Meet The Board
Founded in 1984 by a group of visionaries and culturally-minded individuals dedicated to enhancing the ‘theatre life’ of the community, the Board of Directors oversees the business operations of TheatreCollingwood. The elected volunteer Board members are responsible for governance, fundraising, personnel,government relations, financial reporting and facilities.
The Board members work closely with the Management team to develop and maintain a healthy, non-profit,professional theatre company with charitable status.
As noted, our Board Members are all volunteers, and we thank them for all their time and dedication that they generously give to support Theatre Collingwood!
Marie Rounding
Board Chair
Marie has been on the Board of Directors for Theatre Collingwood since August 2014. She took on the role of Chair of the Board in 2022. Marie is a retired lawyer and corporate director. Her legal career was primarily in the energy sector in both the public sector (Chair of the Ontario Energy Board) and private sector (Counsel at Gowling WLG; CEO Canadian Gas Association). She is a past and current board member at several electricity utilities (EPCOR Electricity Distribution Ontario, Ontario Power Generation and Nova Scotia Power), but also active as a NFP board member in the health and arts sectors (e.g. current or past Chair of boards of Canada’s National Ballet School, Doctors’ Hospital and Kensington Health Foundation.)
Marie has been a resident in the Collingwood area for the last 35 years, initially as a weekend skier, then year round weekender and gradually advancing to recent full-time residency. She feels Collingwood is a great place to appreciate the great outdoors with lots of year round sports and activities and with family nearby.
Jim Roe
Vice Chair
Jim recently retired after a very rewarding and successful 45 year career in Canada’s arts and entertainment industries. He was the General Manager of St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts for over 10 years. Prior to that he worked for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment on the concert, events and Raptors side of the business. He also worked at the stadium formerly known as SkyDome as Director of Event Operations and spent 10 years as a freelance Stage and Production Manager, which included a brief stint stage managing a show on Broadway.
He has 20 years experience serving on boards of directors in the NFP arts sector, most recently as chair of the board of Theatre Passe Muraille.
In 2012 he was honoured to be awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, for “a career spent as an advocate for and ambassador of the Arts in Canada.” It is fair to say that he “eats, sleeps and breathes the Performing Arts”. He was recently named to the Town of Collingwood’s Steering Committee to work on Phase 3 of the feasibility study to build a Collingwood Centre for the Arts.
Howard Morrison
Treasurer
Howard joined the board of Theatre Collingwood in 2023. He is a retired CPA CMA accounting, finance
and operations executive with experience in corporate and not-for-profit organisations. Howard also
serves on the board of Hospice Georgian Triangle and is a member of the 4Seasons Probus management
committee.
Howard and his wife moved to Collingwood in 2018 attracted by the lifestyle that the area offers and a
long family history in the southern Georgian Bay area.
Victoria Behune
Director/Special Events Committee Chair
Victoria joined the Board of Theatre Collingwood June 2023 and is Chair of the
Fundraising and Special Events committee. After 14 years, Victoria retired as President & CEO, OTEC (Ontario Tourism Education Corp.) a provincial, not for profit, workforce innovation, training and consulting
organisation. Prior to OTEC, she held senior executive positions in the tourism, arts and service sectors, including: CAA, Tourism Toronto, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Toronto Tours, Ontario Place, and the Ministry of Tourism. In addition, she has been on several Boards including as President/Chair for Oakville Arts Council and Attractions Ontario and has served as a Director for Destination Ontario, Tourism HR Canada,
Oakville Waterfront Festival, Vaughan Tourism and York Region Tourism. She is currently on the Strategic Planning Committee for Pelican Sound Golf and River Club. Victoria enjoys working with the dynamic and creative group of individuals making up the TC Team, with the goal of making a difference not only to the organisation, but to the arts, culture, and tourism community in SGB.
Patricia Best
Director/Strategic Development Committee
Patricia Best’s career has spanned journalism, government and private sector consulting. A senior advisor at the federal and provincial levels for the past decade, she previously worked as an award-winning journalist for leading newspapers and magazines including the Globe & Mail, the Financial Post, Toronto Life and Maclean’s magazine. She is the author of three critically acclaimed, best-selling non-fiction books. During her time in business in the private sector, she advised corporate leaders on strategic communications, stakeholder engagement and public affairs. Patricia divides her time between Collingwood and Toronto and is a passionate, long-time supporter of the visual and performing arts.
Harold Bickerstaff
Director/Historian/Special Events Committee
Harold Bickerstaff is Theatre Collingwood’s longest serving board member, having joined the group in 1999. Over the years he has served in many different capacities including Chairman of the Board of
Directors. He is currently on the Special Events Committee, helping plan our fundraising activities.
Harold is president of Bickerstaff Sales Agency and has been in the Toy and Juvenile Products business for
over 45 years. His company serves the needs of retailers across the country, and he has received many awards for the companies he has represented both in Canada and around the world. He has held senior
positions with or represented Fisher Price Toys, Evenflo, Munchkin, Zak Designs, Dolly, Gerry Baby Products, Jolly Jumper, and many other children’s products companies.
Shortly after moving toCollingwood full time in 1998 he was approached by one of the founders of Theatre
Collingwood- Barbara Weider- and encouraged to join the Board of Directors. He has seen a lot of changes
since that meeting! Along the way Harold has also been involved with the Rotary Club of Collingwood, having served as President and filled many other positions in the Club. He is a three time Rotary Paul Harris
Fellow. He has been involved with the inaugural Collingwood Dragon Boat Festival, worked with the Humane Society, Meals on Wheels and other local organisations. Harold has also been on stage with the
Gaslight Tour for dozens of episodes over the years.
