Honorary President

JOY COGHILL, C.M.

Actor and Theatre Consultant

Joy is the founder and former Artistic Director of the Holiday Theatre and the Western Gold Theatre Society; former Artistic Director of The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company and the National Theatre School (English Acting); and served on the National Board of Canadian Actors' Equity Association and the BC Arts Board. Joy is the recipient of numerous awards for her contribution to the performing arts, including the Order of Canada, and the 2002 Governor General's Performing Arts Award, the 2005 UBCP John Juliani Award of Excellence, and the 2005 Vancouver Arts Award (Performing Arts); and holds Honorary Doctorates from the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.  Joy co-founded PAL Vancouver together with Jane Heyman.

 

Honorary Vice President

NORMAN YOUNG

Professor Emeritus, UBC

Norman has a longstanding involvement in theatre, academics and the volunteer community. He is currently the Chair/Co-founder of the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, Director of Crusaids Canada and Organizer, 50 Years of Freddy Wood at UBC. Norman is a former member of Canada Council, Chair of the BC Arts Board and the Vancouver Civic Theatres Board. He is a founder of the BC Arts Festival, and has been a Director of the Vancouver Museum, The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company, the Vancouver Archives, and the Vancouver Children's Festival. He is a Member of the Vancouver Foundation Cultural Grants Committee, and a fundraiser at the BC Paraplegic Association.

 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

 

President

KEITH MARTIN GORDEY  

Three decades and counting, Keith has been employed in the professional performing arts as actor, director, writer, dancer, choreographer, fight director, coach and drama educator, carpenter and painter. As a working actor in film, television and live theatre, Keith is keenly aware of the vulnerability of individuals in all disciplines who choose to make a career in the professional performing arts industry. Committed to protecting the rights and striving for a decent living for performers in recorded media, he served five years on the board of the Union of BC Performers, ending his tenure as Vice President.  For those five years he also served ex-officio to PAL Vancouver and has seen this grow from a vision to a thriving community.       

 

Past President

JANE HEYMAN has worked in professional theatre in Canada and England as a director, stage manager, actor, and acting teacher for over 40 years. From 1985 – 2005 she taught acting at Studio 58, the professional theatre training program at Langara College where she was also Associate Director. Jane helped found WestCoast Actors and the Women in VIEW Festival. She served on the Boards of WestCoast Actors; VIEW, the Performing Arts Society; and represented B.C. on the National Council of Canadian Actors' Equity Association for nine years. Jane is honoured to have received a Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Direction for The Road to Mecca; the UBCP Sam Payne Award; the Larry McCance Award from C.A.E.A. and the Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance Jessie Richardson Career Achievement Award as well as the Alliance for Arts & Culture Board Member of the Year and the 2009 YWCA  Arts, Culture and Design Woman of Distinction Award. In November 2005, she was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame, receiving a star in the pavement next to Joy Coghill, her mentor and colleague, with whom she is very proud to have co-founded PAL Vancouver in 2001. Jane served as President of the Board of PAL Vancouver from 2005 – 2009.  

 

Vice President

CHRISTINE McDERMOTT holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of British Columbia, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Kansas. Christine is a member of the Oregon and Washington State Bars and recently was called to the British Columbia Bar. Her varied business experience includes pharmaceutical sales and marketing, trade show exhibit marketing, University Athletic fundraising and management, as well as Western Canada leadership of a leading national health charity. Among her accomplishments in the last several years, Christine co-chaired the campaign of a successful candidate in a municipal election, and served on several Boards to support amateur sport in BC. Christine continues to serve on an Independent Review Board to review and approve Clinical Trial Protocols as required by Health Canada. Since January, Christine has served as Fundraising Chair for PAL Vancouver.

