BMFA 2024/25 Board Members
Karin Modotto – Chair
Karin Modotto was born and raised in Montreal and moved to Markham Ontario in 1980. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and worked in the IT industry for 39 years both full time for Nortel, IBM and Ontario Teacher’s Pension plan and for herself as a consultant for 12 years. During her career Karin held operational roles as well as management roles including managing a team as large as 25. Karin is a certified Project Manager and understands time, budget, resource and issue management.
Karin is a people person and very analytical, her strengths include communication, planning and her ability to think strategically and implement operationally. She is dedicated and loves to be of service to others and has volunteered over the years for many causes including raising funds for her son’s school and the United Way.
Karin has a creative soul and always had a creative project on the go to balance out her technical career. In 2015, Karin took up photography as a hobby, recently retired (June 2021) she opened a small business selling her printed photos. Karin moved fulltime to Wasaga Beach in March 2020 when COVID hit although she has had a cottage in Wasaga since 1996. She joined BMFA in May of 2021 and became Chair of the Board in January 2023. Karin is also a member of the Wasaga Beach Artist community.
Carol Altilia – Vice Chair
Carol is semi-retired having spent her career in post-secondary education. Most recently, she served as Provost and Vice-President, Academic at Sheridan College, supporting the institution’s unique academic mission to foster all forms of creativity. As a seasoned senior academic administrator, she has extensive experience in curriculum design, strategic planning, as well as advancement. Her scholarship includes planning, diversity and organizational change to which she adds a long practice of community engagement, with a focus on mentoring. Having recently moved to Collingwood, she enjoys being outdoors, participates in a range of sports, is passionate about the arts and is keen to contribute to the vibrancy of her new community.
Kathy Sutherland – Treasurer & Membership
In June 2018 I had the opportunity to move from Toronto to Collingwood full time. I retired after 18 years working as an administrative assistant with private fertility clinic. This gave me the perfect opportunity to focused on creating art first with alcohol inks and now with encaustic wax and India ink. In December 2022 I felt it was time to show my artwork and I also wanted to find a way to connect with other artists. This led me to become a member of BMFA and to volunteer in the shop.
Katie Jakobiec – Fundraising
Katie has been immersed in the arts her entire life. She earned a Studio Art degree from the University of Waterloo, specializing in painting, and went on to complete her MA and PhD in art and architectural history at the University of Toronto, focusing on the interdisciplinary connections between art, landscape, and architecture. After several international postdoctoral fellowships where she taught and conducted research, Katie transitioned into fundraising, completing the Fundraising Management certificate at Humber College. She is excited to bring her combined passions for art and development to the BMFA, where she has rediscovered her love for art practice and is committed to seeing the organization thrive. A passionate traveller, Kate enjoys exploring new places and spending time in nature. She currently lives in Collingwood.
Sonya Satviet – Community Engagement
Sonya grew up in the prairies of Alberta which was where, as a child, she met the quilt that would later inspire her to become a textile artist. Before moving to Ontario in 2003 she spent 4 years living in Canada’s beautiful Arctic territory Nunavut. It was here she learned the true value of “recycling” and “repurposing” – concepts that are a way of life in remote communities where, of course, a tattered baby blanket becomes the lining for a new pair of mukluks! Her experience in the high north continues to inform her work as a textile artist.
In her professional life, Sonya is an energetic catalyst for change and innovator known for her creative approaches, fresh perspectives and bringing people together to make them happen. Sonya is the Founder and CEO of a medical technology company focused on women’s health. She has spent the past decade working with her team to develop a quantum biosensor to allow real-time, at-home lab testing. Previously she founded and led a multi-national team to develop and pilot the first precision medicine platform for womens’ health and was invited to publish the results in a peer reviewed medical journal. She successfully took her company public, securing $2 million in funding for this multi-stakeholder project. Sonya is an Estonian e-Resident and also sits on the board of a tech company in Tallinn, Estonia.
Sonya’s a proponent of Clifton Strengths and leveraging its insights to help individuals and teams unlock their unique potential. Sonya’s top 5 are Woo, Positivity, Communication, Individualization and Connectedness which reflect her ability to bring people together, build relationships, and foster meaningful collaboration. She’s looking forward to working with the board and using her skills to support the BMFA.
Sonya moved to The Blue Mountains from Uxbridge in 2022 with her husband Gary. She has 3 kids, 2 bonus kids and a super happy Bernese Mountain Dog named Piper. You can learn more by going to her Instagram @sonyasatveitstudios or her website https://sonyasatveit.com/
Heather Smiley – Programming and Secretary
Heather moved to Collingwood where she taught high school until she retired several years ago. Since then, she has been an enthusiastic plein air and landscape painter, and has exihibited her work at BMFA and further afield.