After working in a senior management role at Arts & Communications since September, 2000, Bonnie purchased the company from its founder, Nina Wright, in January 2004.

Bonnie’s great passions include: her family and friends, sponsorship (of course), anything and everything French, jumping on her bicycle, karate, and a good cup of tea.

Charlene Lo - Vice President, Public Relations
(416) 966-3421 ext 207

With 10 years experience in public relations, Charlene’s arrival at Arts & Communications expands the firm’s expertise and offering. Charlene is responsible for the further development of the public relations discipline at A&C, a natural complement to its existing sponsorship and experiential services.

The role connects Charlene’s passion for arts and culture, with her experience as senior counsel for world-leading consumer companies. Most recently at her position as Group Account Director at Cossette, Charlene managed and organically grew four cornerstone P&G portfolios – BabyCare, PetCare, Personal Health and FabricCare – premium and low proof brands for Bacardi Canada (Grey Goose and Bombay Sapphire), General Mills Canada, and Metro Ontario Inc. In 2008-2009, four out of five P&G brands under Charlene’s leadership won Marketing Awards in Product Initiative and Commercial Innovation.

Charlene has excelled at several global companies in internal, external and executive communications, including PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada and Weber Shandwick Worldwide. Also familiar with the world of broadcast production, Charlene has worked as a segment producer for echo on Sun-TV, as well as for CTV’s etalk and Canada AM.

Charlene has a B.ASc from McMaster University and a post-graduate in Public Relations from Humber College. She is currently working on her Accreditation from the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS), a respected measure of professional experience and excellence in the field of public relations.

Outside of the office, Charlene can be found either in downward dog at an ashtanga yoga class, or eating Italian food at one of her favourite neighbourhood haunts. Her love of the latter necessitates her dedication to the former.

Desirée Ford - Senior Account Director
(416) 966-3421 ext 205

Desirée joined Arts and Communications in 2004, bringing knowledge and expertise from the client side of the marketing world. Having majored in French and Italian Literature, and Business at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, Desirée has worked with international corporations.

Her travel and work experience with two highly profiled corporations, Walt Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line, has provided A&C with valuable insight into the events and sponsorship world within Canada.Desirée's sponsorship selling history moves from strength to strength, working with a wide variety of renowned institutions across Canada. One of her biggest clients is GREY GOOSE® Vodka - she is responsible for Grey Goose's national sponsorship and public relations campaigns.

With her love for the arts, culture and business, and her proficiency in multiple levels of sales and valuation, Desirée is a valuable addition to any project.
 Desirée is an ardent advocate of colouring therapy, and keeps a very large box of crayons in her office for emergencies.

Julie Kelk - Account Director
(416) 966-3421 ext 205

Julie Kelk has been a member of the Arts & Communications team for over nine years. Her focus has been predominantly on the experiential marketing side of the business working with brands such as Grey Goose Vodka and Pioneer Electronics. Julie has also worked with a number of corporations, including Mackenzie Financial, Raymond James, and Scotia Private Client Group executing client engagement initiatives across Canada.

With a degree in Fine Art History and Economics from the University of Toronto, Julie's strengths lie in her keen eye for detail and her highly analytical thought process. These skills make her invaluable to several of the brands A&C represents, particularly in developing and implanting national sponsorship and public relations programs. Widely recognized as a strategic thinker who specializes in creating innovative and results-driven experiential marketing tactics, Julie has also led a number of valuation projects for some of Canada's top cultural organizations including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Bill Reid Gallery.

Tamar Huberman – Account Director
thuberman@artscom.ca

Tamar has over six years of experience in cultural management including roles in public affairs team CHUM Television and development at the Ontario College of Art & Design. Most recently, Tamar consulted with NetGain Partners Inc., serving clients such as Kaha:wi Dance Theatre and Toronto's International Bach Festival.

Tamar joined the Arts & Communications team in January 2007. Tamar's client work draws on her experience in both the for-profit and non-profit fields. She focuses on strategy development and building corporate partnerships for cultural projects and non-profit initiatives.  Tamar has a Masters in Business Administration and a Masters in Art History from York University, as well as an undergraduate degree in History from Queen's University. She also hopes to become a Chevalier with the Confrérie des Chevalier du Taste Fromage de France.

Yvette Lam – Account Director
(416) 966-3421 ext 206

Yvette comes to Arts & Communications with a passion for the arts combined with a strong background in marketing communications.

Following her Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing and a specialty in British Literature at the University of Toronto, Yvette began her career in marketing with high-profile agency Young & Rubicam. Here Yvette focused on such clients as LG, Colgate Oral Care and Burger King. Yvette then moved on to Cossette Communications where she worked on campaigns for Bell Mobility and Enterprise Businesses.

After her time in the corporate sector, Yvette's love for the arts moved her to New Brunswick where she filled the role of Director of Marketing and Development at Theatre New Brunswick.

Yvette now works on sponsorship project at A&C, and has been an integral of such projects as the Royal Conservatory of Music and Engineers Canada.