 

Treasurer

DAVID ABRAMOWITZ is a Chartered Accountant who has had his own practice since moving to Vancouver from Montreal in 1994. While living in Montreal, he served on the Board of his synagogue for four years, including two years as Vice-President. In Vancouver, David has been a member of the Board of the Pacific Cinematheque for nine years, including three years each as Treasurer and President. He recently completed a six-year term as a member of the Board of the Playhouse Theatre Company, serving on the Finance Committee and two years as Treasurer. David is married with two adult daughters, and one grandson. A self-described Renaissance Man, his passion for the performing arts is demonstrated by his decades of patronage of companies in Vancouver, Seattle, and Ontario. David has served as PAL Vancouver’s Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee for the past two years.

 

Secretary

DAVID T. Y. WANG is an engineer with a B.A.Sc. in Electrical Engineering (1982) from the University of Toronto. David is a seasoned high technology senior executive whose career spans DDS Wireless, Raytheon Canada and Nortel Networks. David currently has his own consulting business specializing in strategic planning, product marketing, business development including mergers and acquisitions. David also has board experience in both the private sector and educational institutions. David has no accomplishments in the performing arts and is the only person in his family that does not play a musical instrument although not for the lack of trying. To make up for this shortcoming, David spends significant energy exposing his children to music and theatre. David is also a volunteer with CESO (Canadian Executive Services Organization).

 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AT LARGE

 

DEBORAH ALLMAN is a social worker with experience in Health Care and Community Development. Currently working in a hospital setting, she has a strong interest in the needs of seniors and people with disabilities.  Deborah sat on the Board of PAL Vancouver from 2006 to 2008 and was an active member as well as co-chair of the Tenant Selection, Review and Policy Committee. 

 

GAEL ARTHUR has lived in Vancouver for thirty years, attending UBC, where she obtained both her BA and MBA. After gaining valuable experience with two major banks as a commercial lender, she moved on to her own consulting business, focusing on strategic planning and writing for medium sized businesses. She is also a freelance travel, food and wine writer. Previous volunteer activities include a stint on the board of the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Her passion for the performing arts generally finds its outlet in the audience, rather than backstage. Gael has served on the Executive of PAL Vancouver as well as the Nominations Committee and co-chaired Fundraising last year.

RORY GREWAR is a relative newcomer to Vancouver, having relocated from Winnipeg in October of 2004. Before joining us here on the West Coast, he served in various senior administrative capacities with the Government of Manitoba. His volunteer activities included Board membership on several provincial non-profit organizations including the Institute for Public Administration and the All Charities Campaign. Rory, who claims no ability to sing, dance, act, or play a musical instrument, is a passionate lover of the arts. He has been attending all manner of performances since the age of five and has always held in the highest esteem those blessed with the ability to entertain. Rory works as a Project Manager with a local architectural firm.  He serves as the Chair of the PAL Vancouver Tenant Selection Review and Policy Committee and previously assumed the roles of Board Secretary and Chair of the Governance Committee.

ELLIE O'DAY has worked in music, performing arts and cultural industries for more than thirty years. For nearly eight years she was Executive Director of Pacific Music Industry Association. Today, her O'Day Productions provides promotion, publicity, and consulting to the arts community, primarily in theatre, music and festivals. She began her career in Vancouver in the late 70s as the west’s first major market female rock'n'roll DJ, moving on to write for the Georgia Straight through the 80s, and contribute to CBC television and radio. Her degree in Cultural Anthropology has enhanced her interest in music and stories of many cultures. She is a former Chair of the Alliance for Arts and Culture, has been a YWCA mentor, and has previously served as a Director for the PNE, and for such organizations as BC Mensa, Pacific Songwriters, Vancouver Adaptive Music Society, BC Film, and the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. She was a recipient of Women in the Spotlight 2000. For the last three years, Ellie has served as Chair of the Communications and Outreach Committee as well as Vice President of PAL Vancouver.

