Art Windsor Essex Welcomes Five New Board Members
May 5, 2023
At the 2022 Annual General Meeting, Art Windsor-Essex welcomed four new members to AWE’s Board of Directors. The new Board Members join a diverse and dedicated team of community leaders proud to call Windsor-Essex their home and who are devoted to AWE’s transformation into an art gallery for the 21st century.
“We are thrilled to welcome our new board members, who bring with them a large amount of experience that will aid in AWE’s executions of our five-year strategic plan, and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.” Says Jennifer Matotek, AWE’s Executive Director.
“Our board represents the change that Art Windsor-Essex seeks to create within the Windsor-Essex community. These new appointments align with the goals of the 50–30 Challenge, an initiative of the Government of Canada that AWE’s board signed in 2021.” Says Alex Baker, Board Chair of AWE. “AWE continues in its mission to become a person-centered art gallery for the 21st century with the support of this stellar group of board members. Change happens at Art Windsor-Essex, and we are seeing that impact every day, inside and outside of our gallery walls.”
Biographies of incoming Board Members:
Anthony Youssef is a Lebanese Canadian art-based researcher whose work focuses on the intersection of politics and material culture. He recently exhibited his work on the socio-political narrative of the Holiday Inn Beirut at ArtSpeak Gallery in Windsor, ON. Anthony has held positions such as curator-in-residence at Arts Council Windsor and Region. He has a Bachelor of Architectural Science from Toronto Metropolitan University and a Master of Architecture from Carleton University. Anthony has experience with non-profit governance and operations through his work with the Leamington Arts Centre and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. He has recently joined the board of directors of the Toronto Arab Film Festival and looks forward to contributing to AWE’s mandate with his passion and interest in arts and culture.
Anastasia Adams works as a program coordinator at the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families, where she helps provide access to harm reduction supports, education, and emergency housing for over 100 women and families each day. Anastasia has owned and operated several businesses in the local hospitality industry, contributing positively to the local cultural scene. As an active transportation advocate, she participates in many local groups and initiatives to improve transportation options and access. Anastasia is also an abstract painter with a BFA Hon from York University, showcasing her work locally. She proudly calls downtown Windsor her home, where she resides with her three sons.
Zoja Holman is a visionary leader who can assess business needs and create innovative, long-term strategies to achieve optimal results. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Western University and a Bachelor of Arts from Acadia University. Zoja is committed to continuous learning and has completed the Advanced Health Leadership Program at the University of Toronto, as well as a Public Relations Post-Graduate Certificate from Humber College. She is also certified in Prosci Change Management. In her free time, Zoja enjoys volunteering, reading, cooking, and staying active with her husband Jeff and their dog Lexie.
Nathalie Roy holds a BFA, MEd, and OCT degrees, and is an experienced visual and media arts teacher, who believes in connecting her students to the rich history and traditions of art while engaging them with other creative stakeholders in the Windsor Essex and broader communities. She is interested in decolonizing North American artistic products and processes and the indigenization of ways of knowing/being within artistic communities. As an interdisciplinary artist, Nathalie examines the intersection of consumerism, identity, and history to create dialogue that reinvents contemporary concepts of power and privilege. Nathalie is committed to AWE’s mandate, mission, and vision, including transformation, courageous conversations, education, engagement, and stewardship. As an AWE Board Member, Nathalie invests her time and talents in facilitating equity and accessibility to art and the means of production in all forms to all members of the Windsor-Essex community.
Egidio (Gid) Sovran CPA, CA has over thirty years of experience in public accounting. Gid was born, raised and educated in Windsor completing a Master’s of Business Administration in 1975 at the University of Windsor. He sincerely values civic engagement; currently serving on various boards and foundations including as Commissioner on the Windsor Utilities Commission and Chairman of the WUC Audit and Finance Committee, Chairman of the Diocese of London Finance Committee, Board member on the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windsor — Essex Foundation and the Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association Foundation.
