Songobele Mulenga is a third-year student at UPEI studying biology and psychology. He works at the International Student Office as a student assistant and the Student Affairs Office as a student mentor. Songo has had his hand in organizing many student engagement and retention activities, and hopes to make the Centre a hub for exploration and learning for the youth of PEI. 

Shreesh Agrawal is from Tanzania and studies economics and philosophy at the University of Prince Edward Island. He considers Confederation Centre of the Arts an important part of his Island experience, enjoying everything from symphonies to the annual Symons Medal Presentation Lecture. Recognizing the need for more youth engagement, he joined and now chairs the Youth Advisory Board, aiming to encourage his peers to discover the Centre. Shreesh also serves as Vice President External of the UPEI Student Union and has been a member of the UPEI Board of Governors. 

Prabhakar Bholah is from the beautiful island of Mauritius and is an Engineering graduate from UPEI. He is thrilled to be part of the Youth Advisory Board for the Confederation Center of Arts and looking forward to contributing and providing insights on how we can engage with the young audience of PEI. 

Leena Daboo is a business administration graduate from the University of Prince Edward Island, originally from the paradise island of Mauritius. With a strong passion for student advocacy, Leena brings this dedication to her marketing and communications manager role at the UPEI Student Union. In addition, Leena serves as the vice chair of the Youth Advisory Board at Confederation Centre of the Arts, furthering her commitment to youth representation and engagement. 

Joey Vo is a financial advisor at RBC in Charlottetown. She moved to Canada in 2019 to pursue her education at the University of Prince Edward Island. Joey is passionate about promoting financial literacy and actively organizes events aimed at improving financial knowledge for newcomers and youth communities.  

Hannah Johnston is a first-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine student studying at the Atlantic Veterinary College. She was born and raised in Prince Edward Island and grew up surrounded by the arts. Hannah has taken up various leadership roles throughout her schooling, such as running clubs and sitting on various committees. She looks forward to using her skills and experiences to help the Center’s outreach to younger populations. 

Caleb McKenna is a recent graduate of the University of Prince Edward Island. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration, specializing in marketing with a double minor in economics and psychology. Brought up in Prince Edward Island, Caleb is now working as a general manager at Tim Hortons while actively seeking a new career opportunity. He is passionate about fostering inclusivity and making everyone feel welcome and valued. 

Adam MacKenzie is a fourth-year student at the University of Prince Edward Island studying business administration. He hails from Sherwood, PEI, and works full-time as a ministerial assistant at the Government of Prince Edward Island. 

Adam spent 15 months as the president and CEO of the UPEI Student Union and remains on the University Senate, amongst other committees, working to represent students at the university level. He has also worked in policy and research. He is involved in the community as a board member with Project Lifesaver PEI, an organization that provides tracking bracelets to those prone to wandering. In his spare time, Adam likes to watch TV, keep up with national and global news, and hang out with friends. 

Adam will graduate with his BBA in the spring of 2025. He hopes to work in public policy and private business. 

Steve Bellamy | Chief Executive Officer

Kim MacLeod | Executive Assistant to the CEO & Secretary to the Board of Directors

Jodi Zver | Chief Financial Officer

Troy Gallant | Director of Operations 

John Mooy | Director of Human Resources 

Kevin Rice | Director, Confederation Centre Art Gallery

Adam Brazier | Artistic Director of Performing Arts

Laurie Kinsman | Director of Marketing

Andrew Sprague | Director of Communications & Community Engagement

THE HON. PATRICIA BOVEY, LL.D, DCL, FRSA, FCMA, FDFS

Patricia Bovey, member of the Senate of Canada (2016-2023) and the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Director Emerita, is a Winnipeg-based art historian, museologist, author and professor. She has lectured and published extensively on western Canadian art over many years, including Western Voices in Canadian Art, (2023); Pat Martin Bates: Balancing on a Tread, a 2015 Alberta Book Awards’ recipient; and Don Proch: Masking and Mapping, a 2019 Manitoba Book Awards’ finalist.

Commencing her art gallery career 1970-1980 as Curator of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, she was Director of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (1980-1999) and Director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery (1999-2004). She was the founding Director/Curator of St Boniface Hospital’s Buhler Gallery, (2007-2016). An Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at the University of Victoria, and Adjunct Professor of Art History at the University of Winnipeg, she taught Canadian Art, Modern European Art, Curatorial Practice, Cultural Resource Management, and in the University of Winnipeg’s MA Curatorial Practicum.

