Maureen Douglas is the new executive director of Arts Whistler.
The organization announced the appointment of Douglas, an experienced arts and events administrator who was the director of communications and community relations for VANOC during the 2010 Winter Olympics, on Thursday, Aug. 11.
“Maureen brings a rich skillset of leadership, facilitation, event management, and community engagement combined with decades of local knowledge living and working in the Sea to Sky corridor,” said Heather Paul, chair of Arts Whistler’s board of directors in a release.
Douglas has been acting executive director following the departure of Doti Niedermayer in February, and has been a member of Arts Whistler’s board of directors since 2011.
In a phone interview Paul added: “Mo fell in love with the job, with the staff and the possibilities of Arts Whistler. And we fell in love with her. The possibility of her taking over wasn’t on her radar and it wasn’t on our radar.”
Since the Games, Douglas has been collaborating with municipalities and not-for-profit organizations as a strategist and facilitator.
She also brings a decade of experience as the director of festivals and events at Tourism Whistler.
“With the resort community’s increasing focus and investment into advancing cultural tourism and building capacity in our cultural community, Arts Whistler will continue to be instrumental in Whistler’s cultural and economic development,” Douglas said in the release.
“I am thrilled and honoured to take on this role and look forward to leading the great team at Arts Whistler in this exciting time for arts, culture, and heritage.”
The Whistler Arts Council was renamed Arts Whistler earlier this year.
For more information and a profile on Douglas, look for coming issues of Pique Newsmagazine.
