Laura Schneider is an experienced cultural administrator who has held curatorial and executive roles in Canadian arts organizations from coast to coast. She is deeply committed to bringing people together through responsive leadership and a desire to find creative, community-building solutions. She believes that the arts have the unique power to shape individuals and communities and is committed to supporting artists and integrating creative practice more fully into the lives of those around her. Laura has a strong record of strategic managerial leadership and her experience spans cultural organizations of all sizes. She leads with vision and good humour, and values strong interpersonal relationships and collaborative working methods. She is particularly dedicated to supporting Indigenous creative practitioners and building more informed Settler communities through the arts. Laura holds degrees and accreditations from Queen’s University (Kingston, ON), Carleton University (Ottawa, ON), University of Ottawa, (Ottawa, ON), Kellogg School of Business, (Northwestern University, IL, USA), and the University of Victoria (Victoria, BC).

Amber Maret is a dynamic professional with a diverse background in administration, leadership, and operations management, combined with a deep passion for the arts. With a strong belief in the inspirational and transformative power of art, Amber finds great pleasure in immersing herself in various art forms, constantly seeking new avenues for creative expression. Her extensive global travels have not only broadened her horizons but also instilled in her a deep appreciation for different cultures and the personal growth that comes with embracing new experiences. Amber holds a Bachelor of Science degree and has expanded her knowledge to include visual design, marketing and health and safety. This unique blend of analytical thinking and creative sensibilities enables her to approach projects with a holistic perspective. Through her work within Indigenous communities, Amber has gained invaluable experience and developed a genuine dedication to supporting and empowering these communities. She believes in creating a more informed society by amplifying Indigenous voices and advocating for a greater understanding of their rich cultural heritage.

Kris began her career at the MSA Museum Society as a community programmer, later the curator/collections manager/archivist. She has a diploma in Cultural Resource Management program and completed studies in Collections Management, Caring for Collections and Curatorship (University of Victoria) and Archival Practice, Archival Preservation, photographic preservation and digitization. It’s her passion for and knowledge of community history has allowed her to advocate for heritage on several City of Abbotsford committees: Communities in Bloom (2000-01/2017-present), Mill Lake Steering Committee (2001-02), Friends of Abbotsford Public Art, who successfully engaged the City in pursuing a public art policy (2006-10), chaired the City’s Arts and Heritage Advisory Committee (2013-14). At The Reach Kris manages collections documentation, and programs and exhibitions that ensure the collections are representative of the community and accessible to it.

Kelley Tialiou is a curator and scholar, driven by a strong commitment to engaging diverse audiences in meaningful encounters with complex works of contemporary art. Central to her curatorial practice is the conviction that museums are vital sites of intellectual inquiry, incubators of cultural pluralism and transcultural empathy, agents of social justice, and springboards of civic responsibility. She teaches art history and museum studies at the undergraduate and graduate levels and has previously held positions in the curatorial departments of the Davis Museum at Wellesley College and the Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy. Her writing has appeared in the academic journals Kunstlicht, Humanities and the Journal of Modern Greek Studies, as well as the award-winning platform The Culture Trip and the literary review Paremvasi. She is currently completing her doctoral dissertation on contemporary artists’ cosmopolitan engagements with Greece as a staging site of forced displacement, which has been supported by, among others, SSHRC and the Onassis Foundation.

Andrea Orlosky brings more than fifteen years of community engagement and arts education experience to her role at The Reach. As the founding Executive Director of Art on Wheels, a therapeutic arts nonprofit in the United States, she developed inclusive, adaptive arts outreach programming to best serve their students. In her role she worked to increase access to the arts for often marginalized and underserved communities, building relationships with stakeholders, funders, and students. Her experiences with community-building proved pivotal to her development as a public artist. In her international art practice, she seeks to elevate shared experiences and introduce opportunities for connection through community involvement in the artistic process. Andrea graduated with highest honors from the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) and over the years has attended numerous professional development opportunities on topics of nonprofit management, arts administration, and fundraising. She believes open and inclusive participation in the creative process increases the viability of art as an agent for collective empowerment. Creating responsive artistic programming that highlights the world-class exhibitions at The Reach, while expanding its impact in the broader community is work that she is proud to be doing.