As Senator, she gave voice to the importance of the arts throughout society initiating special Senate exhibitions, programs, reports and legislation. The Senate unanimously passed her Bills S202, Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate, and S 208, The Declaration Respecting the Essential Role of Artists and Creative Expression in Canada; and adopted the Senate report she initiated, Cultural Diplomacy at the Centre Stage of Canada’s Foreign Policy. Her internal Senate work included contracting an external analysis of the Senate’s Indigenous art collection, and initiating programs such as Honouring Canada’s Black Artists; Galleries and Museums in the Senate; and Cultivating Perspectives, in which Canadian curators were invited to publish on aspects of the Senate collections.

She is a former Chair of the Board of Governors of the University of Manitoba, and was Board Chair of Emily Carr University. She served on the National Gallery of Canada’s Board of Trustees; the Board of the Canada Council for the Arts; the Withrow/Richard Federal Task Force on National and Regional Museums and a number of arts and education boards.

Bovey received a University of Manitoba Honorary Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) in 2021 and a St. John’s College Doctor of Canon Law (honoris causa) in 2023. She is a Fellow of the UK’s Royal Society for the Arts, a Fellow the Canadian Museums Association, a Fellow of Distinguished Financial Services and is the recipient of various local and national awards.

She is currently a member of Ghana’s Pan African Heritage Museum’s International Curatorial Council and is their Special Museum Ambassador. She is a member of the Board of the Roberta Bondar Foundation, and of the Diabetes Canada Government Relations and Advocacy National Committee. She continues her art history writing, as well as her work on international fraud against Canadian and Indigenous artists, and that for creative initiatives on climate change strategies with a number of international organizations.

Esmahan Razavi is a Principal at Champion Communications and Public Relations. She has extensive experience in public engagement, public policy, government relations, strategic planning, and communications. Her political experience spans all orders of government. For her outstanding work in politics, Esmahan was named one of the top 50 Arab Women in North America by the Arab Women of Excellence Awards in 2019. In 2017, Esmahan was recognized by Chatelaine as one of Canada’s 33 Women of the Year.

She is a passionate community builder and serves on the boards of several organizations at a local and national level. She also co-founded two organizations, including Ask Her, an organization dedicated to increasing the number of women running municipally in Calgary and Ahlain, a not-for-profit dedicated to using technology to assist Syrian refugees in adapting to their new lives in Canada. For her volunteerism, Esmahan was awarded a Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2023.

Esmahan has a BA from the University of Toronto.

Arlene Perly Rae is a children’s advocate, author, journalist, and literary critic. She was a long-time reviewer of children’s literature for the Toronto Star and is the author of Everybody’s Favourites: Canadians Talk About Books That Changed Their Lives. She has also written for the Globe and Mail, Quill and Quire, and Maclean’s. She was also a National Vice President of the Canadian Jewish Congress.

Her interest in the welfare of children has led to her involvement with Sistema Toronto (a social service after school program that uses intense music education), the Mr. Christie Book Awards (sponsored by Christie Brown, later Nabisco and finally Kraft), Middle Years Matter Coalition, where she was their official spokesperson, the CEO of Born to Read Project (free books to students in grades 1 – 3), and a member of the June Callwood Campaign Against Child Poverty.

Arlene co-chaired the YWCA Elm Centre Campaign, fundraising for a 300-unit complex of permanent housing for women and women-led families and Aboriginal families in downtown Toronto. She was also a board member of the National Reading Campaign, the Stratford Festival, World Literacy of Canada, McClelland and Stewart and the United Way of Greater Toronto.

She has been awarded several times for her humanitarian and volunteer work. While living temporarily in New York City, she has served on the UN Hospitality Spouses’ Committee and is currently the Director of WIF, the Women’s International Forum.

Arlene holds a MA from the University of Toronto, Centre for the Study of Drama.

His photography has been exhibited at the former Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, PREFIX Photo, the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival (2012) and in Oh, Canada: Contemporary Art from North America at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (touring from 2012–16). Ned holds the 2017 Large Year Award from Visual Artists Newfoundland and Labrador for Excellence in the Visual Arts. His work has been written about in various publications, including Canadian Art, CBC Arts, Momus, and Mason Journal.

