Bravo niagara!

Our Team

Christine Mori - Artistic Director

Alexis Spieldenner - Executive Director

Céline Peterson - Production & Programming Associate

Karen McGrath - Membership & Outreach Associate

Teresa Lasiuk - Bravo Circle Membership Ambassador

Board of Directors

In January 2019, Stéphanie joined the Creative management team at Shaw Festival, one of the world’s finest theatre companies, located in historic Niagara-on-the-Lake, to assume the role of Company Manager. She oversees the practical needs of the artistic staff, acting ensemble, musicians, directors, coaches and other company members, she plans and coordinates company/ensemble events and ancillary public programming events throughout the festival season. Before then, she was the Research and Communications Coordinator at Venture Niagara, a Community Futures Development Corporation. Five years ago, Stéphanie relocated to the Niagara peninsula to assume the role of Audience Development Coordinator (Bilingual) at the municipality owned FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines. Previously, she worked for 14 years at Prologue to the Performing Arts, where she held the role of Outreach, Touring Sales Manager. She worked with professional artists and companies, offering access to enriching Performing Arts experiences to young and family audiences in partnership with schools and family presenters in more than 100 communities across Ontario annually. 

Stéphanie is an experienced arts administrator, dedicated to supporting the performing arts in rural communities and connecting audiences to a variety of culturally-enriching art experiences. She is dedicated to supporting vibrant community growth, capacity building, collaborative partnerships, programming and services to a diverse range of cross sectorial stakeholders, and community groups. In Canada, she has also worked in the tourism sector and communications industry for Corus Entertainment. Stéphanie brings over 20 years combined experience in Sales & Marketing, special events management, fundraising/sponsorship for the corporate and not for profit sectors.

Darren is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and has practised accounting for more than 20 years.  He has helped clients while working at large multi-national accounting firms and is now operating a small accounting firm in St. Catharines.  His focus and passion has always been to help small-medium sized business.  After obtaining his CPA designation Darren continued his academic journey completing a two year in-depth tax course offered by the Institute of CPA’s.  He has been on many boards, serving as a Treasurer, in the Niagara and Hamilton Region as volunteering is a value that he holds strongly.  Darren grew up in Niagara attending Parliament Oak as a child and he now resides with his wife and two children in St. Davids.  

In Canada, Carol has been a board member of the Canadian Stage Company, the Canadian Arts Magazine Foundation, The Power Plant and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). She is also a founding member of the Art Gallery of York University. She also served on the board of directors of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), and was co-chair of the Committee of Acquisition of Contemporary Art. At the LA MOCA, she was a primary sponsor of Canadian artist's "Rodney Graham:A Little Thought" organized by the AGO of Toronto and curated by Jessica Bradley, Cornelia Butler and Grant Arnold.

In New York City, she was invited by Art Director and chief curator Melissa Chiu, to join the Asian Society, established by David Rockefeller and presently sits on the Asian Society Contemporary Art Council and the Contemporary Art Acquisition Committee. She has contributed art works and sponsored many contemporary Asian art shows and books including the art book on leading Chinese artist Lin Tianmiao, whose exhibition opened in September, 2012.
Carol is a member of the Photography Committee and Photography Council of New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). Contributions include exhibitions by Canadian artists Jeff Wall, Scott McFarland and the Cindy Sherman exhibition, now travelling to San Francisco, Minneapolis and Dallas. In 2011, she became a founding member of MOMA’s Modern Women's Fund Committee.
She is a member of the Tate Modern North American Contemporary Art Acquisition Committee; in Vietnam, she is a director of the Vietnam Foundation Board for the Arts whose mission is to promote contemporary art.

Rochelle Ivri is a Canadian citizenship judge and paralegal professor with the McKiel School of Business at Mohawk College. She is a paralegal and immigration consultant licensed with the Law Society of Ontario and the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC). Rochelle has served two terms on the Niagara on the Lake Public Library Board and is also a former member of the Discipline, Appeal, and Review Committee of the ICCRC and spent 8 years on the Council of the College of Midwives of Ontario. Before teaching, Rochelle worked at the Federal Courts and the Immigration and Refugee Board, and coordinated a restorative justice diversion program for the Ministry of the Attorney General. Rochelle received an undergraduate degree in criminology (minor in forensic anthropology) form the University of Windsor and a postgraduate certificate in alternative dispute resolution from York University. Rochelle enjoys spending time with her family and is passionate about the Charter and human rights law.