James O'Connor – Account Director
(416) 966-3421 ext 209

James' highly successful career in sponsorship and development only came after his many years as one of the National Ballet of Canada's stars on the stage. James has graced us with his talent as a soloist in such performances as Four Temperaments, Swan Lake and The Taming of the Shrew. He received his training from the Alabama School of Fine Arts, the San Francisco Ballet School, the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and the School of American Ballet – New York City Ballet.

As a professional dancer, James performed with the Boston Ballet from 1986-1990, and then moved to Toronto to perform with the National Ballet of Canada from 1990-2000. Before joining A&C's sponsorship team, James acquired his skill by working with some of Toronto's most influential not-for-profit organizations. His passion and commitment to the National Ballet of Canada led to his role as Artistic Liaison for the company in 2000. He then took on the role of Manager of Corporate Sponsorship with ACT, and leant his expertise to the International Aids Conference for AIDS 2006, Toronto. In 2006, James joined the Sponsorship Sales Development Department at the Harbourfront Centre, where he facilitated many successful sponsorship and development campaigns. In a voluntary capacity, James is a current member and past President of the Board, for the Art of Time Ensemble, under the Artistic Direction of Andrew Burashko. Currently James can be found on most weekends teaching ballet at Canada's National Ballet School, riding his bicycle and playing tennis. And, he has traded in his tights for the rigours of hot yoga.

Nicole Fisher - Business Manager
(416) 966-3421 ext 214

Nicole's love for art, culture and non-profits led her to Arts & Communications, where she is our Business Manager. Nicole holds a BA in History from the University of Western Ontario and before joining A&C, Nicole's passion for travel and international development led her through 39 countries – and counting.

In her home city of Toronto, Nicole worked for many years with the boutique active travel company, Butterfield & Robinson, managing research and the B&R Fund. With six years of work in Asia her most challenging position came with CUSO on the Thai/Burmese border, managing an income generation project for Burmese women refugees.  Nicole lived around the corner from the International Tribunals in The Hague for two years, working for OXFAM and managing non-profit projects across India.  St. Vincent and the Grenadines is Nicole's second home and she heads down as often as she can, staying longer than planned whenever possible!  

In her spare time Nicole supports organizations in Toronto such as TurnAround Couriers, The STOP and works actively with OXFAM Canada.  Her loves include downhill skiing, scuba diving, road biking and dark chocolate.

Tanya Aviles - Office Administrator
(416) 966-3421 ext 210

Eager to venture further into Canada’s cultural scene, Tanya joined the Arts & Communications team to provide critical infrastructure support. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto; a double major in Sociology and Women & Gender Studies. Tanya continues to be an extremely active volunteer outside of office hours assisting at both Toronto Distress Centre and for CAMH. She looks forward to every opportunity to explore both A&C’s sponsorship and experiential marketing projects, which compliment her long-time interest in the arts.

Tanya is fluent in Spanish, passionate about travel, loves cycling, snowboarding, and music.

Janet Conover - Senior Vice President
jconover@artscom.ca

Janet Conover, senior vice-president at Arts & Communications, has directed the Public Relations Department for more than 25 years. She has developed and implemented public relations strategies for major cultural projects, including the Audubon Birds of Canada national touring exhibition, and the three-year tour of This Other Eden: Canadian Folk Art Outdoors.

Among her high profile publicity assignments are the 2006 CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival and the Kirov Ballet tours of Canada. Recent work has included the opening of the Corkin Shopland Gallery, and on behalf of KPMB Architects, the opening of the Gardiner Museum, Canada's National Ballet School and the Young Centre for the Arts.

Through her work with many clients in the not-for-profit sector, such as the AGO, Gardiner Museum, AGNS, CMC and VAG, she has established a strong network of national, regional and local media contacts. Among her clients are many of Canada's leading corporations including Raymond James, Canada Trust, Scotiabank, Investors Group, AIM Funds Management and Goldman Sachs Canada.

Michella Frosch - Associate for Western Canada
(604) 638-0228

Michella Frosch heads Arts & Communications' Western Canada operation, based in Vancouver, BC.

With over 20 years of experience, Michella has executed numerous consulting contracts that have drawn upon her exceptional skills in business, management, organization, fundraising and communications. She possesses a thorough understanding of business as it relates to the cultural and not-for-profit sectors, garnered through her experience in the creative world and as an entrepreneur dealing with cultural and charitable organizations. Michella's extensive experience in international arts, design and culture, and the education/entertainment industries have won her the reputation for being a tireless worker and a strong team builder.

Over the years, Michella has worked with Envisioning and Storytelling, Illuminated Filmworks, the New Zealand Society of Designers, Galleria Manzoni, the Canadian Craft Museum, and Producer's workshop. In addition to her role at Arts & Communications, Michella is currently President of Crescende Enterprises Ltd., and Tusscin Management Ltd. She also serves on the Boards of the Arts Umbrella Foundation, the International Centre for Global Ethics (Canada), Chairs the Board of the Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale, and is an advisor to several other charitable organizations in arts and culture and business.