Ned’s photographs are held in major public and corporate collections across Canada, the United States, Europe, and Australia, including the Ford Motor Company of Canada‘s Photographic Collection at the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, The Department of External Affairs in Ottawa, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and The Rooms.

His work was recently on exhibition at the Nova Scotia Art Gallery, showcasing a decade of his photography. This exhibition named “One Wave” was organized by the ROOMS in Newfoundland, highlighted his aesthetic style in a formal conversation.

Ned graduated with a BA in Art History from Acadia University then moved on to the University of British Columbia to study architecture. He returned to eastern Canada and earned a BFA in Photography at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

Rani Dhaliwal is a senior finance executive and President of RKKD Ltd., a professional consulting service, based in Mississauga, Ontario. She has held a variety of executive and leadership positions throughout her career, including roles as Executive Lead at the University of Guelph Humber Brampton Partnership, Senior Vice President of Transformation and Strategic Partnerships and CFO at Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, CEO (Acting) at the Centre for Education & Training.

Rani is currently a member of several boards including the Ontario Education Cooperative Marketplace, the Ontario Internal Audit Committee, the Ontario Finance Authority, and the advisory board of triOS Corporation. She has also served on several past boards, including William Osler Health Systems, Unicef Canada, and World Universities Service of Canada.

She is a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant (FCPA) and Fellow Certified Management Accountant (FCMA). and has earned a Chartered Director Designation from McMaster University. She holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Business Administration and Economics from York University and has completed a Supervisory Officer’s Program from Ontario School Boards. She is fluent in English, and well conversant in Punjabi and Hindi.

Donna McDougall is the owner of Multishred Inc., a destruction services firm headquartered in Ottawa,
Ontario. Multishred specializes in providing high security destruction services to industries such as
government, defence, aerospace, and other sectors with very high security requirements. In addition to
her role at Multishred, Donna is a Director of Rambri Management Inc., a family-owned property
development company, based in Stratford, Ontario.
A long-time resident of Hudson, Quebec, Donna has deep Island roots and takes immense pride in
continuing her family’s tradition of supporting Confederation Centre of the Arts. Donna holds an MBA
from the Ivey School of Business at Western University in London, Ontario and an MPA from Queen’s
University in Kingston, Ontario.

Heather Davidson, BCSLA CSLA RLA

Heather Davidson lives in Vancouver where she practices as a Landscape Architect, with a focus on natural materials playgrounds, and single and multi-family residential design.

After interning at firms in Vancouver and Calgary, and in a pursuit for work-life balance, Heather started her own practice, Heather Davidson Design, in 2013. The firm has steadily grown to a small team of 4 passionate Landscape Architects.

She has pursued community work as a volunteer chef at the Friends for Life Society, and Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, both in Vancouver. Heather is a member of the BC Society of Landscape Architects, and the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects.

Heather has a BSc in Biology from Dalhousie University and a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from University of British Columbia, where she was awarded the James Rose prize for her graduation project.

Heather’s grandfather Charles and father Charles are both past Confederation Centre of the Arts board members, and she is pleased to continue her family’s tradition of supporting the arts, despite not being named Charles.

Bob Burns joined Confederation Centre of the Arts national board in 2020. A current resident of Calgary, Bob grew up in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Charlottetown.

Now retired, Bob was the CEO of Trilagy Financial Services Ltd., a general insurance brokerage based in Calgary that was purchased by Intact Insurance. Prior to co-owning Trilagy, Bob was Risk Manager for Westburne International Drilling, Manager Southern Alberta for Travelers Insurance, and was a Buyer and Department Manager for Hudson’s Bay.

Bob is a graduate of University of New Brunswick School of Business and is a Fellow of the Insurance Institute of Canada. He brings a wealth of experience in local boards and a strong business background to the Centre’s Board.

Hailey Rowswell is a Commercial Account Manager at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). Prior to joining RBC, Hailey was the Head of Asian Markets at McInnes Cooper, supporting clients and lawyers in the Atlantic region and across Canada.

Actively involved in the business community, Hailey acts as a central navigator, bridging hundreds of entrepreneurs with opportunities that matter to them. She was named one of Atlantic Business Magazine’s 30 Under 30. Hailey currently serves as a Board Director of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce and represents as the only council member for Canada China Business Council, Atlantic Canada Chapter.

Hailey’s education and experience spans two continents, providing her with a global mindset, forward thinking skills, and proven leadership abilities.

