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An important message from the CITT Board Development Committee regarding the Board of Directors Elections.

The CITT Board Development Committee has submitted to the CITT National Board for approval the following members for election:

SECRETARY: Mike Dickinson (incumbent) Vancouver, BC (2-year mandate)
TREASURER: Eric Mongerson (incumbent) Montréal, QC (2-year mandate)
DIRECTORS AT LARGE (4 positions):
- Al Cushing, Whitehorse YT (2-year mandate)
- Thierry Pouliot Fletcher, Montréal QC (2-year mandate)
- Tom Heemskerk (incumbent), Victoria BC (2-year mandate)
- Sarah Hirst, Oakville ON (2-year mandate)
- Tyler Johnson (incumbent), Toronto ON (2-year mandate)

(Bio notes of each candidate are below)

*** 2009 ELECTION TIMELINE SUMMARY ***
(in accordance with the CITT By-laws)
- Tuesday June 2: Deadline to publish and present the preliminary slate to the membership.
- Thursday July 2: Deadline to receive additional nominations from membership and to send notice of voting individual for Organizational, Sustaining, and Contributing members to the CITT National Office (Election 2009).
- Monday July 13: Deadline sending of ballot to members.
- Friday July 31: Closing date to receive ballots at designated location.
- Saturday August 15: CITT AGM and announcement of elections results.

**

SUBMISSION OF ADDITIONAL NOMINATIONS
Additional nominations by the membership for each position may be made by written nomination accompanied by the signatures of at least 4 members, verified as those of members in good standing. Call for nominations is open for 30 days from the publication of the preliminary slate, but in any case, must be submitted no later than 45 days prior to the Annual General Meeting, that is by July 2, 2009. Nominations may be sent to the CITT National Office (Election 2009) by email or by fax at 613-482-1212.

**

THE BALLOT
If any additional nominations are received, there will be an election.

- Director at Large: Since there are 5 candidates for 4 Directors at Large positions, there will be an election for those positions. An election ballot will be sent out to each member by July 13 at the latest. The deadline to return the ballot is Friday July 31.

- Secretary and Treasurer: If there are no additional nominations for the Secretary and the Treasurer positions then no ballot shall be required, and the persons nominated for those positions shall be subject to approval of a vote representing at least two-thirds of the Board of Directors.

**

THE RIGHT TO VOTE
Only members in good standing are entitled to cast their election ballot. All Organizational, Sustaining, and Contributing members have the right to designate one individual with the power to cast the election ballot on behalf of the member. Notice of such individual with their email address must be filed with the Secretary of the Corporation c/o CITT National Office (Election 2009) by Thursday July 2 at the latest by email or by fax at 613-482-1212.

**

THE RESULTS
The announcement of the election results will be made during the Annual General Meeting to be held on August 15, 2009 starting at 12:30 pm at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta and shall be printed in the next regular publication of the CITT.

**

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The remainder of the CITT board of directors will be comprised of the following membres:

President: Adam Mitchell, Winnipeg MB (2-year mandate)
Vice-President: John McArthur, Toronto ON (1 year mandate remaining)
Past-President: Bob Johnston, Toronto ON (1 year mandate remaining)
Directors at Large:
- Jacquie Dawson, Powell River BC (1-year mandate remaining)
- Jeff Fevens, Fredericton NB (1-year mandate remaining)
- Brent Rossington, Vancouver BC (1-year mandate remaining)
- Gerry van Hezewyk, Kingston ON (1-year mandate remaining)

The chairs (or designate) of the CITT Regional Sections are appointed non-voting members:
- Alberta (Murray Palmer)
- Atlantic (Karl Simmons)
- British Columbia (Don Parman)
- Ontario (Michael Harris)
- Québec (Norberts Muncs)

****

CANDIDATES BIO NOTES

SECRETARY

MICHAEL DICKINSON – Vancouver, BC
Michael Dickinson is a freelance theatre and live events technician in the Vancouver Area. A graduate of Langara College, he currently gets employment as a lighting crew chief, moving light programmer, rigger, flyman, carpenter, stage drapery installer, and general house technician. He joined CITT in September of 2005, and was a part of the host committee for the 2007 conference. He was elected to the Board in 2007 and served as Interim Secretary. In his spare time, Michael is a decent forward on his hockey team, a Vancouver Giants season ticket holder, former lifeguard, and enjoys an active lifestyle.

TREASURER

ERIC MONGERSON – Montréal, QC
Eric Mongerson worked and studied theatre in the United States for ten years before coming to Concordia University (Montréal) in 1980. He has taught set and lighting design, stage management, theatre administration and theatre technology at Concordia where he has served as Technical Director, Theatre Manager, Production Coordinator, Design for the Theatre Coordinator and Chair of the Department. He has consulted for ScénoPlus and Cirque du Soleil on equipment installation and theatrical problem solving and has designed lighting for many productions across North America. His students have designed for Broadway, Cirque du Soleil and Stratford Festival. He has served as acting treasurer and board member at large for CITT and board member for CQICTS, which he co-founded in 2003.

