OUR STAFF

Erynn Nicole Lyster

Executive Director

  • Erynn leads a talented, diverse team of arts professionals dedicated to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for artists and patrons alike. Her work positions The GRAND as a dynamic gathering place where art is the catalyst for meaningful connection, innovative solutions, and challenging conversations.

    Erynn is an entrepreneur with a background in event planning and production, design, communications, and business development. She has spent time working internationally with non-profit organizations, guiding communication strategy and building brand awareness. The strength of her leadership is in bringing talent together to innovate, experiment, and problem solve. In 2016, Erynn was recognized as one of Calgary’s Top 40 under 40.

    She is at home in the mountains and has explored much of our country by bike! She loves animals, marvelling at art, and finding new ways of looking at and travelling through the world.

    Erynn’s favourite GRAND spaces: “This past year, the team found a room within a room. We were a bit scared to open it as it clearly hadn’t been discovered in decades … story TBC! There is also a mysterious door in the basement that leads somewhere, but no one has yet had the courage to explore!”

Sue Crawford

General Manager

  • Sue contributes to building organizational capacity and business development at The GRAND. She wears many hats - she supports the theatre’s human resources policy and processes, strategic fund development, grant writing and reports, communications, public relations, stakeholder engagement and strategic planning.

    Sue spent her early career as a professional dancer and working with non-profit arts organizations including dance studios, the Yukon Arts Centre and Learning Through The Arts, a branch of the Royal Conservatory of Music. She completed a 12 year tenure at The City of Calgary as a business strategist, with her final position as a Senior Strategist on the Calgary Olympic Bid Exploration team. She departed The City to become a consultant focused on organizational effectiveness. Her role at The GRAND marks her return to the arts, this time as a seasoned strategist with a focus on community development.

    Sue's passions in life are her family and friends, and travel.

    Sue’s favourite GRAND space: “The Flanagan Theatre is the space I love the most; I feel a twinge of excitement every time I step foot in the old theatre!”

Meredith Blackburn

Director of Events & Marketing

  • With a foundation in Event Management from Mount Royal University, Meredith is well-equipped to make a significant impact in her field. Over the past eight years, she has gained experience in the non-profit sector, particularly within the theatre environment, honing a diverse range of skills. This experience has paved the way for Meredith to bring a unique and holistic perspective to her current role at The GRAND. Here, she crafts effective marketing strategies and identifies potential opportunities for business development, contributing to the ongoing success and growth of the organization.

    Mer’s favourite GRAND space: "My favourite space would have to be the Green Room. It's nestled in the basement and I love its privacy and dark green paint”

Nate Chiang

Head of Programming

  • In his role, Nate is responsible for Leading Programming from The GRAND. His duties include liaising with artists and the community, helping to coordinate and execute presentations, coordinating artist residencies and visual arts in the space, and providing administrative support.

    Nate has a passion for the arts and is currently a busy performing jazz drummer, gigging with various bands around Calgary for the better part of the last decade. He is passionate about building relationships and capacity in the local arts community, and values the diversity and calibre of Calgary's artists.

    Nate’s favourite GRAND space: “My favourite place at the theatre is the Studio, which I consider the most calming and inspiring of all the spaces.”

Autumn Sali

Head of Administration & Operations

  • As the Head of Administration & Operations at The GRAND, Autumn works closely with the Production, Facilities, and programming teams to keep the facility maintained and organized.

    She is a recent graduate of the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

    Outside of the theatre, Autumn enjoys reading books and playing video games, especially the Dragon Age series.

    Autumn’s favourite GRAND space: “The theatre’s entrance foyer is my favourite place in the building because of the beautiful historic ornamentation that is still visible today.”

Aaric Innes

Head of Stage

  • Coming Soon!

Nathan Thiessen

Technical Director

  • Nathan has worked with The GRAND since 2014, and became the Head Stage Carpenter in 2019. This is a diverse role that involves overhead rigging, assisting with audio, and often requires stage management during shows.

