Ken Kawall, President
(905) 257-0250
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Ken is a Corporate Executive who has worked for a number of not-for-profit, regulated utilities and major public corporations in the financial and energy sectors.
A patron of the arts, Ken and his family have lived in Oakville since 1998. His wife has many years of Community Theatre experience and assists Oakville theatre companies and his son has performed in the Oakville Children's Music Theatre.
Ken has broad business experience with a unique combination of expertise in Operations, Technology, Marketing and Financial management. His conceptual thinking skills complemented by a track record of developing strong cohesive teams and distilling or framing ideas in a manner that facilitates communications and buy-in are attributes he believes could assist the Oakville Arts Council.
Ken is also a member of the Trafalgar Township Historical Society, Oakvillegreen Conservation Association, Groundbreakers Oakville and is the OAC representataive on the Town of Oakville's Cultural Advisory Committee.
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George Arnold, First Vice-President
bar_b_cue2002@yahoo.ca
(905) 220-2226 |
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George Arnold is an accomplished poet and community leader who has served on many different committees and boards and is a recognized advocate of arts and literacy. He is currently the national coordinator and local chair of the Oakville Chapter of the Canadian Federation of Poets and was chosen as the 2004 and 2005 Canadian Federation of Poets, "Poet of the Year". His successfully published book is entitled "Living through Love".
George has created, hosted and assisted in the production of events including the annual Halton CFP Poetry Contest which was held the last 3 years in the Halton Separate and Public High Schools. It included an evening of poetry in which the winners were showcased and which featured a variety of invited poets demonstrating different styles of the craft. Geoerge is also a member of the Inkwell Writers Group and President of Garf Publishing. He is proud to offer his services as a board member to help unite the arts community and ensure the betterment of each of its members.
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CJ Martin, Secondary Vice-President
cjmartin_artists@yahoo.ca
(905) 337-3814
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CJ Martin has been a member of the Oakville Arts Council for 5 years, was on-staf for 3 years and continues as a member and voluteeer. She was instrumental in establishing the database that is used to provide OAC's information and referral services, the Oakville Arts Directory, the Creative Connections Networking Lunches, the So You're an Artist, Now What? Conference, the Poetry Cafe, the Arts and Culture Committee within the Chamber of Commerce, the ArtsInfo Brochure Racks program, and in bringing on board most of the sponsors whose logos you see in the Arts Council literature, among other roles at the Oakville Arts Council. Although she acknowledges that not all of the fundraising targets were met in 2004-2005, she brings an intimate knowledge of the current supporters and of many key prospects for future support. She has worked with 8 other non-profit organizations over her career and volunteer life, and has seen many models for operating, which can be of benefit to the Arts Council as it moves forward. She is herself a visual artist and a poet, she belongs to several of the groups that are members of the Oakville Arts Council, and is currently establishing an arts-based business in Oakville, so she represents art-producers and business, as well as being able to provide some organizational continuity for the new board.
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Karen Korody is an independent financial advisor and has been for over 10 years. Previously she worked in the legal profession as a Law Clerk for over 16 years. Karen was born in Toronto, Ontario and has lived there most of her life. In September of 2005 she and her husband moved to Oakville and in this short time has become deeply involved in the community by starting the Lakeshore Woods Community Newsletter and assisting in establishing the newly formed Lakeshore Woods Residents’ Association. Karen has also just completed a year as First Vice President with the Oakville Newcomers Club and is now serving as Secretary of that organization. Karen’s interests include painting and she favours watercolour.
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Jyl Ashton Cunningham, Secretary
info@jaacevents.com
(905) 847-3363
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Jyl comes to the OAC with considerable past experience in fine arts. She worked with Waddington & Gorce Art Gallery in Montreal for 10 years between 1984 and 1994. She has an honours degree in History of Art, Design and Film from Sheffield University, England. Whilst with Waddington & Gorce, Jyl liaised with artists, museums, government bodies, media, specifically in relation to sale and promotion of artworks and grant applications. She also handled press releases and public relations.
Jyl has worked with Carlson Wagonlit and Carlson Marketing Group as an Event Manager before starting her own business in 2002. She owns JAAC Events Inc, a successful company specializing in Corporate and Special Events. Jyl also worked with The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, in the Regimental Museum and as Mess Manager for the Unit, before moving to Toronto and marrying Alan Cunningham in 2001. They joined the Oakville community in 2004 and live in Glen Abbey.
Jyl is an active member of Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar and of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. She has been on the committees of several fundraising events in Oakville, including Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion (under contract in 2005/6), Charterability and DARE’s popular event, “Real Men Can Cook”. Jyl is Chair for the revitalised 2008 Mayors Evening Celebrating the Arts, and works with the Sustainability committee and the Communications Committee. |
Claire Loughheed, Ex-Officio
cloughheed@oakville.ca
(905) 845-6601, ext. 3007
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Claire Loughheed has over 20 years experience in cultural administration ranging from teaching in the Royal Ontario Museum's Creative Arts program to working as a programs specialist for various museums in Canada and the U.S. including the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), and the DeCordova Museum. Trained in technical theatre, Ms Loughheed has also worked at the Stratford Festival, the Shaw Festival and Soulpepper Theatre. In her spare time she writes, enjoys photography and is happy playing in anything to do with books or textiles. She is currently employed by the Town of Oakville in the capacity of Manager, Culture and Heritage Services.
