BOARD MEMBERS




Jim Hendry was a journalist at The Peterborough Examiner for 32 years, retiring as managing editor. He continues to write two editorials a week for the Examiner. He and his wife, Judi, have attended all but two ReFrame Festivals, often with their children. As a journalist, Jim won several Ontario Newspaper Association writing awards and did a six-week study tour of England, Ireland and Scotland as a Harry Brittain Fellow. He currently chairs the Peterborough and District United Way board of directors and is secretary of the Kawartha Golf and Country Club board. He organized a group that supports two government-sponsored Syrian refugee families and is bringing a third family to Peterborough under private sponsorship. He and Judi enjoying hiking, canoeing and cycling whenever possible.

Leslie Menagh is an interdisciplinary artist, craftsperson, community organizer, and entrepreneur. After many years working in the arts administrative and cultural sectors, she now operates Madderhouse Textile Studios where she produces and teaches textile screen printing, has presented a variety of workshops with other professional artists, hosts artists-in-residence, and project coordinates with other organizations and artists to bring innovative public engagement opportunities to the public. Most recently, she has been supporting the creation of a social enterprise, working with a team of sewists who are newcomer women (Newcomer Sewing Crew). Leslie holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

Susan Bacque is a seasoned public sector leader having led quality improvement projects in health care and managed housing and homeless services for various municipal governments. She held senior positions in the provincial government focused on affordable housing solutions. She received two Reach for Excellence Awards as a provincial Director and was named a ‘Municipal Champion’. Susan worked on several award-winning and widely-broadcast documentaries. A founding Director for Peterborough’s new art hive Creating Space, she has also served on the boards of the Kawartha Haliburton Children’s Aid Society, Na-Me-Res, Seeds of Change, Camp Wanapitei and Five Winds Cross Country Ski Club. Susan holds an M.A. from OISE and a Certificate in Project Management. She is the mother of three talented daughters and a wonderful son-in-law, grandmother of Leo and Willa, loving partner to Simon, and is filled with gratitude to live in this extraordinary community.




Melanie Buddle is Principal of Peter Gzowski College at Trent University. She grew up, and now gratefully works and lives, in the traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishnaabeg, adjacent to Haudenosaunee territory and in the territory covered by the Williams Treaty. Melanie holds a PhD in History from the University of Victoria, MA from UNBC, and BA from the University of Guelph. She has worked at Trent since 2003 in various roles, and continues to teach courses in interdisciplinary humanities courses. An early interest in theatre and dance led to involvement in the Peterborough arts community. She loves working and living in a vibrant and arts-focused community and enjoys cycling and nordic skiing with her two young-adult kids and husband Drew.

Deborah Berrill is a Professor Emeritus at Trent University where, following twenty years with the Queen’s Faculty of Education, she founded the Trent School of Education and Professional Learning, known for its commitment to social justice and inclusion. Deborah has won multiple higher education teaching awards at the local, provincial and national levels and she was the first recipient of the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario’s Educator of the Year Award. She also worked for over 20 years with a First Nation community on community-based literacy initiatives. Most recently she has been very involved with sponsorship and resettlement of refugees, including with the Trent University WUSC Student Refugee Program. She is continually humbled and inspired by newcomers to Canada.

Steve MacDonald has worked in the charitable sector for 20 years. He has held leadership roles at Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation and George Jeffrey Children’s Foundation, and is currently part of the leadership team at Lakeridge Health Foundation. He has a Bachelor of Environmental Studies degree from the University of Waterloo and Master of Public Administration degree from Queen’s University. Steve volunteered as a “Big Brother” with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Peterborough for 10 years and has also served on several volunteer boards including Peterborough Humane Society and Peterborough Public Library. He enjoys travel, spending time with his pets, and a variety of sports. Steve and his wife, Amanda, have been attending and supporting ReFrame since 2007.




