John Mahon - Executive Director

John Mahon is the Executive Director of the Edmonton Arts Council. He joined the EAC in 1996 as the first Grant Director and became Executive Director in 1998. He is a classical musician (clarinet) and continues to be an active performer and record producer in the Edmonton region in addition to his work at the EAC. He studied music at the Royal College of Music in London England and at the University of Alberta. John has a Bachelor of Music and M.B.A. from the University of Alberta.

Stephen Williams - Grants, Awards & Support Programs Director

Stephen Williams joined the Edmonton Arts Council in 2010 after working in arts granting positions with the Government of Alberta and the Canada Council for the Arts.  Before moving into those administrative roles he was an active freelance professional trumpet player, performing regularly with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.  Rounding out his busy freelance schedule, Stephen was the stage manager for the Alberta Baroque Ensemble for 6 seasons, and a conductor with the Festival City Winds community band programme for 5 seasons, as well as teaching students from the beginner to college levels. Stephen holds a Music Diploma from Grant MacEwan College and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Alberta, and lives in Edmonton with wife, two children and Purr C. Grainger the cat.

Sally Kim - Grants, Awards & Support Programs Officer

Sally Kim has been the Grants Officer for the Edmonton Arts Council since 2007. Prior to that, she worked as the producer/general manager The Works Are & Design Festival. In 2005, she managed a sculpture competition in Southern Alberta. While working to promote the Festival City brand for Edmonton Tourism, she coordinated events for Alberta Scene at the National Arts Centre and ancillary events to the Folklife Festival at the Smithsonian in Washington DC. She donates her time to various organizations, mostly working casinos.

Amelia Schultz-McPherson - Grants Administrator

Kristy Trinier - Public Art Director

Kristy Trinier is the Public Art Director of the Edmonton Arts Council. She has a Master’s degree in Public Art from the Dutch Art Institute (ArtEZ Hogeschool voor de Kunsten) and a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Art from the University of Victoria. She has a background in arts administration and has exhibited her artwork internationally, recently at the Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art and photo Miami art fair.

Sean Borchert - Public Art Program Officer

Sean Borchert is the Public Art Program Officer of the Edmonton Arts Council. He attended both Grant MacEwan Community College and the University of Alberta studying Fine Arts. He is a freelance illustrator and artist who has worked for a variety of organizations including the Support Network and Vue Weekly Magazine. Sean is also an active cultural events producer with his promotion company Birch Heart Presents and has been organizing artshows and concerts around the city for the past 3 years.

Dara Humniski - Public Art Program Officer

Dara Humniski is a Public Art Program Officer at the Edmonton Arts Council. She graduated from the University of Alberta with a degree in Industrial Design and is a founding member and one of the Principal Designers of Loyal Loot Collective. Dara is also an artist, illustrator and sometimes a curator!

David Turnbull - Public Art Conservator 

David is a graduate of the Master of Art Conservation program at Queen’s University. He has worked at the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the National Gallery of Canada, and most recently at the Denver Art Museum where he specialized in the conservation of paintings and Modern and Contemporary Art. He is especially interested in working with living artists to document their working methods and materials as well as their attitudes towards the ageing and long-term care of their artworks. 

Sarah Patterson - Public Art / Conservation Assistant

Sarah trained in the Collections Conservation program at Sir Sanford Fleming College and has worked as a conservator in cultural institutions in Alberta and abroad including the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Royal Alberta Museum, and the Whanganui Regional Museum (New Zealand). With a focus on community and art in both her professional and personal life, working as part of the Public Art team at the EAC is a natural fit. Outside of work, you can find Sarah on her bicycle, spinning records at CJSR 88.5FM, and eating all the delicious food that Edmonton's culinary scene has to offer.

Alison Turner - Communications Director (on leave)

Alison joined the EAC in 2008. A graduate of Grant MacEwan's Arts & Cultural Management Program, Alison also has a BA in Philosophy from the University of Alberta and BAA in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University. Before joining the EAC, Alison was the Executive Director of the Film & Video Arts Society - Alberta.

Alexandra Truscott – 
Acting Communications Director

Alexandra brings a unique professional background to EAC with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and psychology from University of Alberta, and a Bachelor of Social Work from University of Manitoba. After several years of social work practice Alex expanded her community development work to arts and culture, completing Grant MacEwan University’s Arts & Cultural Management Program. For several years she was integral to the highly successful capital campaign for the new Art Gallery of Alberta building and program expansion. Most recently, she worked with Grant MacEwan Music to implement their new B.Mus. degree program. Alex is an amateur musician, playing in various community ensembles, and lover of art in all its forms. 

Jana O'Connor - Communications Officer 

Jana O'Connor has worked with the Edmonton Arts Council in many capacities over the years, most recently as the Artistic Director of the Edmonton Olympic Torch Relay Celebration. She is pleased to now be an official member of the team. In addition to working in marketing and communications for a number of local theatre companies and festivals, Jana is a professional actor and playwright. Her Theatre for Young Audiences play, The Early Bloomer, toured local elementary schools in February 2010, and she is a cast member and writer of the CBC Radio sketch comedy show, The Irrelevant Show.

Suzanne Harris - Communications Officer

 Suzanne Harris joined the EAC team in the fall of 2011. She is a graduate of Grant MacEwan's Public Relations program and has several years experience working in Communications in both the government and not-for-profit sectors. She is also a writer, editor and writing coach, and occassionally runs writing retreats in Greece.  

Mieke Higham - Office Manager

Mieke has been the Office Manager at the Edmonton Arts Council since 2007. She graduated from Arts and Cultural Management at Grant MacEwan College in 2006, followed by a field placement and full-time position at the Art Gallery of Alberta.  Although not graced with talent in any specific art discipline, Mieke has a deep appreciation for the arts and Edmonton artists.