Meet Your Executive, 2026-2027

Amanda Clark, President

Amanda Clark is a dynamic elementary music teacher in Leduc, inspiring young minds in both French and English classrooms for over a decade. A versatile educator, she also shares her love of music through private lessons, including the renowned Music for Young Children program. Amanda's musical journey began at the University of Alberta Augustana Campus, where she earned a Bachelor of Music, majoring in Vocal Performance and minoring in French. She further sharpened her creative and organizational skills with a certificate in Arts Administration from MacEwan University, followed by an Education degree from Concordia University of Edmonton.

As the President for the Fine Arts Council of the ATA, Amanda is a passionate advocate for arts education. When she's not harmonizing with her students, you’ll find her outdoors, camping under starry skies, or enjoying laughter-filled adventures with her husband and their three energetic kids. Whether she’s conducting a choir, exploring the great outdoors, or juggling life as a mom of three, Amanda brings energy, creativity, and heart to everything she does.

Darrin Wilson, Past-President

Darrin Wilson is the Past-President of the ATA's Fine Arts Council (FAC) and has worked within the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) since 2008, focusing mostly on teaching visual arts, English language arts, and performing arts to junior high school students. He has a Diplôme d'Études Collégiales in Illustration & Design at Dawson College, a Bachelor of Education degree from McGill University, and a Master of Education degree in Leadership, Societies, and Languages at Bishop’s University, where he was awarded the Jury Prize for his research in educational psychology.

Darrin continues to work as an illustrator, painting mostly in acrylics from his studio. His work is on exhibition at the Avmor permanent collection in Montreal. Darrin also writes regularly for McGill University and has authored a number of published works over the years, including Bishop’s University. Darrin currently hosts sessions across Alberta where he explores the merits of journalling for promoting metacognition and learning in all students, emphasizing how this process improves innovation and engagement in students.

Darrin has joined the Fine Arts Council to connect with other fine arts teachers, networking and collaborating with professionals that share similar interests and passions as him.

Maria Herrera, Secretary

Maria G. Herrera is a multidisciplinary artist and educator from Buenos Aires, Argentina, with over 15 years of experience in art and language education. Her mixed media work, showcased in Argentina, Germany, Australia, the USA, and Canada, bridges creativity, culture, and care.

Having worked in diverse educational and therapeutic settings across Madrid, Minneapolis, Rio de Janeiro, and now Calgary, Maria has developed a global perspective. Committed to social justice and inclusive education, her pedagogical approach integrates trauma counselling and supports marginalized and neurodiverse learners.

Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Education (MEd) in School Counselling, focusing on mental health and social justice, aiming to holistically support student well-being through therapeutic arts and culturally responsive pedagogy.

Lorna Walker, Treasurer

Lorna Walker is a retired elementary music specialist with over 30 years of experience with Edmonton Public Schools. Currently an active supply teacher, Lorna primarily supports music teachers throughout Edmonton. She has been deeply involved in the Orff community, serving on the executive boards of both the Alberta Orff Chapter and Carl Orff Canada. A passionate advocate for Fine Arts Education, Lorna contributed to Alberta Education’s initial curriculum redesign, specifically working on the music team. She is also a member of the Handbell Guild of Alberta and directs handbell choirs at St. Albert United Church. Since her retirement in 2019, Lorna has embraced personal pursuits, including travel, cycling, and quilting, all while continuing to nurture her love for music and education.

Andrew Swainson, Art Representative

Andrew Swainson is starting his 10th year of Art instruction, recently moving to École Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School to serve as the Ceramics specialist. He has an intense passion for learning the technical and material science aspects of Art and has cultivated a pedagogy of "play" within his classrooms. He specializes in pencil, ink drawings, chalk pastels, ceramics and sculpture. He is currently pursuing a Master’s of Education, specializing in Art Education through the University of Victoria.

