Ian Rea (Chair), Regina
Chartered Professional Accountant and Retired Financial Service Industry Executive

Ian’s career spanned 34 years as a finance, management and governance professional serving credit unions, cooperatives and government in Saskatchewan. Current board roles include Board Member, SaskWater, Board Chair, Community Initiatives Fund in Saskatchewan and Public Appointee – Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals Complaints Committee and has served as the Board Chair of both the Alzheimer’s Society of Saskatchewan and Canada, Chair of CPA Saskatchewan’s Professional Conduct Committee, Board Chair of CMA Saskatchewan among others. Ian and his spouse have two daughters and two granddaughters.

Michael Afenfia, Saskatoon
Lawyer, Writer

Michael Afenfia is a lawyer and writer with several award-winning published novels. He immigrated to Canada in 2019 and has served on several committees and boards supporting the community, including Word on the Street Saskatoon, the University of Saskatchewan and the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan (MCoS). His novel The Mechanics of Yenagoa, published in 2021, is being adapted into a TV series. Leave My Bones in Saskatoon, a novel about the immigration experience, is now a recommended text in the University of Calgary and is available in libraries across Canada. He contributes to conversations around race relations and equity and mentors young creatives in Nigeria and Canada.

Diana Domm Smythe (Vice-Chair), Martensville
Strategy and Customer Experience Leader

Diana Domm Smythe began her career in theatre and arts management and has brought that passion for creativity and innovation to her work in business strategy, marketing, and management. She holds a BFA from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from the University of Saskatchewan. Diana is an advocate for the arts and the impact it makes in our communities.

Carole Epp, Saskatoon
Ceramicist, Curator, and Writer

Carole Epp (she/her/they) is a ceramic artist, curator, writer, and community organizer. She holds an MFA from the Australian National University and a BFA from the University of Regina. Epp’s illustrative work, characterized by innocence, nostalgia, and hope themes, tackles complex subjects through everyday objects. Epp edited the blog Musing About Mud for 17 years, co-founded the Canadian ceramics collective Make and Do and co-authored The Encyclopedia of Inspiration: Ceramics. With support from the Canada Council for the Arts, she curated an exhibition for the Ceramics Congress featuring 88 Canadian ceramic artists.

Barbara Meneley, Val Marie
Visual Artist

Barbara Meneley is a prairie-based visual artist whose site-responsive work critically engages with colonial structures and contemporary settler relationships to the site. Her works are shaped through intermedia art – video, cartography, drawing, performance, sculpture, installation, writing and dialogic practice. Barbara also works as a researcher, mentor, and university instructor, teaching art history and studio art, most recently at the University of Regina and First Nations University of Canada.

Judy McCuskee, Regina
Insurance Consultant and Arts Consumer

Judy McCuskee established a consulting firm specializing in risk assessment, management training, and insurance expert work 20 years ago after owning an insurance brokerage for the previous 20 years. Serving on professional regulatory boards such as the Law Society of Saskatchewan and the General Insurance Council allowed Judy to promote the public’s interest for many years. She is equally passionate about the role of the Arts in developing healthy children, improving lives and building communities. She has served the Regina Symphony Orchestra for many years, including as Board Chair and Past Chair from 2018 to 2024.

Cheryl Ring, Prince Albert
Visual Artist

Cheryl L. Ring is a visual artist and works out of HeartSpace Studio, a commercial space in Prince Albert, SK, Canada. Cheryl is an eclectic and dynamic artist whose work is recognized both locally and internationally. HeartSpace Studio represents a place to grow and connect, allowing makers time to reflect and make sense of their world while they create. The heart is meaningful to Cheryl for its cultural significance and universally recognizable shape, which is entrenched in our psyche as a cultural icon. The heart and our connection to it signified Cheryl’s desire for a kinder, more connected community through art.

Alison Watson, White City
Business Owner and Operator

Alison is a small business owner and is passionate about her community. She has been a small business owner/operator (Winecraft) since September 2016. Before purchasing this business, Alison worked in the financial regulatory environment with credit unions in Saskatchewan for 13 years, where she gained experience in financial management, risk management and governance. Having earned a BAdmin from the University of Regina, Alison and her husband enjoy living in a smaller community and raising their three children. She has also been an active coach in various sports for several years.