Christine Mori, an accomplished pianist and Toronto native, began her early musical studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Mozarteum, Aspen Music Festival, and Tanglewood before moving to New York City to attend The Juilliard School. Upon her graduation from Juilliard, Christine went on to spend thirty years as the pianist with the Florida Orchestra, where she performed with the likes of Henry Mancini, Isaac Stern, Victor Borge, Nigel Kennedy, Robert McDuffie, and Bobby McFerrin to name a few. Christine returned to Canada and shortly after founded Bravo Niagara! in 2014 with her daughter Alexis.

Nicolette Novak is a lifelong resident of Niagara, having built her business The Good Earth Food & Wine Co. on the site of the family farm in Beamsville. Over the course of the past 30 years, she has served on a number of industry and government boards dedicated to enhancing and promoting the Niagara region as a world class tourism and agricultural destination. While studying at Trinity College, University of Toronto, she enjoyed the many cultural opportunities living in Toronto offered. Her love for all genres of music has grown ever since. She is committed to sharing her passion for music in Niagara and welcomes the opportunity to work with Bravo Niagara!.

As Director of Strategic Relations at Meyer Sound, Jerry serves as the critical link between end users, architects, AV consultants, acousticians and sound designers and Meyer Sound’s audio and acoustic divisions. He has global responsibility and continues to work with the most technologically innovative and creative companies in the world developing unique and bespoke sound and acoustic solutions to improve and enhance the employee and customer experience. Jerry manages the direct relationships with several top Fortune 500 companies including Apple, Google, Facebook and Bloomberg. Jerry studied Jazz at Humber College in Toronto and holds a degree in Music Engineering from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, with focus on jazz performance and digital audio engineering. He is a pop, rock and jazz musician, composer and recording engineer. Jerry has worked in the advanced sound and acoustics fields since 1987 and has been with Meyer Sound since 2006.

Having started her career in media and marketing with the St. Catharines Standard newspaper and magazine group in 1985, Chris began her entrepreneurial journey in 1994 when she launched an independent advertising agency. Over nearly three decades, Robertson’s agency evolved through several successful iterations during which her focus was serving clients in the tourism, wine and non-profit sectors.

As a strong advocate for entrepreneurship in Niagara, Chris was a co-founder of the Niagara Entrepreneur of the Year Awards (1993) and remained active in the self-funded organization for 25 years. As a lifelong Niagara resident with strong ties to the community, Chris has dedicated much of her time to volunteer social marketing initiatives and has served on many Boards and Committees including, Niagara Community Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters Niagara Falls, Crime Stoppers of Niagara, Port Dalhousie Business Association, Niagara Grape & Wine Festival, Gillian’s Place, Light of Day Canada Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and Care, Hotel Dieu Shaver Foundation and others.

In 2009, Chris was honoured with the 2009 Niagara Women in Business – Woman of the Year Award and in 2019 received the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Women in Business Award in the Entrepreneurship Category.

In 2021, Chris exited her marketing firm and now provides strategic marketing consultation services to a select group of clients.

Alexis brings to Bravo Niagara! a knowledge and love of classical and jazz music combined with credentials in education, leadership, and arts management, as well as a commitment to social justice. Alexis is a graduate of Duke University ('13) with High Distinction in International Comparative Studies (B.A.). Upon graduation, she moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario and soon after co-founded Bravo Niagara! in 2014. In 2017, she received the Lincoln M. Alexander Award for her work in spearheading Bravo Niagara!’s Voices of Freedom Festival. The award recognizes youth who have demonstrated leadership in eliminating racial discrimination and promoting positive social change. From 2016 to 2019, she also served on the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s committee for the Voices of Freedom Park, awarded the 2019 Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award. Alexis was selected to participate in Women in Music Canada’s inaugural 2019 Entrepreneurship Accelerator. She is currently a Global Arts Management Fellow of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management (Washington, D.C.) and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (Toronto).

Doug is the Senior Vice President of Sales at Sotheby’s International Realty in Niagara-on-the-Lake. He brings many years of local knowledge and business experience to his clients. Doug has always been very active in the Niagara community as founder of the Kiely House Inn (now known as the Charles Hotel as part of Niagara’s Finest Hotels), former President of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce, and a retailer in the Heritage District.