Board of Directors - 2022
The Foster Festival is honoured to be supported by highly engaged Board of Directors – and we thank each of them for their commitment to bringing humour to the heart of Niagara!
OFFICERS
Chair | Deborah Slade
Deborah is the former director of the Brock University Centre for the Arts. Deborah joined the Centre for the Arts in 1984 and became its director in 1987, transforming it into an internationally respected cultural institution. Over the years, Deborah programmed more than 1,400 shows for an estimated one million patrons.
Vice-Chair | Tom Arkell
Before retiring, Tom Arkell was a senior administrator at Brock University. He has been responsible for community and ancillary services in the past and has held leadership positions with the St. Catharines Chamber of Commerce, the Niagara Symphony and Theatre Beyond Words. He was also responsible for operations at the Rodman Hall Art Centre, and continues to be a representative on the board of the 2022 Canada Summer Games Host Society.
Past-Chair | Glen McCann
Glen is a retired Lawyer and Partner at Sullivan Mahoney LLP. Glen’s practice specialties were corporate and commercial law and taxation. Currently, Glen and his wife Cathy run Cellar Door Wine Experience. Additionally, Glen is a frequent actor in local stage productions.
Treasurer | Candice Turner-Smith
Candice Turner-Smith recently retired as Executive Director of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra after 10 years of service and spent 12 seasons at the Shaw Festival Theatre. In 2012 she was a part of the Cultural Capital of Canada designation awarded to celebrate the arts in each of the Niagara Region’s 12 municipalities and is honored to serve as Chair, Artistic Festivals for the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games. Candice joined The Foster Festival team thru a time of transition and to offer support during COVID 19. She is privileged to join the very committed Board to serve as Treasurer through to the AGM.
Secretary | Alison Buchanan
After a career in corporate training and human resources, Alison moved to St. Catharines and immersed herself in a variety of community activities. A long-time patron of the arts, she enjoys supporting the Foster Festival as a member of the Board.
DIRECTORS AT LARGE
David Hulley
David is the Director of Customer Experience at Vineland Estates Winery. As he was a key member in the Vineland Estates Winery evolution and expansion team of late 1990s David was very honored to be invited back to play an elemental role in the new renaissance at the Winery and to continue his work there. David is a post graduate of the University of California, Davis in Fermentation Science and has been in the Ontario Wine Industry for over 20 years as a winemaker.