Victoria Reid, Dance Representative

Victoria Reid is an Edmonton‑based artist with over 25 years of experience in dance and theatre. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Drama and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta, as well as a Master of Arts in Education (Dance Teaching) from the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) in London, UK. Victoria completed her RAD ballet examinations to the qualified teaching level and holds Registered Teacher Status (RTS) with the RAD.

Victoria trained as a competitive dancer in a variety of styles and taught as a studio dance instructor for many years. She founded and directed the ABJ Dance Collective, a public‑school dance program rooted in inclusivity, student choreography, and dance history, guiding hundreds of students through Alberta’s locally developed Dance curriculum. She has also served as a director and choreographer for numerous plays and musicals and has taught extensively in drama and musical theatre. Select credits include Pride and Prejudice (Director, ABJ Fine Arts), Chicago: Teen Edition (Choreographer, ABJ Fine Arts), Matilda the Musical (Director & Choreographer, ABJ Fine Arts), Footloose: Youth Edition (Choreographer, Festival Players), and Disney’s Frozen (Choreographer, SCA Performing Arts).

Victoria is a Level 1 certified adjudicator through The Dance Leadership Initiative (TDLI) and is passionate about supporting emerging dancers in this role. She also serves as the Dance Representative for the Alberta Teachers’ Association Fine Arts Council, advocating for and supporting public‑school dance educators across the province. Most recently, she has joined the Royal Academy of Dance as a Musical Theatre CPD Tutor.

Outside of the studio, Victoria enjoys weekend walks through Edmonton’s river valley with her husband and son, always with a coffee from the Colombian in hand.

Aimee Alger, Drama Representative

Aimee is a Junior High visual arts and drama teacher in Cold Lake. Drama is her passion: she has been acting since childhood and directing since she was a teen. Bringing the arts to her students has been a goal for many years, and she hopes to expand this goal to other rural schools across Alberta. Aimee runs a thriving school theatre program, partners with other drama teachers in the area to create opportunities for her students, and participates in her local community theatre.

Silken Bruder, Music Representative (On Leave)

Originally from Salt Spring Island, B.C., Silken Bruder is a Music and FSL specialist at Highlands K-9 School in Edmonton, Alberta. Since studying composition and education at the U of A, Silken has taught in Dublin, IE and in Edmonton, AB.

Silken has sung with the U of A Madrigal Singers, the New Dublin Voices, and Accord Choir. She is currently working on her Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies and is passionate about working to making her music room a safe and culturally responsive space for her students.

In her free time, Silken loves to garden, sew, and spend time with her family.

Connie Ohlmann, Music Representative (Acting-For)

Connie Ohlmann has been teaching for more than 20 years and is currently an elementary music specialist with the Edmonton Public School Board. She holds a Master of Education in Elementary Music from the University of Alberta and has completed Orff Level III and Kodály Level II training. Connie is passionate about helping students engage meaningfully in music while fostering creativity and musical growth in the classroom. Her teaching emphasizes student voice, creativity, collaboration, and hands-on music-making that helps students develop confidence and see themselves as musicians.

Connie enjoys sharing practical, engaging strategies that help teachers build confidence and create meaningful musical experiences for all learners. She has shared her expertise with educators through presentations at ATA Beginning Teacher Conferences, Alberta Teachers' Conventions, Passages 2026: The 29th National Conference of Music for Children, Carl Orff Canada, and other professional learning events.

When she's not teaching or presenting, you might find Connie reading, singing along to musicals with her daughter, binge watching reality TV, or advocating for the use of the Oxford comma.

Amanda Noullett, Generalist Representative

Amanda lives in a small rural town in Northern Alberta where she has taught in a K-12 school for over 15 years. She has a minor in Elementary Music which she used for over 10 years instructing elementary students using Orff and Kodaly methodologies. As well, she has instructed Junior and Senior High in a collection of Art, Guitar, Culinary and Fibre Arts. A typical day at one point could have ranged from teaching musical rhythm concepts to 6 year olds to then switching to the Elements of Art to 16 year olds.

