Mishel Quaal - President

Mishel grew up in a small northern Saskatchewan town enjoying the beauty of nature. A life filled with berry picking, hunting and learning from her beautiful Cree grandmother instilled a love of the outdoors, arts and community.

In 1996, Mishel completed her B.Ed. with Saskatchewan Urban Native Teachers Association through University of Saskatchewan. While raising two children she taught a variety of grade levels and subject in both urban and rural settings. Then in 2013, Mishel completed her Master’s Degree at University of Saskatchewan in Educational Foundations. While teaching in Saskatchewan, Mishel embraced many opportunities to bring Arts into the schools.

Mishel is currently District Principal of Indigenous Education in School District No. 83. She looks forward to fostering the opportunities ArtStarts provides in building relationships with artists, students, educators, families, and community.

Marielle Kho

Marielle has been a digital artist in both the film and video games industries for 13 years, and also enjoys pursuing creativity through the art of costume and prop making. Over the last few years, she has had the opportunity to be a guest speaker at several Game Design classes at Vancouver Film School. She has also volunteered time to serve as a Visual Arts Jury member ofthe Independent Game Festival. Serving on the IGF jury has been an amazing honor and she is proud to influence the industry by supporting and championing independent an underrepresented voices. Recently, Marielle has started volunteering to provide mutual aid in Vancouver's downtown Eastside, by distributing food, water, and supplies to its residents.

Kartik Bharadwa

My name is Kartik Bharadwa (he, him, his) and I am currently the Vice President of People, Culture and Diversity at Capilano University. My role previous to joining CapU was as the Director of HR & Operations and Chief Privacy Officer at the BC Dental Association in Vancouver. I received my MBA with a specialization in HR Management from Royal Roads in 2014. I also held a short contract role at Arts Umbrella during the pandemic as the Director of HR.

I hold a CPHR designation, am proficient in the Proscii change management methodology and I am also a certified DiSC facilitator. Before my current role I was the Director of Organizational Development & HR at Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited. I’ve worked with organizations in public practice to private and now in not-for-profit industries.

I hold a strong track record of developing leading people programs and creating engaged and high performing organizations. I am passionate about creating ways of working that inspire people, teams and organizations to realize their full potential. Fostering high performance and people-centered organizations is a personal and professional passion and is what inspired me to take the MBA at Royal Roads in the first place.

When I am not at work I am busy volunteering on various committees with the CPHR and Royal Roads University as a Mentor for new MBA students or riding my motorcycle, playing guitar. While I attempt to busy myself with various pursuits, I also tend to think about my golf game far too much. I wish I spent more time journaling.

Tina Lai

Tina Lai is the Chief People Officer of Kabam Games, Inc. and leads a team of talented individuals with oversight for all People aspects including people business partnerships, talent acquisition, communications, training & development, and total rewards. Tina is part of the executive leadership team accountable for developing and directing the organizational strategy, operating principles and cultural imperatives at Kabam. As a mom of two, she has seen the powerful impact that art has on unleashing creativity and accelerating learning and enrichment in not only her children but others as well. Further, she believes that creativity is essential to success in all occupations.

Paisley Smith

Paisley is an XR f lmmakerand createsprojects with real-world impact, including “UncededTerritories” and “Homestay.” Paisley previously led the Unity for Humanity Program at Unity Technologies and has built a supportive community of over 500 impact driven XR and digital media creators.

Jessica Lam

Born in Hong Kong, Jessica Lam arrived in Vancouver at the age of six months. She holds a B.A. in Communications, with a minor in English Literature from SFU. After working in advertising for over 15 years building brands such as Coca-Cola and Starbucks, Jessica is now dedicated to building a creative community for children. She believes in giving back to her community, and has done so by being involved with organizations like the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society and the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Jessica intends to apply her skills and passion to ArtStarts, and help strengthen the creative offerings to children throughout the Lower Mainland.

Dr. Steve Cardwell

Dr. Steve Cardwell has had a long career supporting public education at the K-12 and post- secondary levels. From his beginnings as a high school science teacher to CEO and Superintendent of the Delta and Vancouver school districts to Vice President, Students at KPU, he has always been a strong advocate for students and the work of educators - in particular, as adult learners themselves. Early on in his career, he was President of the BC Science Teachers’ Association and later, served as President of the BC Superintendents Association, Director on the Science World Board, and President of Learning Forward (a global education organization). He is currently Chair of the Institute for Public Education, serves on the Technology Education Careers Council, and is on the Quantum Algorithms Institute professional development advisory committee. In 2013, Steve was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal for outstanding service to public education. In 2015, he was recognized as one of UBC Faculty of Educa0on’s top 100 Alumni. In 2022, the KPU Foundation recognized Steve by creating a bursary in his name for his area of passion - marginalized students, especially Indigenous and former youth in care. Steve values ethical leadership and responsibility, building and fostering strong working relationships, and leading with empathy