Board Bios
Erin Mullan | President
Erin Mullan has a long history with the VFMF having attended over 30 festivals as an audience member, volunteer, and security team co-ordinator. She was for many years one of the party queens, the crew who ran the festival volunteer parties. In her professional life she is an abortion counsellor and sexual health educator with more than 30 years of experience in the field of reproductive health. She works from a social justice perspective and has a special interest in reducing the stigma surrounding abortion. She is also an organic master gardener who believes that helping plants grow is excellent therapy.
Anne Blaine | Vice President
Anne Blaine volunteered as a Committee Coordinator at the first two folk music festivals and was on staff as the Festival Administrator for the next 14 years. She served 5 years on the Steering Committee and the Board of the Folk Alliance International. She has been the Onsite Marketing Coordinator, Vancouver Children’s Festival (4 years), Freelance Manager for multiple events, Exhibit Tours and installations (12 years), Associate Producer, Rogers Santa Claus Parade/Vancouver Canada Day Parade(16 years), Board Member, VFMFS (6 years), Manager Special Events, Metropolis at Metrotown (16 years).
Jeff Finger | Treasurer
Jeff Finger has attended every day of all the Vancouver Folk Music Festivals. His passion for folk music led him to serve on the VFMF Board in very difficult times and to be a festival volunteer and donor. Jeff has worked with other non-profit groups organizing events and doing fundraising.
Over the past 45 years, Jeff has helped to build and manage several successful local and international tech enterprises. This professional work has included the design and manufacturing of hand-held solar lights for distribution by non-profits and NGO’s in Africa and Haiti. He has provided leadership in facility and process design, and set-up of IT infrastructure. Jeff is a seasoned problem-solver and team-builder with time, energy and skills to help the festival thrive.
Melinda Suto | Secretary
The VFMF is a unique act of community building that creates the best musical and cultural event annually. The festival is where people connect, learn about social issues, and have a place to belong, all through the power of music. Melinda’s experience at the first festival was on the transportation committee, where she met performers at the airport and drove them to and from Stanley Park. She became a lifelong volunteer with the festival because of the synergy between the audience and performers. Over her years of volunteering at every VFMF since 1978, Melinda enjoyed a career as an occupational therapist and a university professor. Her specialty was community-based participatory research, focusing on living well with mental health issues. Melinda is engaged in a variety of volunteer community activities.
Tess Kitchen (she/her) | Member at Large
Tess is a lifelong musician, having played at festivals around Canada, including the Vancouver Folk Music Festival with her band e.s.l. Now passionate about contributing to the arts in another capacity, she looks forward to bringing her strategic planning, facilitation, technology, financial analysis, and non-profit governance experience to the table. Professionally, she is a senior strategic planning advisor at ICBC. Previously Tess was at Metro Vancouver in strategic and organizational planning, and prior to that she was in strategy & IT consulting in the public sector. Her educational background consists of a BSc in math and computer science and an MBA specializing in strategic management and sustainability. Tess has been on several non-profit boards and has enjoyed volunteering to teach girls coding on an ad hoc basis. Tess and her husband have two kids, and they enjoy camping, swimming, adventures at Jericho and Kits beaches, and of course, music.
Ann McDonell | Member at Large
Ann McDonell has been an avid Vancouver Folk Music festival-goer since 1982 and volunteered at the Festival for many years. She worked in the performing arts sector for three decades with organizations including the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, the Public Dreams Society and the Vancouver Writers Fest, and has been a major gifts fundraiser at Simon Fraser University since 2017. She currently serves as President of Vancouver Moving Theatre and Vancouver Independent Music House.
Ann was appointed to the VFMF board of directors in 2023 and serves on its fundraising committee. She is committed to working with her fellow board members to ensure the festival is financially stable and sustainable for future generations of music lovers.
Amy Newman | Member at Large
Amy Newman has a long and active history with the Vancouver Folk Music Festival spanning several decades. She was the VFMF Board chair from 2012 – 2016, has been a Little Folks Volunteer, Assistant Coordinator, and has programmed the Little Folks Area. She coordinated the Little Folks Committee from 1990-2002. Amy has been a festival performer with Uzume Taiko and Sansho Daiko. She has led numerous Japanese taiko drumming workshops in the Little Folks area for children and families. Amy has been a music teacher, classroom teacher, District Fine Arts Coordinator and now expresses her passion for leadership as a school principal.
Christina Price | Member at Large
Christina has been volunteering at the Folk Festival for nearly 20 years, and has served as the Coordinator of the Info Booth Committee since 2014. She has extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, including fundraising, event planning, volunteer management, DEI, and operations. Christina is the former Festival Manager of the Vancouver Fringe Festival, and has volunteered at pretty much everything that starts with “Vancouver” and ends with “Festival”. She currently works as a major gifts fundraiser at an environmental charity. When not working or volunteering, she can be found reading, making music, or out in nature with her family.
Nimmi Takkar | Member at Large
As a multilingual professional with a successful track record of stakeholder relations, I have established myself as a leader who brings a combination of operational excellence and political acumen. Paying close attention to detail, and with specialized experience in working with cultural communities, I bring experience and passion for issues management and deep relationship building. I communicate openly and respectfully with a proven ability to lead teams with or without a direct reporting relationship. Strategically aware, and with integrity, I am results-driven and passionate about my work.
I hope we are able to secure a path for sustainable funding and financial management for the festival for years to come, and as we do this, we look for opportunities to diversify and ensure that the festival is representative of the diversity of Vancouver.
Clodagh O’Connell | Member at Large
Clodagh is a lawyer and writer on Vancouver Island. She started attending the Folk Fest in the late 1980s when she was covering it for local media. Clodagh spent over a decade as a music journalist in Canada, the UK and Ireland before switching to writing for film and television. She was called to the Bar in 2013 and has a trauma-informed practice with a focus on family law matters.
Alison Klein | Member at Large
Alison has been a volunteer for the Folk Fest since 2014, where they have been in the lantern committee. Outside of the Folk Fest, Alison has experience as a self advocate in the disability community through many arts organizations and festivals. They have a radio show and podcast on CFRO Co-op Radio 100.5 FM about arts and culture in the disability community, called The Self Advocate. Alison has volunteered for the Fringe Festival, Writer’s Festival, Vancouver Pride, and PuSh Festival, all with accessibility. They currently work with neurodiverse LGBTQ+ people, connecting them to the wider queer community. Lastly, Alison has a Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a double focus in Cultural Studies and Work, Organization, and Leadership. When not working as a self advocate, Alison likes to knit, watch TV and movies, and goes bowling.
Alex Grigg | Member at Large
Alex Grigg boasts a 25-year career in the music industry, spanning diverse sectors from profit-driven ventures to non-profit endeavors. Initially cutting his teeth as a promoter in Southern Ontario, Grigg left an indelible mark in Vancouver, serving as an Agent at the Feldman Agency for 11 years. From there, he assumed the role of Manager of the National Touring Program and Contemporary Music Programmer for VANOC, the organizing committee for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Grigg’s journey continued with directorial roles at Coastal Jazz & Blues Society, Ambleside Live Concerts Series, and Music BC Industry Association, where he spearheaded lobbying efforts for Creative BC Amplify Music Fund. Grigg then joined the MRG Group as Director of Events, producing over a dozen events. His educational roles in Music Business started in 2018 at Metalworks Institute & NIMBUS School of Music. Currently, he is and instructor at SAE Institute and Capilano University.
As the Manager of Development and Outreach at PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Grigg continues to leverage his expertise, complemented by his own consulting venture, leveraging his wealth of experience to benefit diverse organizations, individuals, and municipalities.