Board of Directors
CPAF Board of Directors 2019-20 season
Krista Larson, President
Krista Larson is a seasoned marketing and communications professional with a strong affinity for the creative field. She brings senior leadership experience in strategic planning, business development and management in both the private and public sectors. Over the past 20 years, Krista and her family have had an active life in both dance and music. Krista has a passion for the arts and when she’s not leading student experience and community engagement in the university environment, she enjoys expanding her creativity through writing, photography and finding inspiration in the mountains.
Krista is honoured to be the CPAF president and board chair beginning in the 2019-20 season. She's excited to help build greater awareness of the Festival as well as broaden its scope and impact. Together, we can promote the talent of our youth, strengthen arts in our community, and enrich our future!
Linda French, Past President
Deep in Linda’s background, she had a theatre background. Her career took a different path into law and leadership positions. Even in these roles, Linda applied her creative approach to her work. She brings this creative flare now to her position as the President of the Festival. Linda was drawn to the Festival to get engaged in the Arts Community by supporting amateur performing artists and an organization that attracts such passionate people.
Trevor Samer, Vice President
Trevor is a Chartered Professional Accountant, and an alumni of the University of Calgary and has been an active volunteer in the community through numerous organizations. Trevor is excited to have an impactful role in helping showcase amateur artists as well as supporting performing Arts in the community. Although not professionally trained, Trevor is a hobby musician and admirer of the Arts.
Tanya Scanga, Treasurer
Bio coming soon
Tara Black, Director
Ms. Tara Black has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Masters of Communications Studies from the University of Calgary. She worked in public relations and communications in the oil industry in Calgary and Houston for 25 years, and most recently served a year as Director of Marketing and Communications at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School. She has passionately served on many volunteer organizations and boards. Tara and her husband, Rick, are proud parents of two daughters, one in university and one in high school, both of whom are very musical and have performed many times at the Calgary Performing Arts Festival.
Emily Fraser, Director
Emily Fraser is a band and choir director at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School. Growing up in Calgary, Emily played oboe with the Calgary Youth Orchestra and in Mount Royal Conservatory’s Academy of Music program. Emily earned a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto where she was Principal Oboist with the U of T Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. She was also heavily involved in student governance and social justice initiatives, where she chaired various committees and formed new clubs. Touring with different ensembles, Emily has performed internationally. CPAF (then Kiwanis Music Festival) was a huge part of Emily’s childhood, where she competed for over ten years in voice, piano, oboe, band, and choir classes. Since joining the CPAF board of directors in 2016, Emily has gained a deeper understanding of the importance of celebrating and encouraging performing arts in the community. She recognizes the rich history and tradition of the festival, and looks forward to what the future holds.
Karen Ziegler, Director
Karen is constantly looking to improve the world around her by applying the lessons she has learned working and traveling in over 60 countries on 5 continents. She appreciates that change is ever present and wishes to be a positive participant in molding the changes in areas that she has the expertise and capacity, namely women in STEM, and energy infrastructure investment. Growing up with Alberta, Canada's agriculture and petroleum industries, she has taken on operations management, marketing, supply chain, and project development roles in businesses globally. Karen makes a conscious effort to understand how those who are dissimilar from her engage with social issues and their community. In every circumstance she has found art to be the connector that bridged the language, generational and social gaps. Karen joined the board of directors of CPAF to extend this understanding to determine new ways to identify who and how contributors can continue with the amateur performing arts in Calgary. The demographic of Calgary is changing and working with CPAF offers her an opportunity to showcase this change and encourage Calgary’s youth to connect with their city on a scale beyond their communities.
