Neptune Theatre, a registered charity, is owned and operated by the Neptune Theatre Foundation and is run as a not-for-profit society. Neptune has a volunteer board of directors and is administered by a professional staff. The Board is elected every October at the Theatre’s Annual General Meeting.
Chair
Paul Laberge is Chief Operating Office of BlockEnergy, an Emera Company. Paul has been with Emera and its affiliates since 2013 in a variety of roles including Vice President, Corporate Development and Executive Vice President, Legal, Regulatory and Public Affairs at Emera Energy. Paul brings over 25 years of legal, business development and executive management experience gained in private legal practice, at Alliance Atlantis Communications, where he served in a variety of increasingly senior roles, culminating in Executive VP, Corporate Development & General Counsel for the motion picture distribution division and at Magellan Fuel Solutions, a business he co-founded and co-developed from concept to successful commercial product launch and sale. Paul is a graduate of the law school at Western University and also has a MBA and science degree from McMaster University.
Vice Chair
Catherine Bagnell Styles is a senior marketing and communications executive with deep experience across sectors including hospitality, post-secondary, healthcare, tourism and transportation and is highly skilled in brand positioning, media relations, public relations, partnership marketing, flagship events, internal engagement and issues management. Catherine has provided strategic counsel to boards and senior leaders in public and private sector organizations across Canada and has been a long-time board member with the Neptune Theatre Foundation.
Also, as a visual artist, Catherine’s work can be found in select galleries across Canada and in private collections throughout North America.
Treasurer/Secretary and Chair, Audit Committee
Leslie Hawco joined the Board in 2018 and sat on the audit committee before assuming the role of Treasurer in 2023. Leslie started coming to Neptune as a child but has been attending with the same three girlfriends since 2012. Leslie has over 15 years of experience in accounting and finance and is the Vice President of Finance and ESG for DeNova Inc. She also serves as the Treasurer of The Waegwoltic Club.
Chair, Community Outreach Committee
Hon. Patricia Arab, MEd. is a distinguished Canadian politician renowned for her dedicated service in the Nova Scotia Legislature. A prominent member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party, she has represented Fairview-Clayton Park since 2013. From 2017 to 2021 she served as Minister of Service Nova Scotia, Internal Services and Communications Nova Scotia. Currently Patricia is the Deputy House Leader for the Liberal Caucus and Shadow Critic for the Department of Energy and Renewables. Before being elected to office, Patricia was a teacher and guidance counsellor and is still a strong advocate for preventative mental health education in our schools. Her love for the Arts began in grade 6 when she starred and directed her school play “Storming the Teachers Lounge”.
Chair, Strategic Marketing Committee
Krista Grant holds a Bachelor of Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University along with various certificates including a Masters Certificate in Marketing Communications Leadership from York University and the Program on Negotiations from Harvard Law. Krista is currently on a secondment with the province working on strategic priorities from her role as Chief of Public Engagement and Communications with Nova Scotia Health. She has more than 25 years of experience working in leadership, communications and issues management.
Chair, Nomination & HR Committee
April Howe commenced her career with Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette in 2003, eventually ascending to the position of Partner in 2014. In 2018, she transitioned to the Province of Nova Scotia as the Executive Director of People & Culture. Since then, she has assumed roles such as Senior Executive Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Justice and, in 2021, Deputy Minister of Fish & Aquaculture.
Presently, April serves as the founder and CEO of Crayon Strategies, a Diversity & Inclusion consulting firm in Halifax, NS.
April holds an MBA from Saint Mary's University.
Chair, Advocacy & Education Committee
Scott McGaw is a dedicated community leader and entrepreneur. His commitment to community service is evident in his active participation on various boards and non-profit organizations. Scott's expertise in strategic planning, governance, and fundraising has consistently contributed to making a significant impact in the community.
As the Founder and Principal of Hawthorne Recruitment, based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Scott applies his extensive network and experience to consult and partner with numerous non-profits, aiding them in building efficient and thriving teams.
Beyond his professional and community commitments, Scott's greatest joy lies in spending quality time with his family. He cherishes adventures and playful moments with his wife, Ashley, and their two young sons, Walker and Levi.
Stella Balfour’s love of theatre began once she starred as Casper the Ghost in her first grade school play.
Her career centered in the area of banking with the Royal Bank and then RBC Dominion Securities, providing investment advisory services to a large portfolio of clients.
After the birth of her twin boys and with a toddler at home, she left the finance world to be a full time mom. She is now a qualified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction teacher working with teens and young adults in Nova Scotia. She is still passionate about the theatre, especially Neptune, as they are doing great things.