In her spare time she tickles the ivories, belts out kitchen karaoke, is a crazy quilter and likes riding sticks down snowy mountains with her family.

As the new Generalist Representative she brings a knowledge of multiple age groups, art modalities and the challenges of bringing art opportunities to rural Alberta.

Sherri Greene, Social Media Manager

After collecting a few university degrees (B.Mus, BEd, MEd), and teaching an array of grades and subjects, Sherri joined Black Gold School Division where she currently has the best job as an Elementary Music Specialist. Sherri is a PD, Orff, and music addict and loves discovering new and engaging ways to share learning with students and other teachers. She is also a dedicated scroller of social media to get ideas to bring to her own classroom. She finds happiness in music, travel, family time, podcasts, and a nice set of Flair Pens.

Jordan Knight, Web Manager

Born and raised in Edmonton by an elementary music teacher, Jordan’s life has always been rooted in creative expression and community. After a successful decade-long career in hair and makeup artistry, he expanded his visual craft at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Extension, studying Art and Design, before pursuing computer animation for video game design at S.K.E.T.C.H. New Media in Saskatoon. His dedication to mentorship began early, inspired while volunteering art lessons in his mother’s elementary classroom.

Navigating his own education presented personal learning challenges that Jordan successfully overcame through resilience and the strategic use of technology. Returning to post-secondary education as an adult learner, he earned both his B.A. from Concordia University and his B.Ed. from the University of Alberta. Having built computers since the early 1980s, Jordan long ago recognized technology’s power as an adaptive, empowering learning tool. Over a 16-year teaching career in Edmonton, including eight years leading Junior High programs in Makerspace design thinking, Visual Communications, and Art and Design, he has championed this philosophy, guiding students to harness digital tools to unlock their own potential.

As Web Manager for the Fine Arts Council, he brings a rare combination of hands-on technical fluency, artistic vision, and educational leadership to keep the organization’s digital platform accessible, dynamic, and forward-looking. Outside of his professional life, Jordan is an avid photographer who enjoys volunteering, gaming, exploring art, design, music, and spending time outdoors with his family.

Anna Trip, Journal Editor

Anna Trip has been with the Calgary Board of Education since 2007, specializing in middle school Humanities. Currently, she is a strategist with the English as an Additional Language team. Passionate about creativity and student voice, Anna enjoys creating instructional design that engages students in learning experiences that connect the arts, storytelling, and civic understanding. She is excited to be a part the Fine Arts Council and to help highlight the inspiring work of Alberta’s arts educators.

Kim Zapesocki, ATA Staff Advisor

Kim joined the Association’s Teacher Employment Services executive staff in April of 2025. She has a MEd and BEd from the University of Alberta as well as a BMus from Brandon University in Brandon, Manitoba.

Kim has over 20 years experience in public education where she has worked in three different school divisions, has taught many grade levels across a variety of subjects, held leadership roles such as numeracy lead, OHS lead and First nations Metis and Inuit Education lead, and most recently worked in school administration. Kim was intensely involved in her local serving as secretary, DEHR chair, PD chair and most recently established a Women in Leadership committee for the local and sat as the chair until joining the association.

In addition to assisting teachers with issues related to their employment and collective agreement, Kim assists and represents appellants before the Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan Extended Disability Benefits Appeal Committee, is the staff advisor for the Fine Arts Council, and acts as the liaison with the student local at Red Deer Polytechnic in Red Deer, Alberta.

Jason Schilling, Provincial Executive Council (PEC) Liaison

Jason Schilling was re-elected president in 2025 following six years of service as president, two years of service as vice-president and more than eight years of service as district representative for South West. Schilling was an English and drama teacher at Kate Andrews High School, in Coaldale, where he worked for 17 years. Schilling’s assignments as president include chairing the CTF Committee, the Strategic Planning Group, the Membership Eligibility Board and the Teacher Salary Qualifications Board, and acting as Provincial Executive Council liaison to the English Language Arts Council and the Fine Arts Council. He also represents the Association on the CTF Board of Directors.