Simon Brault, O.C., O.Q.
Director and CEO, Canada Council for the Arts
Mr. Brault was appointed Director and CEO of the Canada Council in June 2014, after serving as Vice-Chair from 2004 to 2014. Over his 30-year career in the cultural sector, he has been a driving force behind several major projects. Notably, as Administrative Director and Director General of the National Theatre School of Canada, he coordinated the ambitious project of restoring Montréal’s historic Monument-National.
He has held key positions in national organizations and was active in Montréal’s 2007 Rendez-vous summit and Agenda 21C de la culture du Québec. He helped launch Journées de la culture and was a founding member and Chair of Culture Montréal (2002–14). A passionate advocate for bringing cultural concerns to the public agenda, he is a sought-after speaker at national and international events and author of No Culture, No Future (originally published in French as Le facteur C: l’avenir passe par la culture).
Mr. Brault is an Officer of the Order of Canada, Officier de l’Ordre national du Québec, a Fellow of the CGA Order and the CPA Order, and is a recipient of the 2009 Keith Kelly Award for Cultural Leadership.
Queenie Choo
CEO, S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
Queenie Choo was appointed as the CEO to commission the first culturally based seniors care home in Edmonton, Alberta. In 2007, she led the Home and Community Care team within Alberta Health Services as Director of Home Care in the Capital Region, providing leadership in service redesign to meet the multicultural needs of the community. In 2010, she was appointed as the Executive Director responsible for redesigning the home and community health system within Alberta Health Services.
With her strong background in community services and effective leadership ability, in 2012, Ms. Choo was appointed as the CEO of S.U.C.C.E.S.S., the largest non-profit social service organization in B.C. Her unique contributions include presentations to the Standing Committee on Women’s Issues and the Senate Committee on Termination of Entrepreneur Investment Programs, plus leading teams that have developed innovative programs in the area of skills and training, employment, business development, settlement, language, family and youth for newcomers, senior care and housing.
Ms. Choo holds a master’s degree from the University of Alberta and was a recipient of The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee award for significant contributions to the community.
David Dandeneau
Aboriginal Artist and Community Activist, Educator
David Dandeneau was born in Fisher Branch, Manitoba, son of a French-speaking Métis father and a Dutch mother. He obtained a BA and Certificate in Education and went on to teach Art in French and French Immersion schools. He also taught himself Aboriginal Métis art and shared his knowledge with his students.
Mr. Dandeneau was an art consultant for the Manitoba Department of Education and later the Founding Director of the Development Office of his Alma Mater, l’Université de Saint-Boniface.
For over 40 years, he has been involved in the Festival du Voyageur and is also a founding member of several community organizations, including the Gabrielle-Roy House, the Saint-Boniface Development Corporation, and Héritage Saint-Boniface—founded to save the first French and English teachers college of Western Canada. He is co-chair of the Manito Ahbee Festival. From 2009 to 2013, he served on the Board of the Language Rights Support Program.
In 2012, he was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his community service.
Maxine Granovsky Gluskin
President of Board of Trustees of the Art Gallery of Ontario
Ms. Granovsky Gluskin has been a member of the Art Gallery of Ontario since 2002, serving as vice‑president from 2005 to 2013, and has held positions on the executive, development, finance and nominating committees. She was co-chair of the innovative fundraising initiative New Founders during Transformation AGO and, along with her husband, Mr. Ira Gluskin, was an early and generous donor to the Transformation AGO campaign.
Outside of her activities on the board, she initiated the Drawing Room and the Brown Bag Lunch & Talk series and is also a member of the Contemporary Circle and smART women.
Currently President of Maxine Gran Investments, Ms. Granovsky Gluskin formerly served as an executive with Atlantic Packaging Products Limited. She has also been actively involved with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the United Jewish Appeal and Mount Sinai Hospital.
Dr. Christopher McCreery, MVO, PhD
Private Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia and Executive Director of Government House
An expert in honours and the Crown in Canada, Dr. McCreery is frequently consulted by federal, provincial and Commonwealth governments.
Dr. McCreery holds a doctorate in Canadian political history from Queen’s University and has published many articles and books. He is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society, Royal Heraldry Society of Canada, and the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy. He is the National Historian for St. John Ambulance and is active with a number of volunteer organizations.
In 2010, Dr. McCreery was appointed by the Prime Minister to serve on the Governor General Expert Advisory Committee—a panel of six people selected to advise the Prime Minister on the appointment of a new Governor General—and, in 2012, was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum. He has also worked for the Privy Council Office, the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the Speaker of the Senate—where he devised the design for the Parliamentary emblem/badge—and Senator Michael Kirby.
In 2010, Her Majesty the Queen appointed him a Member of the Royal Victorian Order.
Deborah Morrison
Publisher, Educator
Deborah Morrison joined the Society for Educational Visits and Exchanges in Canada in July, 2014. Prior to that, she served 12 years as President and CEO of Canada’s History Society and publisher of Canada’s History magazine and Kayak: Canada’s History Magazine for Kids.
During her tenure, Canada’s History expanded to include a broader range of topics and publications, including the Governor General’s History Awards, the best-seller 100 Photos that Changed Canada, and Canada’s Great War Album.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Morrison held leadership roles at both the Historica Foundation of Canada (Historica Canada) and The CRB Foundation, coordinating the launch of the well-known Heritage Minutes and developing many of their educational and outreach programs, including the Heritage Fairs program. During her tenure, she has been actively involved in the broader history and heritage community, serving at both the provincial and national level.
Raised in Winnipeg, she earned a BA in Political Science from Carleton University in Ottawa and an MBA (Executive) from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal.
