Staff

Stacy Riggs– Executive Director

Stacy has a strong management background in not-for-profit organizations, as well as working in the corporate/private and government sectors. Stacy brings to SBA over 20 years of extensive experience in marketing, revenue development, event management, board governance, project management and communications. Stacy also has her own consulting business.

Board Members

Barbara Shourounis - President of the Board

Barbara is the current President of the Board of Directors, serving her fifth year on the board. As the Director of the Securities Division of the Saskatchewan Financial Services Commission, it was not her background, but Barbara's love of reading and books that led her to the Saskatchewan Book Awards.

Ian McIntosh - Treasurer

Ian brings financial and administrative strengths to the Saskatchewan Book Awards. He is a Chartered Accountant, and works as Deputy Director of the Corporate Finance Branch - Securities Division, of the Saskatchewan Financial Services Commission. He has a keen interest in reading publications of a historical nature, primarily relating to Canada's railways and the development of western Canada.

Richard Jensen

Richard is a lifelong resident of Regina, Saskatchewan, and a member of the Pasqua First Nation. He is an avid fan of the written word. He is an English and Indigenous Studies student at the First Nations University of Canada, and occasionally he volunteers for various community positions, like the Saskatchewan Book Awards.

Joanne Skidmore

After attending the University of Saskatchewan, Joanne pursued her love of books by working as an editorial assistant with the publisher Western Producer Prairie Books. What an interesting way to dip into the world of writers and their manuscripts! The next twist in life took her to CBC Television and Radio, where she worked as a journalist for several years in Saskatoon and Regina, reporting in many areas from agriculture to municipal politics to arts, culture and entertainment. In addition to reporting on the arts, Joanne has lived the arts through singing in choral groups, including the Regina Philharmonic Chorus, and being a member of book clubs such as the longstanding Rae Street Readers in Regina. Joanne also volunteers with Youth Ballet and Contemporary Dance of Saskatchewan.

Donna Welke

Donna brings to the boardroom table a varied background. She completed her nurse training at the Saskatoon City Hospital, and received her Diploma in Nursing Administration from the University of Saskatchewan. She has been involved with small business and has a long history of working in the agriculture industry, most recently as the Assistant Grain Commissioner for Saskatchewan for the Canadian Grain Commission. Donna recently received her 30-year volunteer pin from the Canadian Western Agribition and is serving on the Ranch Ehrlo Board of Directors as the immediate Past Chair. She is a long-time political activist. Donna participates in a book club that has been together for 13 years. Her love of reading and appreciation for the people who write is why she is so pleased to be a member of the Saskatchewan Book Awards Board of Directors.

Kathy Stedwill

Kathy retired from the Saskatchewan public service in January 2009 after years as: an Education Counsellor at SIAST; Director, Saskatchewan Disabilities Directorate; and Senior Policy Advisor, Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment and Labour. She has been a community volunteer, providing support to non-profit organizations to develop and maintain organizational websites designed to meet their needs within their available resources. She is also a member of the Prairie Piecemakers Quilters Guild Connecting Thread group that sews quilts for donation to a number of organizations, using donated fabric. She is an avid reader and supporter of Saskatchewan writers. She has served on the boards of Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Inc, YWCA and Great Plains FreeNet, and is currently a member of the Prairie Piecemakers Quilters' Guild executive committee as coordinator for their website.

Laurier Gareau

A Graduate of the University of Alberta’s MFA Playwriting program, Laurier Gareau has been involved in the Fransaskois community’s French language theatre as an author (more then 40 French plays), actor, director rand teacher as well as with the Société historique de la Saskatchewan where he has authored two books on Fransaskois history as well as being the editor of the French quarterly history magazine, Revue historique. Laurier Gareau est le représentant francophone au Conseil d’adoministration du SBA.