 

BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE

 

MANINDER DHALIWAL is an electrical engineer with a Master’s degree in engineering from the University of British Columbia, and is the corporate leader of Stantec’s lighting department. She is an award winning architectural lighting designer who has published papers, written articles, and lead international presentations on the topic of lighting design. Maninder is a renowned specialist in her field, and is involved in writing North American lighting standards for Daylighting, Photobiology, and Healthcare Facilities. She is LEED Accredited and a Professional Engineer registered with APEGBC.

Maninder believes in being a responsible citizen and giving back to her community. She does pro-bono lighting consulting for charitable organizations such as Saint Paul's Lights of Hope campaign, and also provides mentoring to design students from UBC. She is also the President of Pacific Club, a premier non-profit, networking organization for young professionals in Vancouver. Maninder is an active volunteer in the community and is involved in fundraising for local charities. She believes that artists are the conscience of society, and believes in the uplifting impact of a live performance. Maninder has no accomplishment in performing arts but enjoys the privilege of being a patron to local establishments for opera and theater. Her passions include the art of renaissance masters, the books of existentialist philosophers, and the films of Italian neo-realists.

 

CATHERINE LOUGH HAGGQUIST has been a professional actor for over 20 years. Among her credits are lead roles on the series The Unprofessionals and Rockpoint PD. Supporting credits include Termination Point and The Stranger Game. Recurring roles on Dark Angel and Highlander as well as appearances in Sorority Wars, Tron, The X-Files, The Outer Limits, Smallville, Doctor Who: The Movie, Stargate SG-1, and Paycheck are also some of her favourites. Currently she can be heard as Roberta Rhodes in the animated series Iron Man: Armoured Adventures and as a Point Person on CBC radio’s The Point.
In addition to acting, Catherine opened Biz Books in Vancouver in 1996 and it has grown to become an international resource for people looking to expand their knowledge of film, television and theatre. Biz Books carries books, software, periodicals, plays, manuals and much more. Biz Books has also started to bring world renowned instructors to Canada to share their knowledge and expertise in person. Time spent over many years on the local and national boards of UBCP and ACTRA, and learning from her mentor John Juliani, inspired her to begin sharing her vast industry knowledge. Since that decision, she has developed seminars and workshops designed to assist creative professionals with their business skills and empower them to get their careers focused and productive. In March of 2008 Catherine was honoured to receive the Special Jury Award from Women in Film & Television Vancouver in recognition of her work and contribution to BC’s film industry.

PETRA HOERRMANN was born and raised in Stuttgart, Germany and moved to Vancouver in July 1999 as a landed immigrant. A high school major in math and music, Petra went on to study underwriting in Stuttgart, later taking a masters degree in business administration, economics and social science, majoring in international economics, international management, finance and business development. Petra has worked for the Allianz Insurance Company in Stuttgart and Vancouver as Underwriter for commercial risks until 2002, and now for Commonwealth Insurance Company, she is responsible for the East of North America underwriting of manufacturing and energy related risks situated in Canada and the US.
For ten years in Germany, Petra enjoyed performing on recorder as part of a medieval instrument quartet. Recently she has joined the Vancouver Recorder Society, and she also has long enjoyed going to theatre, ballet and opera. Her other volunteer work has been with the Viking Sailing Club where she was responsible for organizing the social events (has a serving-it-right license) and for insurance placement, and is currently on a committee improving training for new members. More recently she joined the Mountain Host program in Whistler.  For the past year and a half, Petra has served as an At Large member of the Executive of PAL Vancouver.