He is “the Voice of the Wasaga Beach Blues Festival” and continues to voice commercials and voice overs in the music business.
Andy Dumas
Director/Marketing Committee
Andy Dumas is a versatile stage performer, director, producer, a veteran of radio and television, and author. Andy has acted and directed professional theatre throughout the GTA for many years, and was the founder and Creative Director of “Lights Up Theatre Productions” in Burlington, Ontario. His most recent plays
include Key for Two, Mousetrap, Don’t Misunderstand Me and Noises Off. Andy was Co-Host of the entertainment/news magazine television show, Real Life on CTS-TV. And, his radio experience includes On-Air
talent at 820 CHAM (Hamilton), 92.5 CISS-FM (Toronto), The Breeze 103.1 (Calgary) and KSON 97.3 (San Diego). Andy is also the author of eight sports and fitness guides founded in his passion and expertise in boxing.
Having been on both sides of a camera, microphone and stage, Andy’s creative intuition and artistic perspective has been called upon for a multitude of media interviews and documentaries. Off stage, you can find Andy outdoors expending energy, pushing his fitness boundaries to new levels, and capturing the beauty of his home in South Georgian Bay in photographs. Andy brings his exceptional passion for the transformative power of the performing arts to Theatre Collingwood.
Rob Hart
Director/ Marketing Committee Chair
Rob and his family have been coming to Collingwood for recreation
since the mid-80’s and made a decision to become residents in early 2019.
After completing his MBA at the Schulich School of Business he had a 40+
year career holding senior management positions in general management,
marketing\communications, sales management with Nestle, Melitta, Jostens
Inc., Torstar, Mississauga Living Arts Centre and others.
Rob’s seven years with the Mississauga Living Arts Centre as Director of
Marketing and Communication and on the leadership team provides valuable
experience for Theatre Collingwood.
Since moving to Collingwood he has become a member of the CACE
(Collingwood Arts Culture Entertainment) Group and is president of the Condo
Board in his community.
Rob joined the Theatre Collingwood Board in 2021 and marvels at the
creativity and accomplishments the small staff at Theatre Collingwood are
able to achieve year in and year out.
Michelle Kingsbury
Director/Special Events Committee
Michelle has been a Board Member since March 2018. She is a realtor and enjoys helping clients with their real estate needs in and around Collingwood. The Collingwood area has been home since 1999 when she gravitated to the area for the love of the outdoor activities, skiing, hiking, and paddle boarding.
Michelle’s first memory of going to a live performance is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She was amazed by the larger than life set, actors, costumes, and sound. She believes that live theatre is important to enjoy and live in that moment, being part of the audience in each performance is truly a unique experience. If Michelle could play any role in a show, it would be being part of Chris Tsujiuchi’s A Very Chris-terical Christmas Cabaret! Maybe someday!
Richard Lemoine
Director/Finance Committee
Richard joined the board of directors of Theatre Collingwood in August 2014 as Vice-Chair.
He was first attracted to Collingwood for skiing (1996). After having rented for a few years, then buying a condo in Cranberry Village, Richard and his wife Debra Friendly decided in 2004 to start building their future home and moved full time to the area in 2010. Richard is semi-retired from the accounting firm he founded in 1990. He likes to say that he has kept the clients that are fun to deal with. Prior to forming his own firm he worked for one of the big four accounting firms and had a stint owning part of an advertising agency prior to returning to the accounting profession in 1990. Richard has served on numerous boards and most recently retired as chair of the board of Cross Country Ski Ontario. He remains active in the ski world as the treasurer of Southern Ontario District of Cross Country Ski Ontario, president of the Highlands Trailblazers (operating out of Highlands Nordic in Duntroon) and is an active race organiser and international level technical delegate. His previous board experience includes Commodore of the Etobicoke Yacht Club, treasurer and executive board member of Taffelmusik – (Canada’s premier baroque orchestra), Vice Chair of Junior Achievement (Peel Region) and the YMCA (Mississauga).
David McFadden
Director/Governance and Strategic Development Committees Chair
David became a director of Theatre Collingwood in 2012. He is the President and CEO of Generation Four Capital Corp and currently serves as Chair of the boards of directors of Toronto Hydro, 407 International Inc. and PCI Geomatics Inc. David also serves on the boards of Cricket Energy Holding Inc. and Makwa Development Corp. He is a member of the Board of Governors of York University and is a director of the Yonge Street Mission. David is a member of the Energy Board of MaRS and of the Council for Clean and Reliable Energy. He was a partner in Gowling WLG for 30 years where he served over the years on the firm’s Executive Committee and Board of Trustees. He previously served as Chair of the Ontario Centres of Excellence, the Ontario Energy Association and the Canada-US Business Association. David particularly loves his time on the Board of Theatre Collingwood with its creative spirit and great sense of teamwork.
Heather Craig
Director/Special Events Committee
Heather, one of our newest Board members, is eagerly anticipating the celebration of Theatre Collingwood’s 40th anniversary. With her valuable skills and expertise, she is committed to utilising her abilities to contribute towards the organisation’s continued success for the next 40 years and beyond. Heather’s dedication and passion for Theatre Collingwood will undoubtedly play a significant role in ensuring its continued growth and prosperity. She is an experienced and enthusiastic individual with a strong background in administrative roles within the oil and gas industry. She is currently working as an Advisor Assistant/Office Manager for Sun Life Financial in Owen Craig’s advisory practice. In addition to her professional career, Heather has been actively involved in volunteering. She has served on the Parent Council at both Mountainview Elementary School and Nottawa Elementary School, and she has served as a secretary for the Collingwood Girls Hockey Association. Heather and her husband, Owen, have been servicing the Georgian Bay area for fifteen years.
