Nonprofit Management, Museum Administration, Arts Creation and Collaboration
Lisa has worked with organizations, schools, and communities for 30 years developing and delivering community and arts-based programs that foster connection, creativity, and growth. She provides consultation and services in response to organizational needs and assets. Lisa joined the City of Toronto as Museum Administrator, overseeing Todmorden Mills Heritage Site and the Market Gallery where she collaborated with many artists and groups to co-create activations centering equity, inclusion, and access. She is proud of After Dark: Spirit Tour, an outdoor immersive theatrical experience she created which explored grief and remembrance through diverse cultural lenses. She is currently on a educational leave pursuing an MA in Theatre, Dance & Performance at York University. She has worked as a nonprofit leader, manager, and administrator in the roles of Executive Director, Acting Executive Director and Senior Program Manager leading multidisciplinary teams developing community programs across the health, settlement, arts, and cultural sectors. For 16 years, as a Senior Program Manager at CultureLink Settlement and Community Services, she led teams in a range of initiatives, including the HOST Program, Settlement Workers in Schools, Newcomer Youth Summer Theatre, the International Student Connect Program at Humber College, and the Settlement Program for Refugee Women and Youth. She was the key grant writer for core government funding at CultureLink, and developed innovative community programs. Grounded in a deep understanding of the transformative impact of the arts, she initiated numerous cross-sector partnerships with arts and cultural organizations that provided free access to arts programming and mentorship for newcomers, supporting meaningful cultural connection and belonging. Prior to this, she managed programs and teams at the Jane/Finch Community and Family Centre, Regent Park Focus, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and Parkdale Focus, overseeing health promotion, substance abuse prevention, mental health, wellness, youth and youth theatre and immigrant women’s drop-ins as well as youth-led research collaborations while working with diverse communities across diverse cultures and life stages. Her work emphasizes transformation through the arts, community-led approaches, supporting residents’ ideas and contributions to strengthen and sustain communities.
Services
- Improvisation, theatre and movement games, character work in solo, duo and groups
- Creative writing, writing for healing
- Coaching for life transitions and goal setting
- Community, Partnership and Program Development
- Grant Writing, Fundraising, Strategic Planning
- MC Special Events, Motivational Speaker, Auctioneer
- Arts Activations and Co-creating Programs with Artists and Communities
- Team Building, Leadership Training, Logic Model and Evaluation Framework Development and Training
Past Clients & Partners
Clients include: ACT 3 Theatre, Sabbara Empowering Syrian Women, the Filipino-Canadian Community House (FCCH), SAWITRI Theatre, and Achieve Potential. With FCCH I developed several seniors and intergenerational programs; for SAWITRI, seniors intercultural expressive arts programming; with Achieve, I co-developed She-Rites, a women's empowerment program including writing for healing and improvisation towards your joy to support women advance their career and life goals.
Approach
Every community has unique strengths and gifts. Lisa work collaboratively to develop programs that honour local context while achieving meaningful outcomes guided by inclusivity, equity and respect.
Credentials and Training (selected):
MA Theatre, Dance and Performance York University – in process
MA in Culture and Organization, Work & Learning – Athabasca U
Bachelor of Arts in Social Development Studies, Diploma Social Work – U of Waterloo
Diploma in Acting – Studio 58, Langara College
City of Toronto, Museum Administrator (selected): human rights, access & equity, historical buildings, team building
CAMH employee trainings (selected): health promotion, mental health, substance use, team leadership, facilitation, policy, group work, community development
St. Stephen’s Community House Conflict Resolution
Health & Safety and First Aid Certification
Yoga Certifications: Ester Myers International Yoga Teacher Training; Pre-Natal Yoga; Restorative Yoga; Reiki Level I and II
Personal Wellness Certification