The CCF/FCMA is proud to introduce our newly minted Executive Committee, including our new President, Gilles Latour, Vice President, Kelly Bruton, Second Vice President, Glenn Piwowar, Treasurer, Alison Norberg, Secretary, Linda Brine, and Past President, Deborah Dumka. Each brings a wealth of craft experience and knowledge to the sector, from differing backgrounds but with the same inspired passion for craft.

Our new President, Gilles Latour, has a lengthy history with the CCF/FCMA. For the past six years, he was the Ontario Representative on our board. The past two of these six years he was also our Treasurer, utilizing the strengths of his 11 year career as the Chief operating Officer of the Canadian Education Association. His volunteer experience includes positions of leadership such as Past President of the Canadian Society of Association Executives (Trillium Chapter) and Past President of Craft Ontario.

Vice President Kelly Bruton also brings a history of non-profit experience from her days with OXFAM and the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador. She is a textile artist and film industry worker, bringing a direct artistic perspective to the executive committee. Moving to Vice President from the Second Vice President role, which she filled for the past year, Kelly also previously acted as the Newfoundland & Labrador Representative on the board for over two years.

Second Vice President Glenn Piwowar and Treasurer Alison Norberg are both new additions to the executive committee, but will both continue in their role as the Yukon Representative and Manitoba Representative on the CCF/FCMA Board of Directors respectively. Glenn brings a wide variety of experience as an artist, engineer and teacher, while Alison is a textile artist with an impressive twenty five years of non-profit experience as a professional and a volunteer.

Last, but not least, we have Past President Deborah Dumka and Secretary Linda Brine. Both have a long history with the CCF/FCMA as regional board members for British Columbia and New Brunswick respectively. Members of the Executive Committee since 2010 and 2011, both are also practising artists in large-scale sculptural and production work, Deborah in felt and Linda in textiles and paper.

The CCF/FCMA is excited to be working this this vibrant crew of volunteers, but we also recognize the achievements of those who have moved on from the organization. We simply would not be where we are today without the very significant contributions of Ken Wilkinson (our former President) and Tom Dean (our former Treasurer, Vice President and Interim President). Their extensive support for the organization lead us through a period of change and refreshment, leading to the many projects we currently have on the go, including the upcoming Conference and Symposium in Charlottetown, PEI, September 25th – 28th. (For more information see www.heirloom2014heritage.ca)