ELIZABETH KIDD is community arts consultant and former Arts Programmer of the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre in Vancouver where she worked for over 11 years. In that position she generated a number of collaborative community arts projects, bringing together Vancouver-based contemporary dance, visual arts, and theatrical performance, wherein professional and non-professional participants could learn to work together in a non-competitive, creative and safe environment. Before her work at the Roundhouse, she worked as curator and researcher for the Surrey Art Gallery, the Community Arts Council of Vancouver, The Edmonton Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Canada, the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, the Newfoundland Museum, and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Elizabeth continues to work as a consultant with social and cultural non-profit organizations and has been teaching an on-line distance learning course, Building Community Relationships, for the Cultural Research Management Program of the University of Victoria for over 10 years. The course is directed to cultural organizations which are interested in becoming more relevant to the society they serve, and building compassionate and socially engaged communities. Elizabeth received an MA from the University of Toronto, and a BA from McGill University, Montreal. She has held positions on the boards of the Canadian Museums Association, ICOM Canada, GVRD Alliance for Arts and Culture, and the Canadian Museum of Craft and Design, Vancouver.

 

MIRO KINCH began her theatrical career as an apprentice in the props room at the Stratford Festival, and returned several years later—degree completed, a year at the Birmingham Rep under her belt, and teaching career firmly on hold—to become first, the dyer and eventually, Assistant to the Designers.

Ten years of designing sets and/or costumes for Theatre Passe Muraille, Toronto Free Theatre, Toronto Arts Productions, Tarragon, Young People’s Theatre, CBC, Montreal’s Centaur Theatre and other local luminaries went by in a flash, whereupon she found herself turning to arts administration for fun and profit—to fundraising, to be precise, for the Toronto International Film Festival, followed by the Calgary Public Library, the Alberta College of Art and Design and the Faculties of Graduate Studies and Medicine at UBC. Along the way she served on the boards of One Yellow Rabbit in Calgary and Felix Culpa Theatre and Playwrights’ Theatre Centre in Vancouver.

What she loved best were the publications she wrote, edited and art-directed for those organizations, which led to four years as the editor of UBC Medicine Magazine and her current occupation as a freelance writer and editor. She lives in the West End with her long-time creative partner and husband, Martin Kinch, and two cats.

KEN LEVITT has over 40 years experience in the fields of recreation, mental health, corrections, public welfare, child welfare and gerontology. He has expertise in organizational management and structure, fiscal accountability, plant management, food services and labour relations. Ken received a Master of Social Work degree from UBC, and was Administrator of the Louis Brier Home and Hospital in Vancouver for over 16 years, where he worked closely with the Board of Trustees, and was responsible for a $12-million operational budget. He has also been the General Manager of The Terraces on 7th, a 103 unit high-end supportive housing project, where he was responsible for ensuring the building was ready for occupancy, hiring staff, and ensuring the operation was well run.   Ken has been a board member since 2003 and served as Vice President (External) for two years.  He currently sits on the Human Resources and Tenant Selection, Review and Policy Committees for PAL Vancouver.

PAUL PLATER has his own financial consulting practice, where he advises publicly traded companies on financial statement disclosure and meeting other regulatory requirements, and assists them with the preparation of their financial statements.  He has worked for both Deloitte & Touche and Ernst & Young as well as working for several years at the BC Securities Commission. 

Paul is a lover of live theatre and opera, classical music and jazz piano.  Although he comes from a creative family, his artistic talent is limited primarily to classical piano.  Previously, he served as Treasurer on the Board of the Vancouver East Cultural Centre.

 

ANNE WHEELER, O.C.  

Film maker Anne Wheeler has been a supporter and Patron of PAL Vancouver from its earliest days. She has served on the boards of the Alberta Motion Picture Advisory Committee, The Telefilm Feature Film Fund Advisory Committee, The Vancouver Film Festival Board, and the D.G.C. - B.C. Executive Board. Well known for her documentaries including Great Grand Mother and A War Story, she is also one of Canada’s pioneer women directors. Her best known films include Loyalties, Cowboys Don’t Cry, Bye Bye Blues, Better Than Chocolate, The Diviners & The War Between Us, as well as numerous television dramas and series. In 1998 Wheeler directed the first three episodes of Da Vinci's Inquest for the CBC as the style and cast was set for the ongoing series which now airs internationally to rave reviews. She has worked across Canada and the U.S. as well as in Europe and Africa, moving easily between the mediums of film and television. She is always busy with directing and writing assignments and tries to have half a dozen projects on the go at all times. She has no plans for retirement and loves to try anything new, drawing from her own wide range of experiences and passing on her enthusiasm to young and old alike. Her films have touched the hearts of her audience, earning her six honorary doctorates and the Order of Canada.

