The Board of Trustees

Gursh Barnard is CEO and Partner at The Executive Studio. She is a professional accredited executive coach, leadership and organizational culture strategist, and a diversity and inclusion consultant. Gursh collaborates with individuals, organizations, and companies to improve performance in dynamic environments.

She has extensive not-for-profit governance experience. She has served as Chair of the Saskatchewan Foundation For the Arts board of trustees; Chair of New Dance Horizons, a contemporary dance company; member of the Board of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the longest running ballet company in North America; and a Director on the Saskatchewan Arts Board. She has facilitated development of a board and volunteer engagement strategy, as well as team building for the Winnipeg Art Gallery. She was the first recipient of the Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governor’s Arts Award for Volunteering.

She had a successful 15-year award-winning career in television where she played an important role in strengthening the community by telling the stories of diverse aspects of community life, including news, current affairs, and outstanding individual and group contributions.

Gursh is an accomplished relationship builder who is committed to the value of collaboration in developing partnerships; she is especially dedicated to creating a legacy of financial support for the arts and artists. She is motivated to understand and communicate the value of the arts in society, and especially the vital contribution that artists and their work make to the cultural vibrancy of Canada.

Glen is a partner of Berger Cavan Group. He serves his clients in the areas of audit, accounting, income tax compliance, corporate reorganizations, trusts and estates, and succession planning. Glen has practiced public accounting since qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 1983. He serves a wide variety of enterprise clients with concentration in residential construction and health care professionals.

Glen has carried out a wide variety of client assignments encompassing business and tax advisory, sales tax planning and recovery, business start-ups, valuation, investments and divestitures. Glen has also conducted commercial arbitration work, is a member of the Foundation for Administrative Justice and has completed several of the courses working toward certification.

Glen has also successfully completed the postgraduate course in board governance at the Johnson Shoyama School of Public Policy. Glen has served on numerous boards of directors, notably Saskatchewan Science Centre, University of Regina, Friends of the RCMP Heritage Centre and Taekwondo Canada.

Professional Affiliations

Past member of Professional Conduct Committee and Practice Appraisal Committee for Chartered Professional Accountants of Saskatchewan

Awarded FCA by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Saskatchewan

Ray Bailey works as a funeral director in the Yorkton area. Influenced by his parents, Allan and Colleen Bailey’s community involvement, Ray is currently involved with various community organizations including: the Yorkton Rotary Club, Yorkton Cross Country Ski Club, Yorkton and District Community Foundation.

He has served his profession by serving on the provincial regulatory board of the Saskatchewan Funeral and Cremation Services Council and currently serves on the Western Canadian Cemetery Association.

“I joined the Saskatchewan Foundation For the Arts in the hopes of furthering my mother, Colleen Bailey’s involvement and contribution to the Foundation For the Arts and to further support the arts in our province. Our family have always been incredibly supportive of arts and culture in our community and in our province.”

I feel that serving on the board is a way for us all to support the arts in our province and build a legacy of support and permanent stable funding for the arts in Saskatchewan. Our province enjoys a remarkably diverse and rich cultural heritage. Through supporting arts and culture, I believe our province will continue to honour our heritage and nurture more diversification and creativity into the future.

Scott McGillivray is an educational and developmental leader with a flair for creative marketing and a deep appreciation for the arts. Professionally, Scott is a key member of the executive leadership group at iQmetrix, one of North America’s foremost providers of retail management software, which he joined in 2003. Prior to his current role leading the company’s training academy and his seats on the boards of iQmetrix Global’s three enterprises, Scott stewarded the firm’s marketing, culture, and corporate strategy during its formative years. Before iQmetrix, Scott was a business professor for seven years at his alma mater, the University of Regina, where he was twice named Professor of the Year within the business faculty.

Personally, Scott has a passion for the arts, from music to literature to theatre, and more. Having lived in the province since his teenage years, Scott joined the board of Saskatchewan Foundation For the Arts in 2016, prompted by his observation of the lack of funding available for provincial artists. Scott’s deep-rooted belief that artistic expression plays a vital role in everybody’s quality of life inspires him to help find ways to supplement artists’ incomes and empower them to simply create, for the benefit of all.

Jocelyn holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Regina, recognized provincially and nationally for her expertise in policy development, strategic management and facilitating multi-party cooperative efforts. She made a vital contribution to public service for over 30 years.

Jocelyn leads and inspires with creativity and passion. Jocelyn currently serves as Co-Chair of the Tiffany Circle of the Canadian Red Cross. She is past president of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and Chair of its Endowment Fund. Jocelyn is an alumna of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership conference and remains active in the organization of the tri-annual national conference.

She is devoted to serving her community as a volunteer, with a focus on Special Olympic sports, literacy, helping newcomers to Canada and the arts.

Christopher Stoicheff (MA) (MPPGA) is passionate about supporting the arts and is a proud board member of the SFFA.

Christopher is currently the Director of Public Affairs and Communications at Huawei Technologies Canada CO., LTD. He completed his Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs (MPPGA) degree at the University of British Columbia, specializing in “Global Governance and Security” policy. While completing this degree, he conducted fieldwork in Ethiopia as a student consultant on Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) policy, culminating in a report for the Ethiopian Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) and the Canadian International Resource Development Institute (CIRDI). In 2017, he completed his MA thesis on “The Policy of Foreign Takeovers in Canada’s Non-Renewable Resource Sector” at the University of Saskatchewan—analyzing the hostile takeover attempt of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (PCS) by BHP Billiton, and the CNOOC takeover of Nexen Inc.