    His technical background includes a decade of working in live sound for the City of Calgary, festival high rigging, video and graphics operation, and some film work.

    Outside of the theatre, Nathan enjoys creating electronic music, running long distances, and mountain biking.

    Nathan’s favourite GRAND show: “I really enjoyed The Gold Rush Redux, presented during the High Performance Rodeo, because the team was so fun, genuine and encouraged others to be themselves.”

Georgia Jeffery

Head of Lighting

  • Coming Soon!

Mike Watson

Head of Sound

  • As Head of Sound, Mike’s job is to ensure that pristine levels of sound are reproduced throughout the entire building. Not only does he make it heard, but he strives to make it FELT.

    Prior to “stewarding the sonic vessel that is The GRAND,” Mike has held multiple audio engineering positions at various festivals across Canada.

    One of Mike’s favourite ways to spend his time is visiting Memphis, Tennessee to play blues music and sample the local BBQ.

    Mike's favourite GRAND show: “My favourite show to date is Fluid Festival because it enabled me to gain a new appreciation for modern dance.”

Connor Williams

Ticketing Services Lead

  • Coming Soon!

Vaishnavi Khullar

Venue Rentals Coordinator

  • As a venue rentals coordinator, Vaishnavi collaborates closely with clients to guarantee the flawless execution of their events. Drawing from a diverse background, she has a keen eye for detail. She completed her Fine Arts degree from Alberta University of the Arts, majoring in Media Arts. She is an artist working in video, sound, and installations. And she loves to read!

    Vaishnavi’s Favourite Space

    "My favorite place at the GRAND is the Mezzanine. The unique composition of the space and the oculus looking down onto the Lobby is my favorite part!"

Sadaf Ganji-Aslamzada

Audiences Services Coordinator

  • Sadaf (she/her) is a recent graduate of the University of Calgary's BFA Drama program. She has spent time working as a stage manager, event coordinator, scenic painter, but most recently was the Assistant Producer at The Shakespeare Company. She is now very excited about embarking on this new adventure with The GRAND.

    She has a love for music, long summer walks in the park and a good cup of coffee. Her favorite place at The Grand is in the main lobby; as the space in which we can gather, find connection and reflect.

Allison Weninger

Production Coordinator

  • Coming Soon!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Devon LeClair

Chair

  • Devon is a born and raised Calgarian. After spending many years living in cities around the world, she came back to YYC with one goal: to help make Calgary more livable and lovable.

    With an extensive background in arts and culture, non-profit and government, Devon currently works as Chief of Staff for the Ward 9 City Councillor. She is a lifelong lover of theatre and has held several positions with different theatre companies.

    Why Devon volunteers with The GRAND: “I am particularly interested in helping to move The GRAND towards a more inclusive, intersectional and accessible space for all Calgarians.”

Quinton Rafuse

Vice Chair

  • Coming Soon

Renee Matthews

Secretary

  • Renee’s current roles with The Grand are as a Director and the acting Secretary of the Board.

    Her day job as an energy lawyer, practicing at a boutique law firm in Calgary, coupled with her creative off-hours hobbies give her the perfect balance of left- and right-brain exercise! She has a LLB / MBA from the UBC, and prior to her role as a Director, she assisted a number of other Calgary arts and community organizations volunteering legal services on a pro bono basis.

    Renée’s favourite GRAND space: “The Mezzanine Lounge is an intimate space that’s perfect for grabbing a cocktail, mingling with other guests and capturing a bird’s eye view of the bustle in the lobby area below!”

Akashdeep Gill

Treasurer

  • Akash Gill is a Treasurer at The GRAND with over 5 years of experience working in public practice. He currently works as an Assistant Controller at Hexagon's Autonomy & Positioning division. He graduated from Mount Royal University with a degree in Business Administration, Accounting, and holds a CPA designation. Akash uses his knowledge and skills to support The GRAND's accounting department and provides financial insight to the Board for decision making.

