Our Board of Directors is made up of dedicated volunteers who generously share their time, experience, and leadership to guide our mission and support our community.
Renee Ignacio grew up in a small town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, which shaped who she is and what she loves to do. Renee spends her free time tending to her plants, inside and outside. She loves getting away to the mountains whenever she can to hike, bike, snowboard and camp. She graduated from the Carleton University Mass Communications program in Ottawa and then moved back to Alberta to start her career in communications. She’s worked for a bank, an engineering firm and is currently the senior communications officer at CBC.
Michael Gaian is an eastern transplant who moved west in his career, felt at home, married and raised a family here. He has been a business, financial and insurance consultant for over 30 years and co-owns a consulting practice, Bedrock Advisory Inc. He has always been engaged in community, whether at school, the arts and not for profits through various board affiliations, councils and advisory groups. Michael is an avid traveller and history buff.
Dylan Niedermaier is an accountant working for KPMG’s Corporate Finance team in Edmonton. Dylan has a bachelor of commerce from the University of Alberta in addition to a bachelor of kinesiology from the University of Calgary. Dylan played football throughout university and finished off his career with the Golden Bears. He is still an assistant coach with the team and also president of the Golden Bears Football Alumni Association. When he’s not in the office or at the football field you can find him on the golf course or up hiking in the mountains.
Martin James Phillips has worked most of his career for the City of Edmonton, starting in engineering, then budgeting, applications and finishing up with more than a decade in cyber security–a field he still works in part time. Martin is married to Sharmaine, has two sons (Mike and Devon), two stepdaughters (Cassandra and Hunter) and one granddaughter (Jada). Martin is a Mason and Shriner and, in those rare moments of spare time, enjoys everything from hunting, gold panning, snowshoeing, ice fishing and, of course, housework.
Katelyn Pretzlaff is a senior communications officer at Alberta Blue Cross and co-founder of a local, non-profit organization for brain cancer, the Taite Boomer Memorial Brain Tumor Foundation. She has experience in strategic communications, media relations and issues management, along with more than a decade of fundraising and donor relations experience. She has a Bachelor of Science in biology and chemistry and a diploma in public relations from MacEwan University. In her spare time, you’ll find her reading or enjoying the company of her family, friends and two dogs.
Darryel Sowan was born and raised in Alberta. He grew up in Edmonton and moved north to his reservation 23 years ago and has been there since. Darryel has three boys and one girl. He went to the University of Alberta and majored in archaeology and minored in history. He started the masters of arts program there and has completed his course work. Darryel has mainly worked in archaeology, industry and government consultation over the last 20 years.
Isaac Otway is a husband, father and Edmontonian who cares deeply about making his community a better place and the important role museums play in housing our history and culture and inspiring and educating our youth. Isaac is a local business owner, founding Crimson Herring Studios in 2020, a local video game developer and publisher. Isaac holds a bachelor of human resources and labour relations from Athabasca University and his chartered professional in human resources designation.
Kory Read is a passionate community builder and advocate for Edmonton, committed to strengthening access and opportunity for families and youth. With 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, communications and media, he has built a career focused on driving growth, connections and elevating organizational storytelling. Kory has served as a director on multiple boards and cabinets and is proud to support the Royal Alberta Musem as one of Edmonton’s cultural gems.
Amelia Sigamony is the director of Marketing & Sales at the Citadel Theatre and the owner and chief marketing officer of AdSolve Media, a digital marketing agency she founded after years of working with major brands like Adidas, Volvo and Edgewell. Originally from Ontario, Amelia moved to Edmonton last year and quickly fell in love with the community. A proud mompreneur raising two boys, Amelia is passionate about creativity, connection and contributing to Edmonton’s growing arts and culture landscape.
Christopher Young is a partner at an Edmonton-based law firm, carrying on a litigation practice with a focus on resolving commercial disputes. He holds degrees in both law and commerce from the University of Alberta, and remains an engaged alumnus with the university community. Prior to the law, Chris gained valuable experience and insight working for a federal cabinet minister and in a variety of roles involving all orders of government. In addition to his passion for Alberta’s history, Chris enjoys exploring museums and historic locations around the world with his wife and two young children.