As of May 15 the Nominations Committee is pleased to present the following slate of candidates to be elected at the June 16, 2023, Annual General Meeting:
Caroline Walker
A lifelong patron of the arts, Caroline enjoys dance and theatre, reading books and attending literary events, frequenting galleries and art shows, going to concerts, and visiting museums and heritage sites, both at home and abroad, from major international institutions to small local repositories. She places great value on arts and culture in her own life. Her work and volunteer activities have been passionate about helping to increase access to meaningful culture in society.
Caroline’s career has been dedicated to the cultural industries. She has worked for national non-profit organizations such as The League of Canadian Poets, and was employed in the book publishing industry for many years, including as Marketing Manager at Fifth House Publishers and Managing Editor of Thistledown Press in Saskatoon. During her years as Inventory Manager at McNally Robinson Booksellers, she also did volunteer work with the annual book festival The Word On The Street, serving on the board as well as working on the programming and promotions. In addition, she was on the board of Creative Saskatchewan for six years during its formative stage. She was the founding President of the Saskatchewan Publishers Group (now SaskBooks), and also served on the board of CanCopy (now Access Copyright), a national organization that compensates publishers and creators for the use of their work through collective licensing agreements with educational institutions and others.
One of her great joys of working in bookselling was helping customers pick their next read and connecting readers and writers. Like author events in the bookstore, the annual The Word On The Street festival succeeded brilliantly in allowing thousands of readers of all ages to see and hear published authors and illustrators from across Canada and Saskatchewan, and afforded writers and artists the opportunity to meet their readers in person. Caroline’s work in publishing has been as a facilitator, seeing creative works through the editorial, design, and production stages and ensuring their promotion and distribution to as wide an audience as possible.
It is Caroline’s belief that arts, culture, and heritage are vital to every society. Culture is all around us. In addition to our cultural expressions through various forms of art, it is everything from the furniture we use to the clothes we wear, from the food we eat to the languages we speak, to the understanding we have about our community, its history, and our relation to the wider world. Exposure to arts and culture promotes empathy, creativity, and critical thinking, all virtues in need today more than ever. Agencies like SaskCulture that make cultural opportunities available, especially to young people, are crucial to the future of our province and our country.
Caroline is a strong supporter of SaskCulture’s mission to enable all members of society to experience, participate in, and benefit from the arts, multiculturalism, and heritage, and would be proud to contribute to that work as a member of the board.
After growing up in Toronto and New Jersey and then getting a B.A. from Queen’s University, Caroline began her career in arts administration in Toronto. She relocated to Saskatoon for a job in publishing, and raised her family there. She currently shares a home with her two adult children and four cats.
Joanne McDonald
Joanne believes culture defines who we are as a province within communities, groups, and as individuals. She sees culture through expression, inclusion and reflection as critically important to our province and people.
Joanne’s background in screen-based content aligns with these ideas. She has spent many years bringing Saskatchewan stories to a television audience and helping new generations of storytellers. Joanne has always called Regina home. She works for Rogers Media Inc. as General Manager for Citytv Saskatchewan (formerly SCN), which is the provincial educational broadcaster. Rogers has recognized her volunteer contributions with a Community Involvement Award. She also recently received a Builder’s Award from the Yorkton Film Festival, a Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal, and a Lifetime Membership from SaskCulture. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Sociology from the University of Regina.
Joanne volunteers many hours with organizations or projects as part of her belief that culture is important and should be supported at every level, with organizations such as the Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association (SMPIA) (voting member, 2002-present, Board of Directors, 2007-2011, 2022-present); Yorkton Film Festival: (Board of Directors, 2009-present); Saskatchewan Arts Board Creative Industries Advisory Committee (CIAC) (2009-2013); and Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (ACCT) (voting member, 2005-present).
She first served on the SaskCulture Board of Directors from 2012-2020, including terms as President and Past President.
Yvonne Hotzak
Yvonne just completed a term as President on the board of her local museum - Fort Pelly-Livingstone Museum. She served in this position for six years after a fire totally destroyed the museum. There is now a building and functioning museum. Although COIVD has been very destructive, the museum has carried on! Did you know that the Fort was the very first Capitol of the North West Territories! This is an unknown fact that the museum has been attempting to change. Yvonne was also involved in the ceremony, story-telling, dance, and food during Indigenous Days and Culture Days.
Yvonne is a retired Registered Nurse and proud First Nations member of the Cree Nation from Cowessess. She is an adoptee and a member of the Sixties Scoop. As an RN, Yvonne also worked in Saudi Arabia for almost nine years and learned a great deal about the Muslim culture and religion. She also went into the community to vaccinate the children, attend weddings and BBQs, and work very closely with the local people. While in Saudi Arabia, she worked with 51 other nationalities.
As an RN Yvonne also served on the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses on the Negotiations Committee for two terms to come to an agreement on the contract. This past year, up to March, she was also the Chair on the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour Indigenous Committee.
She was a member of the Museums Association of Saskatchewan for seven years, serving as President and Past President. She is familiar with policy governance and has learned much about the heritage of Saskatchewan.