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Erich and his wife came to Oakville three years ago and have been thoroughly enjoying the vibrant and warm community. They both enjoy a variety of art forms, Erich as a parton and Cynthia as a practitioner (in photography, clay design and textiles). Erich recently completed a 3½ year contract as Executive Director of Executive Development at the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. Not from an artistic background, Erich sees his contribution to the OAC from the “business side” and sees his substantial volunteer experience as a real asset. Almasy is an active volunteer with non-profit organizations including the United Way of Greater Toronto, the Board of Directors of the Canadian Opera Company and the Harvard Business School Association of Toronto. Erich is married to Cynthia Blanton, a freelance photographer. |
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Jane Coryell, PhD, is an accomplished teacher, set designer and fibre artist who has won and been nominated for several awards related to community theatre. Most recently, she was nominated for the 2005 Oakville Athena Award. This nomination recognized her encouragement of young and old to pursue their artistic passions. It acknowledged the help she has provided for countless students and community volunteers interested in exploring art and discovering their hidden talents, as well as for attracting other women to paint scenery and to design sets.
Jane has participated in a number of fibre art exhibitions. Her hand embroideries are currently in 27 private collections in Canada, USA, and England. To coach others in Set Design, Jane has given workshops for both students and community theatre groups. To foster the delights of hand embroidery, Jane gives workshops to art students, to adult learners and to stitchery groups in Oakville, Toronto, and Guelph. Jane devotes her time to several Oakville organizations including three Community Theatre Groups, the Oakville Stitchery Guild, Oakville's biennial fibre arts festivals (now called World of Threads Festival) and Music & Art Shared Space, Inc. (M.A.S.S) which will be Oakville's future community arts centre - a nucleus and a network for local artists in music, art, and craft.
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Robert Eagle joined Sheridan as Director of Research effective November 1, 2005. Mr. Eagle is formerly from Dalhousie University where he served as the Director responsible for fostering the growth of high quality research from within the Faculties of Engineering and Architecture. His extensive experience in research administration also includes marketing and promotion of researach efforts, oversight of technology transfer and the development of closer ties with industrial partners, all of which greatly benefit Sheridan in capitalizng on its applied research capacity.
As Director, Sheridan Research, Mr. Eagle has responsibility for leading the development and operation of applied research, including the creation and implementation of a strategic plan and operating stategies, the acquisition of external research funding through private-public partnerships and the commercialization of research results.
Prior to embarking on a career in researach, he worked for Shawinigan Engineering for six years in a variety of positions, moving on to the Nova Schotia Department of Development as Senior Manager in the Industrial Benefits Office.
Robert holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Nova Scotia Technical College and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario.
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Jennifer Estall has been a strong supporter of the arts in and around the Oakville area for her entire life. As the daughter of an artist, Jennifer literally grew up at opening receptions and in galleries. Her involvement started as a volunteer, supporting her mother and friends at various venues, and has progressed, most recently, to a “Silver” level sponsor for the ArtWorks Program. Currently, Jennifer is a Financial Advisor with Clarica and Sun Life Financial in Oakville. She is a member of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce and an active member in several small business-networking groups.
Jennifer’s passion and appreciation for the arts stems from the belief that “we need to nourish beauty and creativity in our lives. If we remove art from the community all we are left with is work and consumerism. Oakville deserves more than that.” Jennifer has a strong connection to the arts community and numerous contacts with local business owners. As a member of the new board, she is hoping to encourage participation from the next generation of artists in Oakville. |
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Peggy has recently retired as the head of drama at St Mildred’s-Lightbourn School and is looking to continue her engagement with the arts community through the OAC. During her teaching career she was heavily involved and leading many musicals, plays and arts festivals. A highlight of her career was achieving a “real program” and a Studio theatre” at St. Mildred’s and seeing the confidence and skills that this instilled in the students. A people person and a fibre artist herself, she sees a gap in the OAC’s outreach, especially to the youth sector and has a real interest in filling this and potentially creating a mentorship program. |
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Lisa is a published writer and poet and has been a resident of Oakville for almost 20 years. She is very interested in raising awareness for Art and Culture in Oakville. Lisa is currently a member of the Inkwell Poetry Group and the Scene of the Crime Book Club. She is a graduate of Sheridan College with a Risk Analyst degree. While attending university she co-founded the group “Creative Alliance” which brought an array of weekly films to the campus. Lisa is also the past Editor-in-Chief of "The Hibou" newspaper for Nipissing University. |