Gastown Actors' Studio. Since moving to Victoria in 2000 Ms. Van der Veen has taught at the Canadian College of Performing Arts, worked as a consultant to Actra/Union of BC Performers and as a Performance Reporting Analyst for the Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia. In 2006 she received a Masters in Public Administration from UVic, specializing in governance and accountability. Currently she volunteers with LANDS! (Let's Agree Not to Dispose of Schools!), of which she is a founder, collaborating with citizens in jurisdictions across BC to protect school lands and urban green space.