About Laurel

I am passionate about effective leadership and the power of a collaborative, transparent approach to governance. Through my experience with organisations like the Kimberley Arts Council, Wildsight and the Kimberley Chamber of Commerce, I have seen firsthand how great ideas can be developed and realised through open dialogue, cooperation and honest effort. You can find further details of my community involvement here.

Educational Background

I grew up in Ottawa ON and attended the University of Ottawa, where I earned a Bachelor of Music (Performance, Cum Laude) in 2002. After my undergraduate studies, I worked for two years at the Canada Revenue Agency in the Public Affairs and Policy and Planning Branches before moving to Edmonton AB to pursue a Master of Arts in Philosophy at the University of Alberta, which I completed in 2008. While at the U of A, I received the Province of Alberta Graduate Scholarship, the Alberta Minister of Advanced Education Graduate Student Scholarship, and the Myer Horowitz Graduate Scholarship. I was also awarded a research assistantship to Professor Allen Carlson, with whom I worked on an anthology titled The Aesthetics of Human Environments.

Professional Background

Currently I work as a professional musician, writer, editor, and consultant. I am the choir director at Kimberley United Church, conductor of the Kimberley Community Band, and trumpeter with The Jazz Council and the Symphony of the Kootenays, as well as teaching privately and performing regularly as a freelance trumpeter and flautist. My writing has been published in Go Kimberley, Kootenay Life East, Kootenay Carnival, the Kimberley Daily Bulletin, and the Postgraduate Journal of Aesthetics.

From October 2008 through June 2011 I was the Outreach Coordinator at Wildsight, a regional environmental non-profit that does exceptional work in conservation, water stewardship, community environmental sustainability, and environmental education.

In 2007 and 2008 I was the Festival Coordinator for Arts on the Edge, the Kimberley Arts Council's annual arts festival, which is now in its eighth year.

In Ottawa, I worked for two years at the Canada Revenue Agency in the Public Affairs and Policy and Planning Branches, and worked and volunteered for the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival.