Kathleen Darby is a cultural sector leader and consultant with a significant background in planning and program development. Ms Darby is a current member of Arts Consultants Canada (ACCA), and a former member of the Canadian Association of Arts Administration Educators, and the Association of Cultural Executives. She has served as an adviser to the Cultural Human Resources Council, as a juror for the Canada Council and as a member of the team for the City of Nanaimo Cultural Plan. From 2013 to 2015 she was the President of the BC Association of Community Music Schools.

Ms Darby designed, developed and implemented the Arts and Cultural Management Program for the University of Winnipeg, and commissioned the « Governance Works » manual for Creative Manitoba and SaskCulture. An impassioned presenter and educator, she was a keynote speaker for Contact Manitoba as well as the Children’s Literature Roundtable and has produced workshops and training in governance, arts marketing, sponsorship, arts management and event management. In addition to working with individual artists on career planning, Kathleen has facilitated strategic plans for a wide variety of cultural organizations. In 2003, Kathleen completed the Creative Manitoba Strategy, a sector-wide plan for arts and culture.

Kathleen Darby’s cultural management career has spanned three provinces and three decades where she has held senior management positions in organizations such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Winnipeg International Writers Festival, the New Bastion Theatre Company, the Costume Museum of Canada, Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art and, the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music and currently the Creative City Network of Canada.

Ms Darby has a Diploma in Drama from South East Essex College in England, a BA in Theatre and Administration (double major), a Graduate Certificate in Management from the University of Winnipeg and a certificate in Indigenous Cultural Awareness from the First Nations Technical Institute. Kathleen maintains a personal creative practice in jewelry-making, music and videography.