PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD
president@pentictonartgallery.com

Dr. Claude Roberto represents the Association des archivistes du Québec and she is now retired from working for the Provincial Archives of Alberta, Canada, where she managed various programs, including Francophone archives, women sources, religious archives, architectural drawings. She worked for 28 years for the Government of Alberta. She received in 1985 a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta where she taught for 20 years. She was Director of the Bureau Canadien des Archivistes ensuring the professional development of Canadian archivists. She serves on national and international steering committees and gives presentations around the world. Her books as author or co-author include: Guide for Oblate Archives, The Diaries of Bishop Grandin, Family Histories, Documenting Francophone Alberta. She received in 2003 the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for outstanding service to Canada.

VICE-PRESIDENT

Heena’s passion for people, her hard work ethic and commitment along with her genuine compassion, reliability and trust are a few of her key principles she leads by.

Heena was born and raised on a farm in South Africa, until the age of 12. Ever since her childhood, she admired her father, an entrepreneur, who exemplified the core of hard work running a business and a family in difficult environmental and political times in South Africa.

Heena truly believes in giving back to the community. She has a love of the arts, she loves children and youth and a love for animals. Heena has been an active Board member of the Penticton Art Gallery and the Childrens Showcase. She currently serves as Vice President on both of these Boards and thoroughly enjoys it. Heena, along with her loving husband and adorable son, Ishan, are avid supporters of the BC SPCA. Whether it’s by a Christmas donation, feeding the animals or simply Ishan reading a book to the critters so they have company.

TREASURER

Ret has been on the Gallery board for 4 years of a 6 year term. Ret has previously held positions in a wide variety of board governance, such as service as the Okanagan College Foundation Director and Vice President from 2010-2016, British Columbia Trucking Association Board of Directors, Canadian Trucking Association Board of Directors, Former Director of the Okanagan Historical Society, Former chair of the Creekside Strata Council, Board member of the AGSO, and even a former coach of Penticton Youth Soccer! Ret is retired now but worked as the Manager of Berry & Smith Trucking. Ret loves to find creative and innovative solutions to business problems and we are happy to have him on as Treasurer!

SECRETARY

Maggie has spent her career in the arts. In University, she ran away from Rehab Medicine and joined the theatre. With a BFA in Performance from the University of Alberta, she has worked as an actor, director and theatre producer in Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto, co-founding a theatre company in Toronto. She has also worked in arts administration for Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre, the Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival and the Abu Dhabi International Film Festival. She developed the Kelowna Actors Studio Academy Foundation and was the Executive Director for many years. Maggie is a lifelong learner. She has a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, and she used the recent lockdown to formalize her editing skills, also at SFU.

DIRECTOR

Hello! My name is Cindi Lou. I have lived most of my life in the Okanagan. I have lived at Apex for over 30 years. I was taught to ski at an early age and it became a life long passion. I joined the Ski Patrol at Apex in the late 80s. I soon knew that I had found my place and my people. I love it! I am a huge music lover and a member of the Dream Café Co-op. I'm an incurable dancer. One-time member of the Penticton Clog­gers. I love thrift shopping and collecting. I love creativity.

I recently took an early retirement from a career in Health Care. I was a shift worker, which really suited me and my ski hill lifestyle. Which in turn, provided the balance I needed to make me more focused and effec­tive at my job.

I became a member of the Penticton Art Gallery approximately 15 years ago. I felt so inspired by the caliber and scope of the exhibits and activities they were hosting. I love the inclusivity the PAG embraces. It is one of the things that truly makes it a spe­cial and safe place in our community. I am super excited to be a part of it.

DIRECTOR

Ann Doyon is a writer from Regina, Saskatchewan. Her mother was Beatrice Keewatin (Peepeekisis First Nation) and her father was Melvin (Butch) Hanson of Kelvington, Saskatchewan. She is an accomplished multi-media artist with a career that has spanned decades garnering national and international attention for her powerful wordplay and intense performing style. Her design and artwork is in various private and public collections across Turtle Island. She was gifted to be the mother of two fiercely unique and talented girls Aurora Jade and Lilyanna Lune. Ann currently lives in a heavily fortified compound in the wilds of British Columbia.

DIRECTOR

Nancy Schmidt is a Penticton Indian Band Member and grew up in Okanagan Falls, graduating from SOSS in Oliver. She hails from from the McLean & Richter families. Her interest in the arts started early in her life - In grade 10, she took a fashion illustration course at Emily Carr in Vancouver which gave her an early introduction to an art education. From 1986-88 Nancy took Fine Arts at Okanagan College in Kelowna with sponsorship from the PIB, eventually living in Yukon and California and returned to the Okanagan in 2017 to be closer to her family. Nancy enjoys her 2 horses and 2 dogs on her property in Kaleden with a gold smithing studio using gold from the Yukon, making original hand fabricated works under the label, .860fine.

DIRECTOR

My work as an art producer is highly interdisciplinary. I work in a wide range of artistic mediums and, as is common with commercial artists, create art combining mediums and using improvised materials. My medium combination of choice includes acrylic and/or watercolour paint, coloured pencil, and ink.

Aside from photographs, realism is absent from the style of my artworks. Most of my original designs feature aberrant line work, geometric patterns, and bold colours. The major exception to the latter being my collection of colouring page designs and illustrations.

Nature and animals are my biggest source of inspiration, with pop-culture and gaming also being a big influence. Self-described as a 'crazy cat lady', I am not shy to admit that cats are both my favourite and most regular subject. You could say they're my favourite 'mews'.

DIRECTOR

Katie Elizabeth Bowling has been volunteering with The Penticton Art Gallery occasionally for years, and holds a certification in event planning from Okanagan College. She has a passion for community outreach and has sat on the boards of many meaningful organizations such as Dragonfly Pond Family Society, Agur Lake Camp Society, Penmar, Children's Festival, and United Way. Her involvement in the community invites accessibility and inclusion of all ages.

DIRECTOR

Jesse William Doucette is a multifaceted individual who brings a wealth of diverse experiences and skills to his role as a board member of the Penticton Art Gallery. Jesse has pursued his passion for art as a landscape painter for the past five years, using his creative platform to shed light on the impact of Climate Change. Alongside his artistic pursuits, he finds joy in engaging with puzzles and mental challenges. Beyond his artistic and musical endeavors, Jesse has a background as a Network Security Specialist and is a self proclaimed "Computer Wizard."

Jesse's empathetic nature and adaptability enable him to establish connections and build rapport with individuals from all walks of life. He cherishes diversity and proudly identifies as a gay man, recognizing the value of representation and inclusion within the art community.