CHRC announces First Cohort of Talent to Lead

December 5, 2016

After a difficult selection process, given the quality and number of applications from across the country and the sector, CHRC is pleased to announce the 18 successful participants in the first cohort (English) of its Talent to Lead (T2L) programme. The second cohort (to be announced in early December) will include a French stream, as CHRC works with La Chaire de gestion des arts Carmelle et Rémi-Marcoux at HEC in Montréal, and the well-established mentorship programme in Québec, Mentorat culturel.

  • Michelle Yeung, Development Manager, Toronto Arts Foundation ON
  • Michael Erwin, Production Manager, Neptune Theatre NS
  • Robin Sokoloski, Executive Director, Playwrights Guild of Canada ON
  • Kari Hueber, Director of Audience Engagement, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony ON
  • Amber Andersen, Director, Estevan Art Gallery and Museum SK
  • Paul Beauchamp, Producer & Operations Manager, Acting Up Stage Company
  • Po Yeh, Director, Community & Corporate Engagement, Honens AB
  • Joseph Bardsley, Development Manager, Grants & Proposals Vancouver Opera BC
  • Glenn Brown, Theatre Manager, Sanderson Centre City of Brantford ON
  • Tanya Derksen, Executive Director, Regina Symphony Orchestra SK
  • Katherine Stadel, Manager, Events and Audience Services Simon Fraser University, BC
  • Megan Mainwaring, Program Officer, Strategic Initiatives, New Brunswick Museum NB
  • Andrea Loewen, Director of Marketing and Publicity, Pacific Theatre BC
  • Sarah Farrell, General Counsel and Director of HR  Soulpepper Theatre Company ON
  • Sean McManus, Executive Director, Manitoba Music MB
  • Joanne Cripps, Executive Director, Deaf Culture Centre ON
  • Melaina Sheldon, Community Arts and Events Coordinator Teslin Tlingit Council Heritage Department YT
  • Maegan Black, Director Canadian Crafts Federation, NB

Central to the training of these mid-career managers are mentorships with senior cultural leaders. See the mentors they will be matched with on the Talent to Lead website at www.talenttolead.ca.

Another important aspect of T2L is a series of 10 monthly webinars on HR related issues, from a leader’s point of view. The participants will “attend” learning webinar sessions based on CHRC’s HR Management Toolkit and presented by professionals from the highly respected Williams HR Law firm in Toronto. They will cover such topics as:

  • Building Future Leaders Through Mentoring
  • Set Your Organization up for Success: The Importance of Job Descriptions
  • A Crash Course in Recruitment: The Fundamentals of Hiring Right
  • Contract Essentials: Drafting & Negotiating Contracts with Independent Contractors
  • Are You Protected? Strategies to Prevent and Deal with Workplace Harassment
  • Managing Performance to Maximize Your Workforce
  • Dealing with Challenge and Conflict in the Workplace: Strategies for Effective Conflict Resolution
  • Managing Terminations – the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
  • It’s All About Relationships: Working with Non-Profit Boards
  • Assuring Your Future: Succession Planning to Sustain Your Organization

Although they are spread out across the country, the T2L participants will grow as a “cohort of peers”, sharing their learnings through the webinars and a protected website for exchanges of questions, challenges and successes.

The call for applications for the second cohort will be launched in early December, with a January 15, 2017 deadline.

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