 

EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS

 

ACTRA FRATERNAL BENEFIT SOCIETY

WILLIAM SAMPLES has a degree in business and has been a professional actor for nearly 30 years, working on stage, film and radio. He is also a narrator of books on tape for the visually impaired and is the 2001 and 2002 TORGI Award recipient for the Talking Book of the Year. William has also served, for five years, as Western Governor of ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society, which provides insurance and health benefits for actors and writers, and manages $350 million in pension fund monies.

 

CANADIAN ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION

PARNELLI PARNES

 

DIRECTORS GUILD OF CANADA – B.C.

ALAN SIMMONDS is a retired film and television director. His forty years in the film business include careers as an assistant director, producer, and director of commercials, television series, and feature films.  He is one of the early members of the DGC, having joined in 1965 as one of the 'original three' assistant directors to join the Guild. Alan Simmonds has served on the executive of the BC District Council of the Directors Guild of Canada and has been a member of the Directors Advisory Caucus of the BC District Council. He currently guest lectures and teaches film directing courses at Vancouver Film School while also enjoying an active retirement playing with his grandchildren, a little gardening, the odd game of golf, and reading a good book. Alan Simmonds and his partner Candace O'Connor, a PAL's Angel, are active supporters and patrons of PAL

  

IATSE 891

FRANK HADDAD

  

PAL STUDIO THEATRE

WENDY NEWMAN is the founder and Executive Director of ArtStarts in Schools. During her career in the arts, she has been an administrator, promoter, tour coordinator and facility manager. She helped found the renowned Vancouver East Cultural Centre, where she returned as Executive Director from 1984 to 1989. She has worked on cultural facility planning and management consultation with not-for-profit groups, including projects for the Vancouver Public Library, Granville Island, Coal Harbour Arts Centre, Green Thumb Theatre, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Dance Centre, The Roundhouse and The Surrey Centre for the Performing Arts. She is a recipient of SFU

Alumni Association's Outstanding Alumni Award for Professional Achievement and "Sponsor of the Year" award from the artists at the BC Touring Council's annual Pacific Contact.  Wendy is the founding Board President of the PAL Studio Theatre.

 

 UNION OF B.C. PERFORMERS

ALVIN SANDERS joined SAG in 1973 (one line in a feature called Cinderella Liberty); Actors’ Equity Association in 1975 (a school tour of Taming of the Shrew for Actors Theater of Louisville); Canadian Actors’ Equity Association in 1984 (the lead in a summer musical at the Barkerville Historical Park near Quesnel, BC); and ACTRA in the fall of 1984 (4 days on a MOW called Brotherly Love). Having spent the majority of his life (all of his adult life) as a professional actor, he knows how important the comradeship and security provided by an institution like PAL is to the performing arts community. Alvin is presently the Treasurer of UBCP/ACTRA and has served on their Executive Board since 2002.

 

VANCOUVER MUSICIANS’ ASSOCIATION

P. WAYNE MORRIS is the Secretary of the Vancouver Musicians' Association (VMA) Local 145. He was a professional musician for almost 20 years, and an original member of the legendary Night Train Revue that traveled extensively in the US and Canada during the late 1960s and early 1970s. During the mid 1970s and 1980s he was the leader of two of his own groups, Justice and Five Easy Pieces. Wayne started working for the VMA in 1982 as Business Agent. He has since been elevated to the position of Secretary of the VMA, which is a local office of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM). Wayne was elected to the Executive Board of the Canadian Conference of Musicians in 1990, and elected to the office of Vice President in 1994, and is the current President. The Canadian Conference of Musicians represents some 15,000 professional musicians across Canada. Wayne is involved in all collective bargaining matters including the agreements for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, and the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra. For the past 17 years he has been a member of the AFM Team responsible for negotiating national agreements with the CBC.

