Our Board

Lana Bertsch

Lana Bertsch is Stantec’s Vice President, Office of the CEO, leading, enabling and managing the operations of the Office of the CEO. Lana is responsible for all facets of business operations including day-to-day management, execution and oversight of special initiatives that allow the C-Suite to focus and deliver on their priorities. In addition to providing alignment between the organizational, administrative, and planning abilities of the initiatives of Office of the CEO, Lana leads the enterprise-wide Community Engagement program.

She has worked on projects such as the 2001 World Championships in Athletics, 2003 and 2011 NHL Heritage Classics, 2010 Vancouver Olympics, 2005 Alberta Centennial, 2006 iRB Women’s Rugby World Cup and the Churchill Cup of Rugby and worked in Monaco for 2 years with the World Athletics producing events in Russia, Japan, Italy, Poland and other locations, before returning to Edmonton in 2008. Lana is an active part of the Edmonton community and was recently a volunteer on the Edmonton International Jazz Festival board.

Grant Gabert

Grant Gabert is the Director of Municipal Services with Tantus Solutions Group. Grant is an experienced management consultant with over 14 years working experience, primary consulting to public and non-profit organizations. His major consulting areas include strategic planning, financial modeling, organizational design, business case development, system and technology planning, and process redesign.

Outside of work, he is active in the non-profit community, working with a number of organizations on a volunteer basis to provide board governance and pro-bono consulting support. In particular, Grant is the Past-Chair for the Art Mentorship Society of Alberta.

Stephanie Chai

Co-Chair

Stephanie Chai is a registered professional planner in Alberta with local, regional, and international experience. Raised in Edmonton and shaped by time in Finland, Trinidad and Tobago, and Halifax, she brings a broad perspective to community and city building. Her work with organizations such as MADE, The Local Good, TIME, and the Canadian Institute of Planners has strengthened her appreciation for diverse voices, especially in the arts. Driven by curiosity, she is passionate about re-imagining underused spaces and exploring innovative approaches to buildings and infrastructure. Stephanie’s contributions have been recognized in the community, including Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 (2018), Urban Design Awards Honourable Mention (2017), multiple CIP and APPI awards, and Make Something Edmonton’s Changemaker (2017). She holds a Master’s in Planning from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Alberta.

Viktoria Grynenko

Co-Chair

Viktoria Grynenko is a violinist born in Kyiv, Ukraine. She has graduated from Kyiv Glier Music Institute. In 2011 Viktoria received a scholarship from Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba and came to Canada to study with Oleg Pokhanovski. Viktoria holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from the University of Manitoba and a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from the University of Ottawa. In Ottawa, her studies under the tutelage of Yehonatan Berick were funded by the prestigious KUN scholarship. Grynenko has just received a Doctor of Music degree from the University of Alberta studying with Guillaume Tardif. Her research explores the idea of ‘metaphoric intersectionality’ between violin and dance gestures.

She organizes numerous concerts in collaboration with ballet dancers and explores rare violin repertoire related to ballet music. Viktoria holds the Beryl Barnes Memorial Graduate Award, Pamela Farmer Graduate Scholarship, Maria Yaworska Scholarship, Barbara Newbegin Scholarship, Stephanie Perozak Scholarship, St. Andrews College Scholarship, Strauss Foundation Award, Kun Scholarship, Desautels Music Scholarship, and others. Throughout her studies, Viktoria had an opportunity to work with Michael Vaiman, Yosuke Kawasaki, Janusz Wawrowski, Sigrun Edvaldsdottir, Axel Struss, Anatoly Bazhenov, Taras Gabora, and others. Grynenko appeared as a soloist with Oslo Symphony Orchestra (Norway) and Glier Music Institute Symphony Orchestra (Ukraine), she also performed as a soloist, chamber and orchestra musician throughout Canada, Germany, Austria, and Ukraine. She has been serving as a concertmaster and Teaching Assistant for the University of Alberta Symphony Orchestra between 2017 and 2020 under Petar Dundjerski.

Passionate about education, Viktoria leads numerous masterclasses for violin and chamber music students through community organizations and higher education institutions. She has presented at conferences and lectures with such topics as “Hristoskov’s Rachenitsa, an adaptation of Bulgarian Dance for Solo Violin,” “Violin Gestures in Bach’s ‘Erbarme Dich,” and “Rethinking Ysaye: Hidden Treasures in 6 Sonatas for Solo Violin.” In March 2020 Viktoria also served as strings and chamber music adjudicator for the Winnipeg Music Festival.

Viktoria’s interest in new music encouraged her to commission and premiere pieces by such composers as Henry J. Ng, Valentin Bibik, Zach Bales, Jennifer Bachynsky, Jerry Semchyshyn, Mika Pelo, Maxim Shalygin, and others. As a dedicated supporter of El Sistema program of music education for children from low-income families, Viktoria has worked and volunteered with the program in Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Edmonton. Currently, Viktoria works as a Music Director and Violin Teacher at the Society for Talent Education.

Erick Estrada

Treasurer

Erick is a passionate advocate for the arts. He is fully aligned with the values of Arts Habitat Edmonton. With a diverse background in both operational management and community engagement, he is committed to advocating for, building, and managing appropriate and accessible art spaces in Edmonton.

As the Executive Director of the Alberta Avenue Business Association, Erick fosters a thriving business environment while recognizing the vital role of the arts in creating dynamic and vibrant communities. In his previous role at the Canadian Mental Health Association Edmonton Region, he optimized operational capacity, identified gaps, and modernized processes and systems to increase value for their program participants.

Beyond Erick’s professional experience, he has actively engaged in volunteer positions and served on various committees, demonstrating his dedication to community development. Erick is eager to contribute to Arts Habitat’s mission of creating sustainable and entrepreneurial artistic communities through appropriate art spaces. Erick believes these spaces are essential for nurturing creativity and fostering a vibrant arts scene in Edmonton.