Sandra Dyck is an experienced and dynamic cultural leader who served as Director of Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG) in Ottawa from 2012 until her recent retirement from Carleton University. She is connected to the Fraser Valley — having been born and raised in Chilliwack — and deeply respects and believes in the work of The Reach. She is excited to be working with the exceptionally talented, dedicated and enterprising Reach team, and is passionate about serving and building local communities through the visual arts. Sandra holds a Master of Arts in Canadian art history from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Arts in art history and history from the University of Victoria. She organized over fifty exhibitions at CUAG, where she was curator from 2005-12, and her award-winning writing has been widely published. She has developed her leadership skills at programs including Tate Intensive (London, UK), Carleton Leader 3 (Ottawa) and NextGen: Canada (Edmonton). Dyck served on the Board of Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization from 2014-18.

Kris Foulds is a dedicated advocate for community history with a longstanding commitment to building meaningful partnerships that preserve and share local heritage. She began her career at the MSA Museum Society, serving as educator, curator, collections manager, and archivist. With a diploma in Cultural Resource Management and specialized training in Collections Management, Caring for Collections, and Curatorship (University of Victoria), Archival Practice, Archival Preservation, and photographic preservation and digitization, Kris brings both depth and breadth to her work in heritage preservation. Her passion for community history has fueled her advocacy and leadership on several City of Abbotsford committees, including the Mill Lake Steering Committee (2001–02), and Friends of Abbotsford Public Art (2006–10), where she played a key role in advancing the City’s public art policy and the Communities in Bloom committee. She also chaired the City’s Arts and Heritage Advisory Committee (2013–14), further strengthening the link between heritage and civic engagement. At The Reach Gallery Museum, Kris manages collections documentation and oversees programs and exhibitions that reflect the community’s diverse narratives. She is committed to ensuring the historical collections are representative of and accessible to the public, fostering partnerships that enhance cultural understanding and engagement across generations.

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.

Martin is a Chinese-born artist, now a permanent resident of Canada, who bases his art practice in Langley. He is a fourth year BFA student at Trinity Western University. During his BFA study, Martin concentrated on installation art with a specific interest in experimenting with immersive and interactive experiences. With his one-year experience as a gallery assistant at TWU, he joined The Reach in summer 2024 and become an exhibition design practicum student. Martin’s previous learning experience about architecture raises his passion in exploration above merely artwork, to discuss the relationships between artists, arts, and exhibiting spaces. Martin’s position is supported by Culture Works Canada / Cultural Human Resources Council.

Jennifer Shepit grew up in Mission, 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 experimented with numerous mediums and explored art history. Over the years, Jennifer has continued to grow as an artist and community member.

Gabriela Gonzalez is a graphic designer and illustrator currently completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of the Fraser Valley. Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Gabriela has a strong appreciation for community, culture, and the arts. She enjoys creating welcoming and inclusive experiences for visitors and is passionate about connecting people through visual storytelling and design. 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 Fortaleza, Brazil, Nelson Frota is an art history undergraduate of the Bachelor of Fine Arts Program at the University of the Fraser Valley. A writer at heart, Nelson has always found in art a means of expressing the emotions, the history, and the identity of people and their culture. His time at The Reach started with a volunteering position as a gallery attendant, which magnified his passion for gallery work. Now a Visitor Experience Associate, Nelson takes pride in providing a welcoming and friendly environment for guests, while also engaging visitors in important discussions about art, society, and history.

Chelsea Isbister is an Indigenous (Cree, Ahtahkakoop First Nation)-Portuguese illustrator living in Mission. Her interest in art began as a child, looking up to her mother and being inspired by her paintings hung around their home. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from Emily Carr University of Art + Design in 2023. She has been continually inspired by her peers and community who inform and push the boundaries of her work. Chelsea is happy to be a part of The Reach team and to be involved in the local arts community.

Kelsa joined The Reach in May 2025 and is excited to bring her passion for arts, education, and community engagement to the team. She holds a BA in History from UFV and was the event coordinator for the university’s Mental Health Awareness Club. With over ten years of experience in childcare, summer camps, and after-school programs, Kelsa values creating welcoming spaces where creativity and community can grow. She grew up in the small town of Trail, BC, where her love for museums, local history, and the arts took root. Now based in Aldergrove, she’s happiest when planning engaging programs or getting her hands messy with a good craft. Kelsa’s position at The Reach is supported by Canadian Heritage through the Young Canada Works at Building Careers in Heritage program.