Margo Thompson worked as an architect in Halifax for a number of years before moving back to Prince Edward Island to be with family and raise her children.  She currently works as a custom home designer and interior designer. Now that her children are grown, Margo spends much of her spare time volunteering.

A few of her past volunteer efforts include sitting on the board for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of PEI, and Summerside Presbyterian Church, where she helped with the design and construction of their new church, and coached the junior high-aged girls basketball team.

Margo assisted with the construction and interior design of the Summerside Rotary Learning Centre and was a board member of the University of PEI, and the Fandango Musical Players ( a not-for-profit musical theatre group based in Summerside.

Angus Orford, P. Eng. MBA

Angus Orford is Vice President of Corporate Planning and Energy Supply for Maritime Electric (MECL), Prince Edward Island’s electric utility. He is responsible for engineering, system planning, and energy supply for the utility, providing generation, transmission, and distribution service to approximately 86,000 customers. He previously worked with Fortis Ontario Inc., and has held several other positions within MECL.

He has done philanthropic work with the Charlottetown Airport Authority, Charlottetown Rotary Club, and the Canadian Forces Liaison Council.

Angus received his Master of Business Administration from Dalhousie University, a Bachelor of Science from University of Prince Edward Island, and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Technical University of Nova Scotia.

Robert L. Sear, P Eng., FEC

Robert (Bob) Sear is the President of Richardson Associates (1993) Limited, a Charlottetown based engineering consulting firm specializing in the field of electrical engineering and design.

He has over 38 years of experience in the engineering consulting field and has provided the electrical engineering and design for many projects in Prince Edward Island, Atlantic Canada, and Alberta, including the Prince Edward Island Convention Centre, the Holman Grand Hotel, Biovectra API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) Processing Facility, Holland College Centre for Applied Science & Technology and the Community Engagement Centre, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino, Prince County Hospital, and the Confederation Bridge. He is involved in many community organizations and is a member of Rotary Club of Charlottetown and the Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce.

Bob has also served on the Board of Directors of Maritime Electric Company Limited (2013-2021), Charlottetown Airport Authority (2009-2018), and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation (2009-2022) and served as Chair of the Foundation (2018-2020). He also served as the National Director for the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (1996 – 2000), President of the Association of Professional Engineers of P.E.I. (1995), President of the Rotary Club of Charlottetown (2004-2005), Board of Governors, Junior Achievement, PEI Business Hall of Fame (2009-2013), and Commodore, Charlottetown Yacht Club (1994).

He received a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of New Brunswick followed by a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. He is a member of the Professional Engineers Associations of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Alberta.

Alex MacBeath is the founder and Managing Partner of Island Capital Partners, an early-stage venture capital fund investing in PEI entrepreneurs and startups. He is also CEO at AtholBarra Inc.

Alex has an extensive board background serving as Chair, Island Water Technologies Inc; Chair, Regen Wastewater Technologies Inc.; Advisory Board, Crosby Molasses Inc; Director, Chair of Audit Committee and member of Executive Committee, MedicAlert Foundation of Canada; Board of Governors, Vice Chair, Executive Committee, Chair Finance Committee, University of Prince Edward Island; Trustee, Chair of Audit Committee, Canadian Museum of History; Director, Chair Finance Committee, National Angel Capital Organization; and, Vice-chair, Chair Audit Committee, Confederation Center of the Arts.

He was with Grant Thornton LLP for 35 years, 26 of those as partner. He was CEO and Executive Partner of Grant Thornton LLP from 2001 – 2008. From 2008 until his retirement in 2012, he was ‘Global Leader, Markets’ and ‘Regional Leader, Asia Pacific’ at Grant Thornton International based in London, UK. He has extensive experience in business strategy, risk management, national and international markets, and managing change in large and complex organizations.

Alex received his BSc from UPEI and his MBA from Dalhousie University. A member of the Canadian, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island Institutes of Chartered Accountants, he holds both a CA and FCA designation. He is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and holds his ICD.D designation through the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He has completed Executive Education Programs at Harvard Business School, Oxford University, and Kellogg School of Business.

Lori Pendleton has worked in the field of economic development for the last 25+ years, both with the Province of Prince Edward Island and with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. She currently works as the Director of Settlement Services at Mazu Consortium in Charlottetown.

She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), in addition to holding a certification as a Small Business Counsellor. She has worked with small business support organizations, including regional economic development agencies, and on advisory boards for business related programs delivered by Holland College and the University of Prince Edward Island.