Kate has been with The Reach since 2011. With her experience and knowledge of art handling and installation of contemporary artworks, Kate leads a team of installers to transform the gallery space in support of curator and artist visions. When she’s not up on the lift, she enjoys training new volunteers, interns and mentoring our emerging art professionals in The Reach’s Emerge Art on Demand program, on the details of layout, installing and art handling. Kate also managed two of The Reach’s highly successful touring exhibitions that traveled across Canada. From crate design and building to providing extensive support to the host venues, this has been one of the highlights in her career to date at The Reach.

Gureena has been a part of The Reach team since 2020 as an exhibition development assistant for the “Des Pardes: South Asian in the Valley” exhibition. Her work includes conducting interviews with local community members, creating bilingual research videos, community outreach and social media content creation for the upcoming exhibition, set to launch in Fall of 2023. Gureena completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in History and English and TESL certificate (Teaching English as a Second Language) at the University of the Fraser Valley in 2020 and is currently completing her Master’s in Public History at Carleton University in Ottawa.

Jennifer Shepit grew up in Mission, BC, where she developed a strong appreciation for arts early on, volunteering with the Mission Arts Council as a teenager and learning from local artists who supported her curiosity. In addition to her role as Visitor Experience Associate, she is also the Volunteer Coordinator at The Reach, and is responsible for the recruitment, retention, and training of a team of outstanding volunteers. In 2005 she completed a Visual Arts Diploma at UFV, where she was able to experiment with numerous mediums and explore art history. Over the years, Jennifer has continued to grow as an artist and community member.

Gracienne is an Asian-Canadian Visual Artist from Langley, BC. She recently graduated from Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Arts program, with a practice primarily focusing on photography, as well as traditional and digital drawing mediums. Her final thesis photo installation, portraying themes of a distorted sense of identity and individuality, won the top award in their graduating exhibition. This past summer, she attended a field school to Paris, France, where they had the opportunity to visit numerous art galleries and museums, where many artworks she has been studying for the last few years called home. Her appreciation for gallery spaces grew even more during the trip. Gracienne is excited to be a part of The Reach team, as she gets to explore and interact with the the local art community and experience everything they have to offer!

Shelley has lived in Mission for 27 years where she raised her family. She retired from a 30 year career working in the financial services industry. A passion for flower and vegetable gardening led her to a few years working at a local greenhouse. With an appreciation for creativity in any form, Shelley enjoys the arts and exhibitions The Reach has to offer and is excited to engage with visitors to The Reach.

Simone graduated from the University of the Fraser Valley in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and English. Her deep appreciation for art and history, has led her to work at the Reach. From 2023 to 2024, Simone briefly attended Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and had the opportunity to visit numerous museums and galleries during her time abroad. As a Visitor Experience Associate, Simone enjoys helping patrons and working in a creative environment.

Gabriela holds a diploma in digital design and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in graphic design from the University of the Fraser Valley. Here, she has cultivated her appreciation for various artistic mediums, particularly drawn to street sketching, which informs her perspective in daily interactions. Originally from Bogotá, Colombia—a vibrant city full of art—Gabriela developed a passion for the arts at a young age, often exploring local galleries and engaging with community artists. She enjoys creating a welcoming atmosphere for all visitors. In her spare time, Gabriela loves tattooing and sketching, continually nurturing her love for the arts. She is excited to be part of The Reach Gallery team and looks forward to engaging with the community.

