Meet our board of directors

Beth Ryan - Chairperson
Beth has worked in the retail industry for several years. She has owned and operated
three separate businesses. Beth worked as a costume and prop person for River Hill
Players Theatre group. She was a Producer with Board Walk Productions, which
produced musical tribute shows. Beth is also a photographer and film maker. She is a
founding member of the Cape Breton Film Society. She was an employee at ICCA in the
early years and has been proud to be an active Board Member since 2019. She
believes in the potential and cultural importance of ICCA.

Emily Falencki - Vice Chair
Emily Falencki is an artist who lives and works in North End Halifax and Cape Breton
Island. She is the founder and director of 2482 Maynard and the Blue Building Gallery.
Raised in New York City, Falencki completed her BFA at NSCAD University and her
MFA at the National College of Art in Dublin, Ireland. Grounding her work with a
profound commitment to personal narratives and how these relate to a shared
experience, Falencki’s artistic practice led her to create a new kind of art space in
Halifax. With 2482 Maynard and the Blue Building, Falencki has provided affordable,
fully accessible artist studios; long term space for artist-run non profits; and leads
dynamic exhibition programme with international, national and regional artists. Falencki
has been on the board at ICCA since 2020.

Johanna Padelt - Secretary
A former English teacher, Johanna found herself becoming a jewellery maker when she
moved to Cape Breton in 1971. Now retired, She is making art from found materials and
trying her hand at writing a memoir. In one way or another, Johanna has always been
involved in artistic endeavours. She was a founding partner of Arts North in Cape North
in 1981. In the mid 2000’s, She became part of the exhibition committee at ICCA for a
few years, and was happy to be asked to join the ICCA board. Johanna enjoys working
in groups and contributing to her community.
Eileen MacKinnon - Treasurer
Eileen is a retired physiotherapist who lives in Deepdale. She has a love of all forms of
art and is pleased to live so close to an Art Centre. She joined the Board in October of
2023. Eileen worked as a volunteer on the Halifax Community Health Board, and
worked with the Halifax FALLS Coalition.

Paul Vincent-Smith
Paul came to the Inverness area a LONG time ago from England via Toronto. For many
Years he commuted - six months here, six months working in Toronto - but since 2001,
Paul become a permanent resident. He operates a real estate brokerage with his wife
Leslie and raised five children and a few incredible gardens in this special place. He
wants to become a landscape architect when he grows up. Paul was also a Board
Member of the Inverness Development Association.

Paul Hannon
Paul Hannon is a visual artist originally from Cortland, New York. He studied Fine Art at
the State University of New York at Oswego, Pratt Graphics in N.Y.C., and at Naropa
University in Boulder, Co. before immigrating to Canada in 1988.
Hannon is a realist painter best known for his nocturnal images of Halifax, and other
Nova Scotian scenes gathered in his 30 plus years of living in his adopted province.
Hannon has gained success in the Maritimes and beyond with his original oil paintings,
watercolours and drawings. He is represented in numerous private and public
collections and has been published in several books and periodicals.
Hannon currently divides his time between his home and studios in Halifax and
Inverness, Cape Breton.

James C. Sullivan
James was born in New York City (1952) and has been a seasonal resident of Western
Cape Breton for more than 45 years. Entrepreneur, Inventor, Business Development
Advisor, Fire and Motor Vehicle Safety Educator, Strategic Planner and problem solver,
James has a wide ranging experience in commercial, scientific, artistic and educational
enterprises. He believes that Inverness County Centre for the Arts has the potential to
become an preeminent artistic institution and he is part of the Board to support and
assist in this endeavour.

Ben MacKay
Ben is 24 years old and graduated from St.FX with a degree in Political
Science in December 2024. For three years, He have served as Deputy Curator of the
Inverness Historical Society. In 2024, Ben also led the effort to restructure the Inverness
Historical Society’s Board of Directors, which has been increasingly inactive for several
years. He has served as an administrator for the Board since it’s restructuring, through
which he has become much more familiar with the process of how a Board of Directors
should operate. Ben has volunteered in different roles for the Inverness Gathering
Committee, St. John’s Pastoral Charge’s Minister Search Committee, the 2023 Atlantic
Economic Forum in Antigonish, He was also the first president of the St.FX Musical
Coast Society, which, over the past year, has hosted and promoted several events to
display the musical, political, and cultural exports of Inverness County.

Tamara Deverell
With over 35 years experience in film and television, Tamara Deverell has devoted her
many talents as a Production Designer and Art Director to a wide range of film and
television projects spanning various periods and styles. She has been nominated and
awarded various accolades for her work as a Production Designer, including Academy
Award and Bafta nominations, an Emmy, and a number of Art Director’s Guild and
Director’s Guild of Canada awards for excellence in her field. When not working in film,
she works independently as an artist and creator. In the past, she has been a member
of the Board of the Director’s Guild of Canada, Ontario Caucus. Coming to Cape Breton
as a “part timer” for the last 8 years, Tamara and her husband have now settled full time
in West Cape Breton. She is excited to be a new member on the I.C.C.A. Board,
supporting arts and culture in this incredible place she now calls home