Every year the International Peace Garden holds its annual meeting in early spring, and it’s at that meeting where they elect new board members or re-elect board members.
And this year is a little unique in that the on the American side, it was contested,” says CEO Tim Chapman. “We had more nominees than positions to fill. So yeah, the slate of names has really been impressive and it’s just a great opportunity for the Garden to keep moving forward and potentially add some names and people with experiences that can further our causes with the type of support that board members provide.”
Traditionally, the Peace Garden aims to have equal representation from both sides of the Canadian/U.S. border, preferably nine from each country.
On the Canadian side, they’ll be welcoming two new members to the board, both of whom are very familiar with the Peace Garden.
New board member Connie Blixhavn
Killarney resident, Connie Blixhavn has been a councillor on the Killarney-Turtle Mountain Municipal council for multiple terms. She has also headed up Killarney’s beautification initiative and has been instrumental in the community’s participation in Communities in Bloom.
Blixhavn has shared she has watched the Garden grow and transform into what the Communities in Bloom judges called ‘The Butchart Gardens of the prairies.’
She has served on several boards, most recently being ManSea, the Pembina Valley Watershed District and Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association. Blixhavn has received her Prairie Horticulture Certificate some 20 years ago with Landscape Design as her focus and she is currently enrolled in the Master Gardener Program through the University of Saskatchewan, with just two courses left.
New board member Don Engbrecht
Boissevain area resident, Don Engbrecht is no stranger to the Peace Garden as one can see many of his metal-works sculptures on display throughout the grounds.
Engbrecht grew up on a farm just 20 miles north of the Canada-US border, went to school in a one-room country school until grade eight, then high school in Boissevain and graduated at a private school in eastern Manitoba.
His first few decades were devoted to the Ag industry. In the early 1990s he was hired to be the director of the government-run charity in Boissevain that provided services to mentally challenged adults in the areas of residential care, independent living, and a day program. As time progressed, he became the facilitator of the local dementia support group, became involved in advocating for a walking park to accommodate wheelchairs, walkers, scooters and strollers.
Engbrecht is also a published author having written his life story, Vignettes, The Art and Faith of a Central Canadian Couple.
Dwight MacAulay continues in second term
Dwight MacAulay is currently a government and media relations consultant, as well as a protocol adviser. He was the Chief of Protocol for the Government of Manitoba for close to 20 years and served as Chief of Protocol for the Government of South Australia from 2006 to 2008.
A native of Killarney, Manitoba, he attended Brandon University (Science) followed by a career in radio and television news broadcasting before joining the Manitoba Government in 1980. As Chief of Protocol, Dwight organized and worked on several Royal visits – including those of Her Majesty The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall (Charles & Camilla).
He also served as Secretary to the Order of Manitoba Advisory Council (Manitoba’s highest honour) and was a key advisor to the Premier with respect to The Order of the Buffalo Hunt. In 2002, he was honoured with the Governor General’s Golden Jubilee Medal in honour of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Later that same year, he was invested as a Lieutenant in the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) by Her Majesty The Queen when She visited Manitoba as part of the Golden Jubilee Visit to Canada. Dwight is one of only two Manitobans in the history of the province to ever receive this honour.
In 2010, The Queen elevated Dwight to the position of Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) — and is the only Manitoban to ever receive such an honour. The CVO is the highest possible rank attainable in Canada in the Royal Victorian Order. In 2012 he was awarded The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Canadian Private Secretary to The Queen.
Sotirios Kotoulas continues in second term
Sotirios Kotoulas is the founder of Sotirios Corp, an architecture and design studio based in North America with projects realized internationally. He received his professional degree in architecture from The Cooper Union in New York City and completed his Master of Architecture at McGill University in Montreal, where he studied the history and theory of architecture with Alberto Pérez-Gómez.
His recent work spans residential, cultural, and experimental research projects across North America and Europe. He recently completed Sherbrook Flats, a structural masonry mixed-use building in downtown Winnipeg, and is currently constructing a residence for artist Katherine Bernhardt in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Kotoulas had the opportunity to work on a proposal for the Peace Garden Tower Competition several years ago, an experience that deepened a long-standing fascination with the site and mission of the International Peace Garden.
Chapman highlights diverse board guiding sustainable growth
There is one seat left to fill on the Canadian side of board of directors to complete the 5 seats, says Chapman. “So, like there’s nothing contested on the Canadian side and then the board can fill that one vacant seat that there weren’t enough that didn’t have a nominee for really at any point during the year and then that person would either be filling out a term or starting a fresh three-years.”
Chapman says their Board of Directors consists of a good cross section of the different talents and tools and passions that come to the table.
“Even though maybe a lot of people think of us as just a garden, there’s a lot that goes into a garden or any nonprofit from the financial side to the programming side and all the challenges that come with those,” he explains.
“So, we’ve got a really good makeup and usually do as far as people who, if they’re not retired yet, have many years of experience in their careers. And it’s great to have that diversity of experience because then you can really call on your board, pick their brains, make sure we’re doing things to the best of our ability in a sustainable way so that the financial position of the garden only gets better and better,” adds Chapman.
Canadian nominees to IPG board (five seats open):
Dwight MacAulay – 2nd term – Nominated by Dorothy Dobbie
Sotirios Kotoulas – 2nd term – Nominated by Dorothy Dobbie
Connie Blixhavn – 1st term – Nominated by Dwight MacAulay
Don Engbrecht – 1st term – Nominated by Michael Cox
OPEN as of March 5
United States nominees to IPG board (three seats open):
Carmen Simone – 2nd term – Nominated by Cathy Jelsing
Nancy Olson – 2nd term – complete – Nominated by Cathy Jelsing
Marlys Carlson – 2nd term – complete – Nominated by Lisa Kudelka
Murray Sagsveen – 1st term – complete – Nominated by Jon Nelson
Clay Jenkinson – 1st term – complete – Nominated by Jim Fuglie & Mike Jacobs
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