BMFA 2024/25 Staff

Amber Ebert
Director of Operations

Email: [email protected]

Amber Ebert has 17 years of experience working with arts organizations to plan, implement and deliver arts programs She has worked with organizations such as Tapestry Opera, Soundstreams, Young People’s Theatre and Centennial College. After obtaining a degree in Theatre and Performance Studies and a diploma in Cultural Management, she performed professionally in productions at Bad Times Theatre and Factory Theatre in Toronto. Amber served on the Board of Directors of the Arts Education Network of Ontario (formerly PAONE) for six years. In 2017 she was one of ten international participants selected to attend the inaugural two-week Teaching Artist Leadership & Advocacy Lab delivered by Lincoln Centre Education in New York City.  Currently, she is the Network Development Coordinator for the SGB Arts Network and oversaw the network launch in 2022 in collaboration with key members of the cultural community in Collingwood and throughout the region.

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 – Secretary & 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.

Patricia Andrew – Treasurer 

Living in Brampton, when my daughters started school, I rejoined the work force as the  Marketing Director at Bramalea City Centre, this took me to Fairview Mall and Yorkdale  Shopping Centre in Toronto. In all cases my responsibility was to the Merchant  Associations, with the primary objective to drive traffic through Advertising and Special  Events along with support for local Community Events.  

In 1995 and I pivoted and started a business designing and manufacturing home interior  products. Purchasing designer fabrics for drapery, bedding, table-top items, and  marketing them to Home Décor retailers across Canada. I seized the opportunity to gain  new skills from – Inventory management, accounting, sales & marketing, production, and  problem solving. My partner and I sold the company in 2015 (and pleased to say it is still  going strong) and we are both retired.  

All the while I had a strong interest in art and its various creative forms. In the 70s I loved  weaving and macrame, trends changed so I progressed to watercolor, acrylics, and oil  painting. I love learning new techniques and find immense pleasure in taking instruction  and creating something that I can call my own.  

When my husband, Paul and I moved to the Collingwood area in 2015, my first stop was  the BMFA. It has been a wonderful experience. I enjoyed the challenges afforded me  participating in the Juried Art Show. For the last four years I have had responsibility as  Committee Chair, and it has been extremely rewarding to be involved in the  modernization of the show. Big learning curve, great satisfaction, and very enjoyable  working with BMFA volunteers to make the shows a continuing success. Looking forward  now participating in the BMFA board of directors.  

Kate Jakobiec – Fundraising 

Katie is an art enthusiast who began her career as a painter before discovering her  passion for art history. She earned her MA and PhD in art and architectural history at the  University of Toronto, followed by several international postdoctoral fellowships where  she taught and conducted research in her field. Transitioning her skills to fundraising,  Katie completed a Fundraising Management certificate at Humber College and has been  working in fund development for the past three years. A passionate traveler, Katie  enjoys exploring new places and spending time in nature. She lives in Collingwood and  has recently embraced a new adventure as a proud parent to two cats.

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

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 exhibited her work at BMFA and further afield.