Ashley Lamothe is a proud Anishnaabekwe/Metis mother, creativity coach, and maker living in Nogojiwanong, Ontario. Her passion with creativity led to a post secondary education in Health Sciences with a focus on Mental Health. After many years in the non-profit sector, Ashley returned to Nogojiwanong to pursue her passions full time. Ashley is a proud advocate and facilitator for radical creativity, decolonization and co-creating safe spaces. When she isn’t working on strengthening relationships with creativity, you can find her with a coffee in her hand, tiny humans by her side playing with bubbles, glitter and Mother Nature.

I have been a resident of Peterborough and Canada since May 2018. I have also lived in India (my birthplace), United Kingdom and Malaysia. Because of this, I have been fascinated by stories, especially from elders from different parts of the world. Thus, lately I have been interested in dissecting the process of storytelling. I have a Master’s in Biotechnology and have worn many hats like being a scientific researcher, a salesman, a tree planter, a production technician and now a writer. I am constantly immersed in experiences that inspire me and my curiosity is what helps me make sense of the world

Joaquin is originally from the Dominican Republic and has lived in Peterborough for the last 6 years. Before then, he lived in a few different cities in North America since his early childhood. Joaquin’s professional background and passion is in improving health in marginalized communities, especially for those that suffer gender-based violence, which he has done through a diverse number of employers and volunteer opportunities. Currently, he is a peer support worker for the Trans Peer Outreach program for the Canadian Mental Health Association. His preferred activities are spending time with his family and reading.


Simal Iftikhar has been deeply committed to her work in activism and social justice in the community of Peterborough. Currently completing her Master’s degree at Trent University in Education, her research is focused on supporting refugees resettling into Canada and better understanding the barriers newcomers face in the Canadian education system. Her previous research has also allowed her to support initiatives such as the TALK Now walk in mental health clinic. Simal has also worked in the non-profit sector for almost 5 years, working in children’s mental health and health care programming. These intersectionalities have led to her deep passion for social justice and creating positive changes in the Peterborough community. This is best demonstrated through Simal’s involvement around the homelessness crisis in our community, for which she runs a yearly fundraiser to raise funds and awareness for the YES Shelter for homeless youths and families, where she also sits on the board of directors. Simal uses her privilege and voice to amplify the voices of marginalized individuals.
JOIN OUR BOARD
Recruitment for our Board of Directors happens on an ongoing basis. If you’re a community-minded film and art lover with a commitment to social and environmental justice, we’d love to hear from you!
STAFF

Festival Director

Creative Director

Festival Coordinator

Kait Dueck was raised as a student of ecology in the woods northeast of Peterborough, and is deeply connected and committed to this community and place. An alumnus of the Integrated Arts Program at PCVS, Carleton and Trent Universities and Fleming College, their formal education has been focused on gender studies, world religions, the arts through a justice-based lens, political repression and science, and environmental and forestry studies. Kait is an accomplished artistic administrator and volunteer coordinator with over a decade of experience in the field. They also have twenty years’ experience as a professional performance artist, most notably as an actor and musician. Outside of work and school, Kait adores her gorgeous family (both two and four-legged), transformative film and literature, being in the forest, and all manner of bird-nerdery.

Amy Siegel is an artist, educator, and organizer of artistic projects. Working at the intersection of film, performance and socially-engaged art, Amy’s work is focused on telling stories based in themes of social justice and community empowerment. Amy holds an MFA in Documentary Media from Ryerson University and an MA in Adult Education and Community Development from the University of Toronto.

Lauren Corindia has a decade of experience supporting solopreneurs and non-profits through project management and event coordination. In 2019, she coordinated the beloved open streets event, Peterborough Pulse. With a background in musical theatre and long-time lover of documentaries, Lauren is thrilled to be part of the ReFrame team. When she is not at her desk, you can find her dj’ing, cooking, or learning how to play the mandolin.

Financial Controller

Michael Goede has been offering bookkeeping and financial control services for ReFrame Film Festival for many years. He is the owner of New Leaf Business Services with clients in virtual reality software, film and TV production, construction, real estate, hospitality, retail, local non-profits and unions. For the last 5 years, Michael has enjoyed marrying theory and practice while teaching financial and managerial accounting in the School of Business at Trent University. Michael also coaches U18 Indoor Soccer and has been producing electronic music for 25 years.