In the past Yvonne has served on Hospital Policy and Admission and Waiting List Management Committees; OR Executive Committee; Laser Safety Committee; as well as attended or presented numerous in-services in the OR including Harassment and OH & S.
Yvonne and her partner, Brian, live on an acreage just between Norquay and Pelly with three dogs and a couple of horses. She enjoys quilting, cross stitch, painting and many other handicrafts.
She has completed one term on the SaskCulture Board of Directors from 2021-2023 and served as Vice Chair from 2022-2023.
Candice Evans-Waite
Candice is a Métis mom of 3 from the north-west side of the province residing in Saskatoon on Treaty 6 with her husband and children. She is the owner/operator of a seasonal business and works as a consultant in the off months, currently working on a Regional Tourism Strategy. She attended Sask Polytechnic in the Recreation and Community development program in 2015 and grew up in the north with her father as the Recreation/Culture Director and her mother as an educator. Candice learned many skills from her involvement in the community.
She has an active household that enjoys anything outdoors and travel. Her family attends and takes part in as many cultural activities as possible and volunteers for many organizations. Candice has been a board member for the Saskatoon Salsa Dance Co. Parent Association for the past 10 years, spearheading policy development and fundraising. Previously she worked with the Girl Guides of Canada as a leader and initiated the program in her home community with over a 100 woman and girls. Candice also sat on the board of directors for the Northern Sport, Culture and Recreation District for two terms; achieved the CBC 40 under 40 award in 2020 in the business category; and received the 2022 Metis Citizen Award for community development.
With her skill set to motivate and get things done attitude Candice believes she would be a strong voice and advocate. She considers herself to be a role model and strive to live a healthy lifestyle. Some of her interests include: kayaking, dancing, and spending time with family in the bush. Her family cherishes the traditional way of life and hunt and gather whenever possible. She teaches her children the Indigenous ways of only taking what is needed from the earth and honouring self.
It took moving away from home for Candice understand that more could be done to preserve her culture and traditions. She has worked in the industry for the greater part of 20 years and have worked in many capacities, which makes her a good connector of people and programs.
Adam Krammer
Adam feels he would make a great addition to the board of SaskCulture with a generalized knowledge and understanding of culture and heritage in Regina, and the province of Saskatchewan. Adam is a past City of Regina employee who worked in the Cultural Development Department with community organizations to establish applications that are strong and would stand a chance at getting cultural stream funding through the City of Regina Community Grants process.
Adam has been a member, incoming president, and president (chair) for a Rotary Service Club in Regina. He provided a number of services and strategic direction to the club with a focus on fundraising and supporting inner-city youth in Regina with literacy opportunities. He is also on the board of directors for the Kenosee Lake Boys and Girls Camp as the secretary. In the absence of the chair during some medical treatment, Adam also acted as the chair of the board for the Camp.
Adam is interested in cultural development in Saskatchewan and feels as though he would be able to bring a generalized lens to the board, while also leveraging his experience on other boards operating for the betterment of the community. In his professional life, he currently works as the Director, Human Resources and Training, with the Commissionaires (South Saskatchewan Office). Adam has experience as a past elementary and high school teacher and currently works as an evening instructor with Saskatchewan Polytechnic in the faculty of Applied Management. He holds a bachelor of education, a masters of human resource development and a coaching certificate.
Christine Ruys
Christine is always amazed by the collaboration of Saskatchewan people. There are so many people who have a heartstring cause and many of these groups somehow intersects with others - which promotes this amazing synergy that you don’t find in other places. Having been born and raised in Saskatoon by Dutch immigrant parents, she understands how important these connections can be. She saw her father, Henk Ruys, with a vision of a first indoor soccer centre in Saskatoon, make it a reality by collaborating with only Saskatchewan supporters.
Christine is an avid volunteer for so many causes over her lifetime. Starting with Folkfest and volunteering within the Holland Pavilion and then on the Folkfest Board spending over 40 years in total. She has volunteered with Persephone Theatre for over 15 years, organized hundreds of events within Saskatoon including many years as volunteer captain for the Wintershine Soup Cook Off and Fireworks Festival.
She currently sits on the Discover Saskatoon (previously Saskatoon Tourism) Board and the Saskatoon Sports and Special Events Committee. She is also Vice-Chair of the Saskatoon Zoo Society for the last eight years wanting to give back those amazing memories of the zoo to other children.
Christine volunteered as board administration for the Restorative Action Program (RAP) 2013-2022, Cochair of the Rotary Badge Star Shield Dinner 2019-2023 and Development Appeals Board (City of Saskatoon) 2010-2015.
She has worked at the University of Saskatchewan for the past 28 years in many administrative capacities, but currently works in the International Student and Study Abroad Centre since 2017. She won the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal in 2020 and the Queen Elizabeth Volunteer Medal in 2023. Christine lives in Saskatoon with her husband, a retired Saskatoon Police Inspector and they have three adult children and two cats.
With her extensive board experience, Christine is very knowledgeable of Board Governance, Finance and Strategic Planning. She hopes that these skills as well as the extensive all-around experience would be a benefit to the SaskCulture Board and members.