Brendan McKeen believes that everyone, no matter where you live or what you can afford, deserves access to the arts. During the day, you can find him at Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre serving as the Individual Giving Manager. Early in the morning and late at night, Brendan is the Executive Director of manitoba UNDERGROUND opera, an indie opera company he founded in 2008. He has two music degrees including a Masters of Music in Orchestral Conducting from Northwestern University. Brendan is deeply thankful for all his mentors who have helped him throughout, he wouldn't be here without you.

Lucie Lederhendler (she/her/hers) is the curator of the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba in Brandon. Previously, she was a director of the curatorial collective Studio Béluga and the Educational Programs Manager at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts in Montreal. She holds a Masters of Art Education from Concordia University.

Rose-Anne Harder is a distinguished alumna of the University of Winnipeg’s Manitoba Arts and Cultural Management Certificate Program and the University of Manitoba’s Theatre program. Holding certification as an Event Coordinator, she brings a wealth of expertise to her roles. As the dedicated Executive Director of the Manitoba Arts Network for the last decade, Rose-Anne’s primary goal has been to enhance arts accessibility in the rural and northern regions of Manitoba.

With a strong commitment to the arts community, Rose-Anne has also held the position of Chair at Creative Manitoba and served as a board director at Artspace. Her career path leading to MAN included a decade of valuable experience within two sector councils: the Manitoba Tourism Education Council and Film Training Manitoba. Prior to these roles, Rose-Anne demonstrated her versatile talents as a director, stage manager, production manager, and scenic artist.

Jenel Shaw is a self-taught visual artist who graduated with her masters in Disability Studies from the University of Manitoba. Her dissertation, An Autoethnological Study of Art as a Tool of Empowerment, examined her own experiences with mental illness and disability art. Jenel is a passionate advocate for the disability community, with a focus on accessibility in the arts. Jenel is the executive director of Arts AccessAbility Network Manitoba, the Co-Chair of the Manitoba Artist-Run Centres Coalition and sits on various arts boards.

Mary Agnes Welch is a partner at Probe Research Inc. where she helps associations, non-profit and government clients understand what the public thinks about big policy issues, and why. She is the chair of the Exchange District BIZ and past chair of Westminster Housing Society.

Sean McManus is a leader in the Canadian arts community, serving as the Executive Director of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of Manitoba Film & Music and as a Director with Manitobans for the Arts. With a rich history in arts management, Sean previously led Manitoba Music and the Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations, significantly advancing training, international export, and Indigenous music development in Canada. He has also held positions such as Chair of the National Advisory Board of FACTOR and President of the Western Canadian Music Alliance, demonstrating his adeptness in regional and national arts advocacy and sector building. Sean has been actively involved in community service and holds degrees in Music and Ethnomusicology from Brandon University and York University respectively. His leadership continues to significantly influence the cultural landscape of Manitoba and beyond.

Chris Turyk (He/Him) has worked and volunteered across Winnipeg’s creative sector since 2005 in film and television, dance, music, and theatre. He’s served as a board member for Pride Winnipeg, Outwords LGBT Magazine, Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, and most recently held the position of Board Chair for Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers until late 2023.

As Company Managing Director for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) he oversees the company’s performance and touring strategy. During his time at the RWB, Chris has led national and international tour initiatives for the Company including in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Chris holds a Project Management Diploma and an Arts and Cultural Management Certificate from the University of Winnipeg, where he also began teaching Strategic Management in July 2024 through their department of Professional, Applied, and Continuing Education.

Louise Waldman is a storyteller, writer and PR professional who has worked for some of Canada and Manitoba's most iconic brands, including the CBC, United Way and the Canadian Wheat Board.

Jason Hooper has worked at the West End Cultural Centre since 2009 when he began as a house manager the first week of the Centre’s reopening after a 4-million-dollar renovation.
Since then, he has been Community Coordinator, Artistic Director, acting General Manager and is the first Executive Director of the centre.

In addition to his many roles at the West End, he has an honours degree in playwrighting from the University of Winnipeg. His work has been produced as part of the Winnipeg Fringe Festival and Winnipeg’s Master Playwright festival where his adaptation of August Strindberg’s short story The Big Gravel Sifter received five stars from the Winnipeg Free Press. He has performed in short films for Astron-6, Noam Gonick, and Guy Maddin as well as a puppeteer for The Watch and Spectacle Company.
Jason has years of experience on arts juries.

He has been a juror for such esteemed boards and organizations as Factor, Saskatchewan Arts Board, Manitoba Arts Council, Manitoba Film and Music and the Winnipeg Arts Council.