Angela Watson has been cultural development officer for the City of Fredericton since 2005 when the position was created. Prior to that she was employed in the City's Tourism Division where she worked with many local cultural attractions and festivals. She was both challenged and rewarded by the task of developing this new position and credits the Creative City Network of Canada. "The Network allowed me to connect with colleagues across the county and tap into a tremendous amount of resources to establish projects and programs that fit my community." When Fredericton was designated a 2009 Cultural Capital of Canada, Angela was thrilled to oversee many of the cultural celebrations and legacy projects throughout the year.  Although not artistically creative herself, Angela participates in the arts, and enjoys inspiring others to also experience the joys or arts and culture. Angela has attended each CCNC Conference and Summit since Trois-Rivières and has been on the CCNC Board since 2007.

Ian Forsyth was born and raised in Vancouver, graduating from UBC with a BFA in Theatre.  From 1986 to 1990 Ian ran the Vancouver TheatreSports League and in 1992, after working with the Arts Club, New Play Centre, Carousel Theatre and Pi Theatre, Ian accepted an opportunity to open and run the North Peace Cultural Centre in Fort St. John.  Moving to Kelowna in August of 1998, he became the city's 1st Cultural Services Manager, working to develop Kelowna's Cultural District and Cultural Tourism Initiative.

In November of 2001, Ian moved to Burnaby to become the Arts Services Manager for the City, leaving in 2007 to become North Vancouver's first Director of Cultural Affairs.

Ian is currently the Past President of the Alliance for Arts and Culture, a board member for the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, Theatre Under the Stars, President of the 605 Dance Collective, and Secretary for the Creative City Network, and is the former Vice President of both the Magnetic North Theatre Festival and Capacoa, the Canadian Arts Presenter's association.

Motivated by the transformative power of human creativity and the arts, Betty Anne has worked in the cultural field all her working life.  From teaching literature at high school, to live music promotion, to musician artist management - all work fulfilled this belief.  She has been the Manager of Cultural Development at the City of Waterloo since 1999. 

Elena Bird is dedicated to enhancing the cultural and creative life of the city. She is passionate about maps and involved in developing municipal cultural mapping as it relates to municipal cultural planning best practices and strategies.

Elena works as a Senior Policy Advisor, Economic Development & Culture, City of Toronto.

Elena has worked for the City of Toronto since 2002 on cultural planning and cultural mapping projects including the Culture Plan for the Creative City, the follow-up Progress Report I and II and the Creative City Planning Framework and Placing Creativity, a partnership that explores mapping and the intersection of culture, economy and place.

Elena completed her M.A. in Cultural Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Before this she studied Economics at Ryerson University and Arts Management at the University of Toronto. Currently she is a member of the board of the Creative City Network of Canada (CCNC), and chair of the Municipal Cultural Planning Incorporated (MCPI) Municipal Cultural Mapping Guidelines Working Group. In the past she has served on the board of artist-run organizations YYZ Artists’ Outlet a centre for contemporary visual art, and Pleasure Dome a collective dedicated to the presentation of experimental film and video in Toronto.

Lois has been with the City of Grande Prairie Community Services department for 18 years and is currently Manager of Culture and Sport Development.    Prior, she spent 10 years in the public and post secondary education system working in both rural and urban environments. These experiences have provided her with opportunities, such as being at the forefront of in organizing and delivering major events in her community. Her responsibilities include contract management for the operation of the City's cultural facilities, and project management for the construction and development of several capital projects. She is married, and is a mother of two, and grandmother of five. 

Michel Jutras is the Director of Arts Culture and the General Manager of the Cultural Development Corporation with the city of Trois-Rivières, QC. He has been working for the city of Trois-Rivières in various roles since 1980. Michel is a graduate of the Université du Québec à Montréal with a degree in political science.

Sandra Kochan is the Cultural Services Manager for the City of Kelowna. She started her professional career with 9 years as a lawyer in private practice. After ‘retiring' from practice at the advanced age of 31, she spent 13 years in the Okanagan wine industry which, to be truthful, was a lot more fun. A consulting contract in cultural tourism led to links and an eventual long term relationship with Cultural Services. Sandra worked as the City's Public Art Coordinator for 5 years before assuming her new role in March, 2009.

Caroline Obeid is the Portfolio Manager for the newly opened Shenkman Arts Centre, a local multidisciplinary arts centre in the east end of Ottawa. Previously, Caroline worked for the City of Ottawa Cultural Services Branch as the Project Coordinator working on cultural facility development, budget preparation and policy reports. Caroline holds a Masters in Arts Administration from Drexel University, Philadelphia. As an Ottawa native, Caroline is committed to facilitating local arts development.

David Plouffe has worked in Canada's cultural sector for 17 years as heritage interpreter, educator, public programs manager, and planner. Since the late 1990s, he has specialized in informal education, program development and heritage planning and interpretation.

David's work and leisure experiences have been shaped by being an "army brat", a varsity athlete and a father of two wonderful children and a loving and  supportive wife.

David's work in cultural development began in mid-nineties when he joined the Seagram Corporation's museum. In 1997, David joined the Vancouver Museum - Canada's largest civic museum- as their Public Programs Officer. During his tenure in Vancouver, David conceived and launched numerous award winning public program initiatives.

David Plouffe holds a master's degree in Recreation & Leisure Studies, specializing in cultural development. He is an advocate for civic tourism that weaves together arts, heritage, natural history, and recreational experiences  that reveals a destination's sense of place.

David works for the City of Calgary as a Heritage Planner and more recently as Acting Executive Assistant to the Director of Land Use Planning. He is also a board member for, Interpretation Canada and Lifestyle Information Network, and a frequent speaker and workshop leader at interpretation, arts, heritage, and community engagement conferences.

Frances is the Arts and Grants Consultant with the City of Saskatoon, responsible for the implementation of the Civic Arts Policy and providing funding to the community.  She has worked in a variety of cultural fields including libraries and museums. Presently Frances is part of the team developing a new Culture Plan for the City of Saskatoon.