Meet the Team

Lila is the founding Executive Director of North York Arts. Over her 17-year career in the cultural sector, Lila has worked for several non-profit arts organizations including the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, ReelWorld Film Festival and The Harold Greenberg Fund. Lila has held various roles including artistic producer and programmer. Through community and commercial partnerships, Lila has helped generate upwards of 500,000 cultural patrons and has created opportunities for artists and cultural-leaders to thrive. Lila is a digital photographer with a B.A.A. in photographic arts from Ryerson University. Her work has been exhibited in Toronto, and she regularly serves on visual arts juries.

Contact Lila at lila@northyorkarts.org.

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Melissa joined North York Arts in 2014 and has since worked on numerous initiatives to provide opportunities for artistic participation within the community. Melissa has over 10 years working in the public sector. Throughout her career, she has collaborated on several community arts projects and facilitated arts programs both abroad and within Toronto. Her primary focus is on the development and implementation of public art and community driven, arts-based programming. Melissa holds a BA (hons) in Theatre Studies as well as a Community Arts Practice Certificate from York University. She also holds a post-degree diploma in Arts Management from Western University.

Contact Melissa at melissa@northyorkarts.org.

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Cecília holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in film studies from the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil and has built a diverse portfolio working in the Brazilian film industry. After arriving in Canada, she was fascinated by the Canadian cultural landscape; her experience as a volunteer for London Community Players drew her to pursue a career in arts management. Cecília received a diploma in arts management from Western University and has since volunteered with Airsa Art & Thought and Regent Park Film Festival, and has worked as a gallery assistant at Queen Gallery in Toronto. In 2016, She completed an internship with North York Arts where she further developed her skills and passion for arts programming and volunteer management. She is thrilled to be at NYA and to help to build communities through the arts.

Contact Cecilia at cecilia@northyorkarts.org

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Joe Borowiec is an arts enthusiast who is seeking to support and promote the arts and artists in Toronto. Joe was a corporate policy and management consultant at the City of Toronto where he facilitated problem solving and policy implementation with City agencies and corporations. He also managed the recruitment of the boards of City corporations and was the policy lead in the public appointments process for the boards of City agencies. Prior to that, he was a budget analyst where he analysed and processed operating and capital budgets.

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Kristopher Dell has been working professionally in the Arts since 1994. He is presently the Director of Production and Facility Services at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. Attending York University in 1991, Kristopher graduated with a BFA in Theatre specializing in Production. Working as a freelance designer, technician and production manager, Kristopher has worked at theatres and festivals such as Buddies in Bad Times, the Tarragon, Factory Theatre and the Luminato Festival.  Kristopher joined the Toronto Centre for the Arts as a Production Manager in 2002, and has immensely enjoyed working with all the different acts, artists and organizations that have appeared upon the TCA’s stages. His duties have gradually expanded to include facility services, but it always comes back to the shows.

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Umair has been involved in the Arts sector since 2000 and has extensive experience in curating, art administration and management. He has an MSc in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Oxford, UK and an MBA from the University of Adelaide, Australia. Umair migrated to Canada in 2014 (from Pakistan) and since then has worked in senior roles at major cultural organizations such as the Aga Khan Museum and Harbourfront Centre. In 2017 recognizing his contributions to the Toronto Art sector he received the prestigious ‘Leaders Lab’ fellowship by the Toronto Arts Council and Banff Centre. Prior to arriving in Canada, he founded the Institute for Preservation of Arts & Culture (also known as IPAC), the first non-profit organization in Pakistan that focused on developing sustainable solutions for promoting traditional performing arts and livelihood / welfare services to marginalized artist communities.

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Kirsten Kamper is a dedicated fundraising and operations professional, passionate about the social and financial impact of arts and culture. She has had the privilege to work for over 18 years in the non-profit sector, currently as Vice President, Operations and Campaign with the Royal Ontario Museum Governors. Kirsten has worked in progressive fundraising positions for 13 years at the ROM, most recently as Vice President, Annual Giving. Prior, she worked in membership and communications with The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, and the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres. Kirsten has an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Toronto, and a graduate diploma in Non-Profit Administration from Concordia University. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Born and raised in Toronto, Millean has always been an advocate for the arts. After graduating from university with a B. Mus. and a B. Ed., she became an educator in the Toronto school system.

Millean discovered Pottery and Glass Fusing a number of years ago. She was able to share her enthusiasm for the arts with other educators and a variety of special-needs students. Since retiring, Millean has devoted much of her time to her passion: Pottery and Glass. She is the sole proprietor of her business “1 in a Millean”.

To keep her schedule filled, Millean is President of the North York Visual Artists and she volunteers at the Toronto Botanical Garden. As well, she enjoys cooking and baking.

Diana Panagiotopoulos has been a principal in the TDSB for nearly 10 years.  Currently, she is the principal of Don Mills Collegiate Institute, which is known for its CyberArts program.  She completed her B.A. Honours and Bachelor of Education at Glendon College, York University and her M.Ed. in Administration and Policy Studies at McGill University.  Ms. Panagiotopoulos is on the board of Expect Theatre, an award-winning, Toronto-based company who create original multi-disciplinary productions that explore modern urban life.

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Kathleen Sloan is a seasoned marketing and communications executive, contributing to the success of organizations in both the non-profit and commercial sectors. Her significant experience in the arts and culture industry began with marketing roles at Roy Thomson Hall/Massey Hall and then at Livent, where she developed and managed advertising initiatives across North America for award-winning theatrical productions including The Phantom of the Opera, Fosse and Barrymore. Kathleen was Director of Marketing for CAPA/Shubert Theater in New Haven, Connecticut, before returning to Toronto and joining Luminato as Director of Marketing, building the brand of the premier annual arts festival. From 2011 – 2016 she led the marketing and communications for Canada’s Walk of Fame, and is currently the Director of Marketing and Communications for Villa Charities Inc. Kathleen holds a Chartered Marketer designation.

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Bill Stephenson is a senior finance professional who assists clients who are undergoing transition to solve problems, improve processes and systems, implement internal controls, execute and transfer knowledge.Bill believes that a finance professional should not only measure value but serve as a business partner who helps create value and drive strategy. Bill is a CPA, CMA and holds a business degree from the University of Toronto. He has worked in many industry sectors and has worked with organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies.

Bill has always enjoyed and supported the arts. He has been an active member in many community musical organizations over the last two decades and feels that arts organizations not only enrich the lives of artists and residents in the community but offers them the opportunity to connect with others. He is thrilled to be able to serve on the board of North York Arts and put his financial knowledge and experience in community- based arts organizations to use.

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