Welcome to Our New Program Officers

The BC Arts Council is pleased to announce the recent appointment of three new program officers. We want to take this opportunity to introduce them to you.

Anissa Paulsen

Anissa brings more than 20 years experience in the museum, arts, and cultural heritage sectors. After starting her career at the Smithsonian Institution, she worked in roles such as curator, collections manager and director of exhibits and visitor engagement at museums in California and Victoria. Most recently, Anissa managed the professional development program for the BC Museums Association, where she also administered the BC l Canada 150 grant program, which distributed $7.6 million to the sector.

Anissa’s portfolio includes: Museums; Scholarships; & Youth Engagement: Studio Arts

Michelle Benjamin

Michelle comes to the BCAC from the Gabriola Arts Council, where she was executive director for the past eight years. Prior to that, Michelle worked for 20 years in book publishing, where she served as project director at Greystone Books, publisher at Raincoast Books, and at her own company, Polestar Press. Michelle has also been a member of a variety of community and industry-related boards at the local and national level, including People for a Healthy Community on Gabriola, the Association of Book Publishers of B.C., and the Association of Canadian Publishers.

Michelle’s portfolio includes: Arts Periodicals; Book Publishers; Early Career Development: Studio Arts; & Literary Organizations

Sarah Todd

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Ontario College of Art and Design, and Masters of Philanthropy and Non-Profit Leadership from Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration. She’s worked as a curator and arts administrator in cities across Canada for the past 15 years. Most recently, she was Curator of Art at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta. Prior to that she was the Curator of Media at Western Front in Vancouver. She has worked on a wide range of independent curatorial projects in Canada and Germany.

Sarah’s portfolio includes: Media Artists; & Media Arts Organizations

With the new appointments — and to cover for Sheryl Jones, who is currently on maternity leave — we’ve made changes to the program portfolios that each officer manages. You can find the full list of officers and their program areas on our staff directory page.