DIRECTORS AT LARGE

AL CUSHING – Whitehorse YT
Al Cushing is a founding member of CITT and a member of USITT. Presently, he holds the position of Advisor to the Board of CITT and has in the past served as Treasurer of both the national board and the CITT Alberta Section Board. After a 35-year career that embraced scenic design, stage management, carpentry, technical direction and production management, Mr. Cushing was drawn to Canada’s north where he is the CEO of the Yukon Arts Centre, a performance and visual arts centre located in Whitehorse, in the Yukon Territory. Prior to his move, he was the Vice President of Operations for the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts, a five venue complex located in Calgary, Alberta, where he had to live with the decisions he had made fourteen years before as a consultant on the equipping of the facility during construction. Early in his career, Mr. Cushing co-founded the Ottawa theatre company Penguin Productions and turned a number of found spaces into performance venues for the company. Later, that experience proved useful when he project managed the re-building of the MTC Warehouse Theatre and when managing large-scale system upgrades and renovations at the EPCOR CENTRE. In addition to his professional duties, Mr. Cushing sits on the Boards of the Society of Yukon Artists of Native Ancestry, the Magnetic North Theatre Festival, ArtsNet and the Phoenix Foundation (a private school).

THIERRY POULIOT FLETCHER – Montréal QC
MDG Fog Generators Ltd’s Sales Director since 2006, Thierry Pouliot Fletcher has begun his career as a stagehand well over 20 years ago, in Quebec City, as a former apprentice to the I.A.T.S.E, local 523. In 1993, he moved to Sainte-Thérèse, north of Montréal QC, to attend and graduate from Option-Théâtre du collège Lionel-Groulx in Theatre Production. After signing a few productions as Lighting Designer and Production Manager, he was hired in 1997 by Solotech, in Montréal, as a lighting product specialist and, later, as a System Designer / Integrator, more specifically in theatres, touring and cruise ships. Part-time musician, avid fictional novel reader, his recreational time is best spent in a cigar lounge or in a wine tasting event, talking about politics, hockey, and… other concerns.

TOM HEEMSKERK – Victoria BC
Tom Heemskerk has worked backstage for twenty-five years, starting at the concert hall at the University of Victoria. In 1986, Tom began freelancing throughout Victoria and the Lower Mainland, and soon became Head Electrician for Bastion Theatre and Pacific Opera Victoria. He next joined the staff of the Banff Centre for two years as a lighting technician, but returned to Victoria in 1990 to accept his current position of Head Carpenter and Assistant Technical Director for the Royal and McPherson Theatres Society. Tom participated in the CHRC's Expert Working Groups for both the Stagehand and Entertainment Rigger competency analyses, and holds ETCP certifications in both stage and arena rigging.

SARAH HIRST – Oakville ON

A graduate of Rose Bruford College with a BA (Honours) degree in Technical Theatre, Mrs. Hirst has been a freelance carpenter for theatre and television at several large scenic workshops in London, England, including Russell Beck Studios, Robert Batchelor Scenery, AB Scenery, Almeida Theatre and Andy Beauchamp Scenery Construction. Credits include: ‘Tommy’, ‘Company’, ‘Les Misérables’, ‘Sunset Boulevard’, ‘Fame’, ‘Storm’ and ‘Our Country’s Good’. Most recently, she was Technical Supervisor for ‘Nuit Blanche 2008’ in Toronto. Mrs. Hirst has taught scenic construction for 12 years at Mountview Academy of Dramatic Arts, Guildford School of Acting, and Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. She has been coordinating the Theatre Arts – Technical Production program at Sheridan since 2005 and holds the position of Executive Board Member of COUCTP (Council of Ontario Universities and Colleges Theatre Programs) since 2006. Sarah is currently writing her masters thesis, incorporating the disciplines of theatre technology, education and technical theatre history.

TYLER JOHNSON – Toronto ON
A Toronto native, Tyler works for the Vice-Chair of the Toronto District School Board and is primarily responsible for supporting and monitoring student engagement within the board. It wasn’t too long ago that Tyler was a Student Stage Crew Supervisor at his high school, a Junior Theatre Technician for Theatre Woodstock, and founder of the Toronto Stage Crew Council  uniting 300 stage crew students throughout Toronto. Since becoming a Junior Technician for Theatre Woodstock and getting involved with stage crew at a student level, he has developed the knowledge and skills necessary to bring student leadership within theatre productions and the technical aspect of student theatre to a new level. After sitting on the CITT board for 2 years, he has built relations with some members and has developed an action plan for student engagement within CITT nationwide. He looks forward to continuing to make a difference in the coming years.