Kelly Boudreau was born and raised in Canso, a small town on our beautiful NS east coast. A graduate of Mount Saint Vincent University, she moved to Halifax to attend university and made Halifax her home in 1992.
Professionally, her career with TD Bank started 29 years ago and she currently leads the Real Estate Secured Specialist landing team for Atalantic Canada. Beyond her professional and community commitments, Kelly is a wife and prod mom of two children.
Kelly has been a board member since 2015.
Mary Clancy, a native of Halifax, received her education from Mount Saint Vincent University and Dalhousie Law School, as well as the University of London in England. She has had a multifaceted career, serving as a lawyer, broadcaster, radio and TV commentator, and newspaper columnist. Mary represented Halifax as a Member of Parliament from 1988 to 1997, for which she held key roles such as Official Opposition Critic for the Status of Women and Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration. Additionally, she was chair for National Defence and Veterans Affairs. Following her parliamentary tenure, Mary served as the Canadian Consul General to New England from 1997 to 2001. In 2022, she became the President of the founding board of The Canadian Museum of Women’s History.
Shani Hamilton Greenlaw was born and raised in Halifax. Shani is a former stage manager whose career started at Neptune as an apprentice. She now specializes in large-scale sports and cultural event production, working closely with clients and teams all over North America. Shani’s event portfolio includes the MLB at Field of Dreams games, MLB and NHL All-Star fan events, the NHL Winter Classic, NFL Super Bowl Opening Night, the Luminato Festival, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Alexandra Harris graduated from Dalhousie University and received her Chartered Professional Accountant designation in 2020 in Vancouver, BC. Shortly after, Alex moved back to the East Coast and began working for Grant Thornton in the Halifax office. With a passion for travel and the arts, Alex has been lucky to experience various live performances around the world. Alex is hopeful to help continue Neptune’s success by providing outstanding performances to the Halifax region.
Tracey Jones-Grant grew up and obtained her schooling in Halifax, graduating from Mount Saint Vincent University in 1984 and a Masters of Library Sciences at Dalhousie in 1986. The daughter of Joan and Burnley “Rocky” Jones, Tracey grew up at the height of the efforts to define Black identity and fight for civil rights. Tracey has worked in the area of diversity from being the Diversity Manager for Halifax Public Libraries to Coordinator of Diversity Management for the Halifax Regional School board to most recently as the Managing Director, for the Halifax Regional Municipality in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion/African Nova Scotian Affairs. Tracey’s current work focuses on creating an inclusive municipality through impacting service deliver, policy development and community engagement.
Brynn Leard works with organizations across North America to build insight driven customer focused strategies and meaningful customer experiences. She is also an Executive Instructor with the David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retail and Services. Brynn holds a BSc from Saint Francis Xavier University and a MBA from Dalhousie University. She has a keen interest in Maternal and Child Health, social supports with dignity and the arts.
Erin McSorley is a lawyer at Stewart McKelvey with a practice in civil litigation. As a lifelong theatre fanatic, she is thrilled to be joining the Neptune Board of Directors, and values the opportunity to contribute to Halifax’s vibrant arts community. Erin lives in Bedford with her husband Jamie and dog Juno.
Jerid Watton is a proud member of Glooscap First Nation, located in the Annapolis Valley. He has spent many years serving his community as a volunteer with Summer Day Camps and as a Youth Representative on the Glooscap Ventures Board of Directors.
In his current role Jerid is the Coordinator of Indigenous Outreach and Research with Halifax Regional Municipality’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion. Through his involvement in the Indigenous community Jerid has seen the power storytelling has a vessel of cultural preservation and he is excited to bring this insight to Neptune Theatre.
Lauren Wu is a senior leader working at the intersection of public affairs, communications and philanthropy. Professionally Lauren has worked in healthcare, energy, transportation and consumer packaged goods. Prior to joining the board at Neptune Theatre, Lauren has worked with several arts organizations throughout Canada in various leadership and volunteering roles including programming, marketing and development.
Life Directors
Allister Byrne
Rick Emberley
Tim Margolian
Ralph Medjuck
Lloyd Newman
Senator Donald Oliver, Q.C.
Mrs. J.G. Simpson
Dr. Jim Spatz
Honourary Directors
Rebecca Hiltz LeBlanc
Jamie Baillie
David Glenn Fountain
Jim Mills
Maureen Reid
Dr. Joan McArthur-Blair
Robbie Harrison
Rob Batherson
Rebecca Hiltz LeBlanc