Mackenzie Widdows is an artist from Mission dedicated to creating joyful experiences through art and music. He is excited to join The Reach as Visitor Experience Associate, continuing a relationship that began in 2019 with a song and video dedicated to the organization. A graduate of UFV with a Bachelor’s in Visual Art and Literature, Mackenzie has contributed to the local arts and culture scene through roles at the Mission Arts Council and Mission Museum. He leads wellness-centered arts classes for all ages and brings creativity to markets and festivals with balloon twisting excitement. His debut album, Mackedamia, celebrates unbridled happiness and authenticity. The first year of album proceeds sponsored a child for a week at Zajac Ranch, reflecting Mackenzie’s commitment to the magic of summer camp—where his own artistic journey began.

Kevin Orlosky brings over fifteen years of experience creating therapeutic and community-based arts initiatives rooted in care, accessibility, and creative empowerment. He is excited contribute to The Reach through programming that supports creativity, healing, and community wellbeing. With a BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design and an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Kevin is the founding Artistic Director of Art on Wheels, a therapeutic arts outreach organization he co-founded in Richmond, Virginia. For more than a decade, he designed and facilitated adaptive arts programming for older adults, people with disabilities, and individuals experiencing illness, isolation, or social stress, with a focus on connection, expression, and participant choice. In addition to his therapeutic arts work, Kevin has led numerous community-engaged public art projects across North America. His practice brings together social practice, fine art, and design, and emphasizes collaboration, accessibility, and shared authorship. His work has been presented in museums, galleries, and public spaces throughout Canada and the United States.

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.

After leading learning and organizational development in various organizations for several years, Kim began a small consulting company assisting organizations managing the human impact of mergers and acquisitions and ERP implementations, with a focus on SAP and crown corporations in Canada. During this time she also developed the project governance program Eiffel, which is still used in SAP projects around the world. Having spent 20 years in marketing, sales and internal communications, Kim accepted a role in the aerospace and defence sector, first as an engineering project manager, then transitioning to the role of Manager of Marketing and Communications with IMP Aerospace & Defence. Kim sits on several national industry boards, and is honoured to serve as Vice Chair of The Reach’s Board of Directors. She lives in Abbotsford with her husband and is the mother of three adult daughters.

Laura Authier is a marketing professional with more than 25 years of experience. Laura first joined the Reach board in 2019 and recently concluded her service as Board Chair. 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. The former 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 B.A. 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.

A longtime 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, a non-profit group that has been performing for over 40 years. Freddy has worked with many young thespians and volunteers to ensure quality productions for young audiences. She helped 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 part of Freddy’s 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.

Sumitra joined the board in 2021, having previously served on the boards of non-profit cultural, multicultural, food security, and social justice organizations in Vancouver and Toronto. Raised in the Lower Mainland, she has lived in four provinces and has always wholeheartedly engaged in local cultural and food communities. Sumitra has been working in post-secondary education administration for more than 25 years. In Abbotsford she enjoys learning about the land, the people, and the history of the caretakers of this place, as well as exploring the trails and businesses that make it unique.

Jeff was born and grew up in east Abbotsford. After living in several places in Canada and abroad in pursuit of education and career, in 2017 he moved back to his hometown with his wife to raise their three kids here. Called to the bars of Saskatchewan (2007) and Ontario (2023), Jeff maintains a practice focussed on Canadian Aboriginal law. He has acted for dozens of First Nations individuals, governments and corporations, and argued before numerous boards, tribunals and courts. Jeff served on the Canadian Bar Association national board of directors from 2017-2019, among various other volunteer work over the years.

Jeevan is a residential real estate investor and property manager with a deep-rooted connection to the Fraser Valley, having lived his entire life in Abbotsford. He is a passionate supporter and collector of local art. From Impressionist paintings of familiar landscapes to carvings by Indigenous artists, he appreciates art that reminds him of the region’s natural beauty and rich heritage. Jeevan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of the Fraser Valley and an MBA from Simon Fraser University. He previously served on the Board of Trustees for Clearbrook Waterworks. As a board member, Jeevan is dedicated to supporting The Reach as a vibrant hub for artistic expression and excellence, meaningful intercultural and intergenerational exchange, and the preservation of the community’s diverse cultural heritage.

Laughie Bell is a longtime community advocate and former member of the City of Abbotsford’s Parks, Recreation and Culture advisory committee. He is a founding director of Sport Abbotsford and Historian Director for Abbotsford Minor Hockey, and currently serves on Abbotsford’s Awards and Recognition Advisory Committee. Laughie was Lower Mainland District Director and Officer at Large for BC Hockey and a Council member for Hockey Canada, and served Scouts Canada for over 30 years in various leadership roles.