Laura Authier is a marketing professional with more than 25 years of experience. Laura first joined the Reach board in 2019 and is currently the Board Chair as well as Chair of the Governance Committee. With a career grounded in the use of creative expression to connect and engage with audiences, as well as a deep interest in history and how the stories of the past are told, Laura has found a home for both passions at the Reach Gallery Museum. Currently the Director of Marketing for the University of the Fraser Valley, Laura first ventured into education marketing in 2005 as marketing director for St. Michaels University School in Victoria. Before that, Laura practiced marketing and communications in the technology industry, first in software development at Hewlett-Packard and later in technology services. Laura completed a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Calgary, and studied at the University of Victoria, where she earned an MBA specializing in entrepreneurship. Laura has also been a board member of the Maritime Museum of British Columbia in Victoria, where she served as vice-president of the society board and president of the foundation board.

Kam Grewal is a lawyer who practices with RDM Lawyers LLP in Abbotsford, B.C. in the areas of wills and estate planning, incapacity planning, estate administration, trusts and corporate/commercial and real estate law. Kam began practicing law in Abbotsford in 2012 and then moved here in 2014 where he continues to reside with his wife and their sons. He joined The Reach Gallery Museum as a director in 2019. Kam believes in the value and benefits of a strong arts and culture sector and welcomes the opportunity to serve on the board of The Reach and assist in its efforts to support and promote the work of established and emerging artists of our community.

Long time Arts Advocate and Educator in our community, Freddy is known for her work in theatre. She is founding Director of the Abbotsford Children’s Theatre Company which is a non-profit group that has been performing for over 40 years. Over the years, she has worked with many young thespians and volunteers to ensure quality productions for young audiences. Part of her legacy was to help ACT develop a plan for affordable, kid friendly productions during the school day that many schools attend. Many young people have been impacted by their experiences in arts programming. It is important to continue to enrich their lives with arts programming and events to create a truly vibrant community. The planning of numerous Opening Ceremonies for Summer Games held in Abbotsford is also a part of her legacy. The artistic community always play an integral part in the planning of these events. Awarded the Queens Jubilee Medal (2012), the Order of Abbotsford (2008) and Abbotsford Arts Council Lifetime Achievement Award (2016), Freddy feels fortunate to have been able to follow her passion for the arts. Freddy is pleased to continue her arts advocacy role on the Reach Board.

After leading Learning and Organizational Development in various organizations for a number of years, Kim began a small consulting company assisting organizations managing the human impact of Mergers & Acquisitions and ERP implementations. Her focus was on SAP and Crown Corporations in Canada. During this time she also Kim developed the project governance program Eiffel which is used to this day in SAP projects around the world. Having spent 20 years marketing, sales and internal communications, Kim accepted a role in Aerospace & Defence first as an Engineering Project Manager, then transitioned to the role of the Manager of Marketing & Communications with IMP Aerospace & Defence, where she has been for the past 10 years. Kim sits on several national industry boards, and is honoured to be named to The Reach Gallery and Museum Board of Directors. She lives in Abbotsford with her husband and is Mother to 3 adult daughters.

Sumitra was delighted to join the Board in 2021 having served on Boards of Directors for non-profit cultural, multicultural, food security, and social justice organizations previously. Raised in the Lower Mainland, she has lived in four provinces and has always whole-heartedly engaged in local cultural and food communities. Having moved to Abbotsford recently, she is enjoying gleaning small insights into the knowledge and language of the Stó:lō people who have considered this land sacred for centuries. Sumitra has been working in administration of higher education for over 20 years. She holds a B.A. in Honours English from the University of British Columbia.

Amy Dhanjal is a communications professional with experience in media relations, event management, fundraising, and business development. She has broad experience in health and donor relations, education, non-profit, sport, and agriculture. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria and an Associate Certificate in Marketing Management from BCIT. Amy has served on several Boards including Kiwanis Prince George, Canadian Public Relations Society – Northern Lights Chapter, and The POUNDS Project. In addition to The Reach, Amy also volunteers with Bard in the Valley. She is passionate about harm reduction, community engagement, and civic participation. Amy, her partner Ramandeep, and their two daughters moved from Prince George to Abbotsford in 2021.