She has a strong commitment to the arts and to the maintenance and restoration of heritage properties in the Charlottetown area winning several preservation awards for her properties. Lori has served as a resident member of the City of Charlottetown Heritage Board and on the Board of Directors of The Great George Street Gallery in addition to the boards of directors for variety of other organizations. She currently holds director positions on the Atlantic Women’s Venture Foundation, the Reach Foundation, WoHeLo, in addition to the Fathers of Confederation Trust and Foundation.

Lori began acquiring real estate in university and currently operates a portfolio of commercial and residential real estate properties. She graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Prince Edward Island.

Kateri Coade is a proud member of the Abegweit First Nation and resides on the Rocky Point Reserve with her family. Kateri is the Executive Director at the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI, where she is responsible for many portfolios including justice, employment, education, child and family services, health, integrated resource management, Aboriginal sports circle, and overall administrative duties. 

She has held various other positions such as the Senior Coordinator of the PEI First Nations Child and Family Services program, and the Director of Social Development with Abegweit First Nation.  Kateri also brings experience in working as an employee with both provincial and federal governments. Kateri is a strong voice and advocate for Mi’kmaq people living in the PEI and has worked on various policy and legislative pieces related to social development and child welfare

Kateri sits on various boards including the UPEI Board of Governors; CN Rail Indigenous Advisory Council; Atlantic Provinces Economic Council; 2023 Canada Games Board of Directors and Management as VP of Protocol; the National Advisory Committee for First Nations Child & Family Services; and the PEI Social Work Registration Board.  She has also sat on several boards and committees dedicated to the inclusion and advancement of the PEI First Nations, through various sectors including mental wellness, sport, and justice.

Kateri is dedicated to continuing education and was a Social Work Field Instructor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba and is an alumnus of the 2022 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference.  She holds a Bachelor of Political Science from University of Prince Edward Island, and a Bachelor and Master’s in Social Work from Dalhousie University.

Dr. Jacqueline Goodwin, C.Psych.

Dr. Jacqueline Goodwin is a clinical psychologist in her home province of Prince Edward Island. She is the founding Team Lead Psychologist of the INSIGHT Youth Day Treatment Program under the Division of Mental Health and Addictions, Health PEI.

Jackie has consulted to multiple boards and committees including the Health PEI Psychology Practice Council, Psychological Association of PEI, the Education and Training Committee of the Canadian Psychology Association, the Premier’s Community Health Engagement Committee, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation Board, and the Transition House Association,(now known as the PEI Family Violence Prevention Services).

Her early years were blessed with robust arts education which initiated lifelong passions about art galleries, classical and jazz music, and live theatre.  Some of her happiest moments are introducing kids and teens to the power of the arts to entertain, comfort, and communicate.

Jackie completed her B.A. with Honours in Psychology at the University of Prince Edward Island, a M.Sc.in Clinical Psychology at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, a Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology at the University of Windsor, Ontario, and a residency at the IWK Health Centre, a pediatric hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Katie is a partner at Island Capital Partners (ICP), an impact fund focused on growing the tech ecosystem in Prince Edward Island and the Atlantic region. As an operationally-focused fund, ICP heavily leans into pre-seed and seed companies to help accelerate their path to Series A.

Katie sits on a number of boards and uses her varied experience to challenge teams on their strategy, metrics, financials and team structure to set up the company for the next stage of growth.

Previously, Katie was in a leadership role at a hardware startup where she enjoyed the challenge of growing teams and systems. Before working in a startup, Katie spent over four years in the hedge funds industry at a global bank and five years in public practice accounting.

Katie is a University of Prince Edward Island graduate with her CPA, CA designation.

Coming soon

Joanne Hames is a business professional specializing in family business dynamics, human resource management and communications. Joanne was previously a member of the Board of Governors with NSCAD University, serving as chair of the Human Resources Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee. She has an MBA from the Ivey School of Business and the Institute of Corporate Directors designation from the Rotman School of Management. Joanne is devoted to supporting the visual arts in Canada and lends her time and energy to enhancing pediatric healthcare for patients and their families in Atlantic Canada through organizations like Ronald McDonald House Atlantic and Brigadoon Village. Joanne lives in Halifax with her husband and three children. Joanne and her family are longtime supporters of Confederation Centre of the Arts, and she is incredibly proud to carry on the tradition.