In government, Christopher has worked as a special assistant to the Hon. Ralph Goodale; as a Ministerial Assistant to Saskatchewan’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and Saskatchewan’s Minister of Advanced Education, Employment, Labour, and Immigration. In 2012, Christopher was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his commitment to public service.

Valerie Creighton, C.M., S.O.M.(President and CEO Canada Media Fund)

Valerie Creighton is an industry leader in arts, culture and media, recognized for reenergizing some of the country’s most important organizations in the sector over the last thirty-five years. An expert in organizational change, Valerie has been recognized as a visionary in promoting Canada’s cultural wealth.

Currently serving as President and CEO of the Canada Media Fund, Valerie positions Canadian programming at the forefront in world markets advocating successful, innovative Canadian content and software applications for current and emerging digital platforms. Valerie has taken part in foreign trade missions and is regularly called upon to present the CMF model internationally.

Valerie was invested into the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2016 and the Order of Canada in 2019. She was named one of 2016’s 20 most powerful women in global television by The Hollywood Reporter, was recognized in 2017 by Women in Television and Film – Vancouver for her major contribution to promoting gender equality in media, and was bestowed the Honorary Maverick Award at the 2017 Female Eye Film Festival. Most recently, she received C21’s 2020 Content Canada Impact Award.

Valerie holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Saskatchewan, has served on a variety of regional, national and international juries and boards and has produced radio dramas for the CBC in Saskatchewan, where she owns and operates the Red Horse Ranch.

Jeremy Morgan

Jeremy Morgan has been actively involved with the arts and cultural communities in Saskatchewan since coming to the province from Nova Scotia in 1988. Jeremy has served in a number of senior leadership positions in Saskatchewan including General Manager of the Saskatchewan Council of Cultural Organizations (the predecessor of SaskCulture), founding CEO of Wanuskewin Heritage Park and longest serving Executive Director/CEO of the Saskatchewan Arts Board.

Since leaving the Arts Board in 2010 he has maintained an active cultural consultancy with a wide range of clients and served as Interim Executive Director of the MacKenzie Art Gallery, 2012-2014, and, of the University of Saskatchewan’s four art galleries and permanent art collection, 2016-2019.

He has served on a number of volunteer boards and committees, including the Saskatchewan Citizen’s Advisory Council for the Centennial and as Chair of both the Minister’s Heritage Council and the Saskatchewan Tourism Authority/Tourism Saskatchewan. A recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and the Centennial Medal, the Mayor of Regina’s 2014 Business and the Arts Award for Excellence in Arts Management and Service and the Premier’s Public Service Award, in 2011 he was awarded one of the first two Diefenbaker Fellowships at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.

Jeremy is a former member, Board of Directors, Persephone Theatre; former member and chair, City of Saskatoon Public Art Advisory Committee; current board member and former chair, Saskatoon Open Door Society; and current board member of the Remai Modern.

Peter Sametz

Peter Sametz has been at the forefront of numerous cultural initiatives in Saskatchewan for over 30 years. Highlights include the Art at Work Initiative for the City of Regina Cultural Capital of Canada program; the installation of the Centennial mural at the Legislative Building unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; managing the Saskatchewan Centennial Commissioning project; serving as Assistant Vice-President for the Culture Division of the 2005 Canada Summer Games; negotiating the co-production of the Love, Saskatchewan festival at Harbourfront in Toronto; establishing the Portail Culturel Fransaskois program in partnership with the provincial and federal governments; negotiating the delivery of granting programs on behalf of Access Copyright Foundation; and developing the concept for the Legislative Building’s very successful 100th Anniversary Artist in Residence Initiative – the first of its kind in Canada.

He was an advisory member of the Regina Arts Commission for 17 years and was instrumental in the redevelopment of its adjudication processes. He was the founding Treasurer of CADAC, the national arts database, and was a founding member of the Provincial Steering Committee for Creative Kids Saskatchewan. He is the former Managing Consultant for the Saskatchewan Orchestral Association.

As a professional musician, he conceived of the chamber ensemble Orchestra Villaticus, and has held the position of Assistant Principal Horn of the Regina Symphony Orchestra since 1987. He has served as Chair of the RSO Players’ Committee, and is currently Treasurer of the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians. Mr. Sametz is a recipient of the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal.

Stephen Craven

Stephen Craven has been actively involved in Canada’s entertainment industry since 2008, primarily focusing on its music and television sectors. Since then, he has assisted a large number of public figures, talent management companies and record labels across North America with developing their digital platforms and growing their online audiences. He recently completed a Certificate in Contract Law from Harvard University.

Currently, Stephen is the Manager of Digital Services at the Canada Media Fund where he oversees all of the CMF’s digital properties and online promotion of CMF-funded projects. Notably, Stephen led the recent re-design and development of the CMF’s new corporate website from conception to completion.

Prior to joining the CMF, Stephen was the Director of Digital Development at a Vancouver-based creative agency where he led the strategy and development of websites, portals, promotional materials and much more for clients in various industries.