Jason McKay

Director

  • VICE PRESIDENT Modern Rentals

    With a career spanning over two decades in the Events and Food & Beverage Hospitality industry, Jason has had the opportunity to work with every kind of client from celebrity athletes to corporate businesses. His passion and creative thinking ensure that every client and their guests have an experience like no other. He has worked with brands, clients, and companies from across the globe and has been committed to showcasing Canadian talent and all it offers through notable programs, including World Cup Snowboard, Freestyle, Bobsled, Alpine Canada, and the Hockey Canada Gala.

    Through his dedication to giving back, Jason was the founder and producer of the Legacy Gala (2014 – 2018) which supported Canadian Olympic Athletes. And he has been an instrumental part of fundraising for a number of not-for-profit sports and charities over the years.

Kirsten Schrader

Director

  • Kirsten has spent 20 years in the municipal and non-profit arts and culture sector in key roles such as, the Executive Director of the Vancouver International Fringe Festival, the Arts Coordinator for the City of Richmond, and in Public Programs at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

    In 2010, Kirsten was appointed Manager of a brand-new regional Arts and Culture Division for the Cowichan Valley Regional District on southern Vancouver Island. In this role, she was responsible for managing the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre- a 750 seat, professional theatre- and curating an annual presenting season of over 260 live performances. In addition, she was responsible for providing financial support and community development opportunities for five sub-regional arts councils and various non-profit arts organizations across 13 communities in the region. In 2016, she launched a new tax supporting the arts, which remains the only fully-regional tax for the arts in British Columbia.

Patrick Moskwa

Director

  • Patrick Moskwa is an artist, entrepreneur, educator, and designer. He has spent the past 2 decades embedded in cultural production and education working with various clients, firms and institutions around Calgary and the throughout North America. As part of his design and art career he has participated in and developed exhibitions and publications around Canada and the United States. He sees The Grand as one of Calgary’s most unique and provocative culture hubs and is proud to lend his expertise to the board. As a queer artist, Patrick is particularly interested in bringing more diverse voices to Calgary’s cultural scene.

    Patrick is passionate about the diversity and strength of Calgary’s cultural scene. He has a Bachelor of Architecture from Carleton University and a Master of Fine Art in Craft Media from Alberta University of the Arts. Patrick has called Calgary home for the past 20 years and looks forward to seeing this wonderful city continue to blossom.

    Patrick’s favourite thing about The GRAND:

    “I am particularly proud of what The Grand has become over the past years since it’s redevelopment. The Grand is a space that promotes a diverse and explorative group of artists in many shapes of performance and visual art. It embraces and praises the emerging arts and culture community in Calgary and is poised to become a hub for the emerging arts landscape across Western Canada.”

Sam Fodor

Director

  • Samantha is the Director of Sustainability at XDI Energy Solutions, an oil and gas services company. She is responsible for people and performance, covering HR, HSE, and quality. The most energizing part of over 20 years of work is in finding unexpected paths to solve problems, growing meaningful engagement, and witnessing passion ignite toward shared goals.

    Sam loves carefully curated experiences that inspire ideas and reflection (food, art, design, learning). She is most inspired when connecting with dreamers, creatives, and innovators--those motivated to design better systems and who think in possibilities. In her spare time, she loves exploring random curiosities, great food, and being around her people. She is finishing a capstone MBA project exploring behavioral design and sustainable performance.

    Some memorable moments at The GRAND: the iconoclastic Compagnie Marie Chouinard (the bucket moment!), Chad VanGaalen (he homemade drum machine!), Untitled Feminist Show (what an unforgettable entrance!), the Sled Island poster show curated by Josh Ruck (screen-prints by local artists and all of the energy that Sled brings to the city).

Tazeem Weljie

Director

  • Tazeem Weljie (Taz) is a global strategy consultant and leadership coach with over 15 years of experience spanning six countries (Canada, China, Guyana, Japan, UK, and the US). With a passion for making organizations be as efficient as possible, Taz intersects her experience in the non-profit, public, and private sectors with her background in Change Management, Human Resources, Communications, Process Improvement, and Project Management. She employs both her left and right brain to analytically and creatively tackle any problem – big or small.