 

ADVISORS

 

Fundraising

CHRISTOPHER TYRELL was born in Vancouver, educated at the University of British Columbia and deeply involved in all aspects of the arts in Vancouver, BC and across Canada. He first came to public attention as Artistic Director of Presentation House in North Vancouver where he created BC's first non-profit gallery of photography. Since then he has been a consultant to many important institutions including The Roundhouse, CMHC Granville Island, Vancouver Community Arts Council, the Arts Club, Bard on the Beach, the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Alliance for Arts and Culture and Artropolis. Chris has produced, written or designed such stage productions as The Guerilla Girls, North Shore Live and PAL's very successful benefit, Ode to Joy. His many volunteer positions include Chairman, Dance in Canada; Executive Committee, Canadian Conference of the Arts and Executive Director of Artropolis. His regular column for Opus Framing and Art Supplies is a must read for visual artists. He has received awards from the Vancouver Partnership for Business and the Arts and the Vancouver Better Business Bureau.

 

Past President and current Legal Advisor

TONY DUMOULIN is one of the founders of DuMoulin Boskovich, a Vancouver law firm, and is currently its managing partner and senior solicitor. Called to the bar in 1972 he practices mainly in the areas of real estate and corporate-commercial law, with a particular skill in negotiating and documenting complex commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, finance, licensing, and real estate development. Tony has been a leader in current developments in real estate practice and has frequently contributed to educational programs for the B.C. Real Estate Association, the Society of Notaries Public, the Law Society's articling students, and the Continuing Legal Education Society. Tony was born in Vancouver, holds both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of British Columbia. Actively involved in community affairs, he was a founding director of the Cheshire Home Society of British Columbia which provides housing for the severely disabled; and has been a director and executive member of both the Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia and the Vancouver Youth Theatre, as well as other non-profit organizations, such as the McCreary Centre Society, which is concerned with the advancement of youth health issues. He is currently an Officer and Vice-Chair of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Pacific Region. Tony is the recipient of the 2008 Jessie Richardson Patron of the Year Award.

 

STAFF

 

GARY GLACKEN - Executive Director

Mr. Glacken comes to PAL Vancouver from the BC Schizophrenia Society where he was Executive Director for the past 15 years. Under his leadership the Society reached many milestones and was recognized for numerous initiatives provincially, nationally and internationally. As a result of these and other accomplishments, Mr. Glacken was awarded the Schizophrenia Society of Canada Outstanding Staff Award for 2004.

Prior to this, Mr. Glacken was the administrator with Canadian Mental Health Association, Vancouver/Burnaby branch, and later Executive Director of the Richmond Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association. Glacken also spent a number of years as a professional drummer and continues to play on a recreational basis.

 

gary@palvancouver.org

604.255.4312

 

WILLIAM R. HARVEY, CFRE - Director of Development

Born and raised in Vancouver, Bill graduated with a Commerce degree in Marketing from UBC. After a successful career in the materials handling business, he became a Board member of the Vancouver Crisis Centre in 1992, and a year later became its first Director of Development. In 2001, he was appointed Personal Gifts Manager for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C. & Yukon, where he was employed until this past December. Bill has been very active in the Mentorship Program for the Association of Fundraising Professionals. He has also been active for many years at the national level for the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP), and is currently chairing their 2008 national conference, to be held here this April. He is also a Director of the West Vancouver Community Foundation.

 

bill@palvancouver.org

604.255.4314

 

SUSAN CAMERON - Housing Administrator

housing@palvancouver.org

 

DEB MARTIN - Administration & Theatre

deb@palvancouver.org