Staff

Admin Team

Heather Clara Young (she/her) has worked in the field of arts management for over twenty-five years. Her experience includes leadership roles with a variety of arts and heritage service organizations, theatre and dance producing companies, galleries and museums, facilities, festivals and community organizations, in both professional and volunteer capacities. Before founding Young Associates in 1993, Heather had served as General Manager for both Nightwood Theatre and the Fringe of Toronto Festival.

As the Principal of Young Associates, Heather has provided bookkeeping and consulting services to dozens of organizations, and delivered professional workshops, training and seminars on topics ranging from budgeting to sales tax, to setting prices, to reading financial statements. She has completed business and strategic planning assignments for an array of arts organizations in Toronto and across Southern Ontario, frequently in partnership with First Stage.

For 15 years, Heather has taught accounting and financial management to diploma and continuing education students in Humber College’s Arts Administration programs, and Humber’s Fundraising and Volunteer Management Program. She was a 2004 recipient of Humber College’s Continuing Education Award of Excellence for Outstanding Academic Contribution. In 2010, she was appointed to teach finance for the University of Toronto’s Specialist Program in Arts Management In 2012, Heather was awarded the Sandy Tulloch award for Innovation in Arts and Culture by Theatre Ontario. 

Finance for the Arts in Canada, published by Heather in 2005, is a unique self-study guide, reference source and textbook for the accounting and finance functions in cultural organizations. Used by numerous arts managers and various post-secondary institutions across Canada, it has been praised for its clear and straightforward approach to building excellence in financial skills.

Heather holds an honours BA in English and French from the University of Western Ontario, and a certificate in Finance and Accounting from Ryerson University.

Julia (she/her) joined Young Associates in 2012. She has a diploma in Theatre Production from Sheridan College and a BA in History from the University of Guelph. Before joining Young Associates, she worked as a stage manager in theatre and opera, for companies such as The Grand Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Opera Hamilton, the Young Centre and the Luminato Festival. She is very pleased to have the opportunity to continue working in the arts, in a capacity that keeps her a little closer to home. 

Candi Peach, Payroll Manager

Candi (she/her) joined Young Associates in July 2020. She is nearing completion of the Payroll Compliance Professional designation with the National Payroll Institute. She has over 5 years of experience processing payroll and over 10 years of experience in Finance Administration. Candi’s professional experience extends to include Office Management, Human Resources Administration, and managing large teams of staff. She is thrilled to be part of the Young Associates team!

Cassie Wojcik, Administrator

Lizzie Laing, Assistant

Lizze (she/her) joined Young Associates in November of 2023. She Graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts and Science, completing a double major in English and Classical Civilizations. Lizzie has been working as an illustrator, living in Toronto and raising a family in the city she loves. She is excited to join Young Associates and help their fine work supporting the Toronto Arts community.

Bookkeeping & Payroll Team

Alicia McGuire (she/her), PCP, is the Senior Payroll Consultant at Young Associates. Alicia holds the Payroll Compliance Practitioner designation from the National Payroll Institute, and has managed payrolls in an array of corporate settings for more than 15 years. Since joining Young Associates in 2017, she has built a team providing comprehensive payroll services helping organizations deliver timely and accurate pays via reliable cloud-based platforms, while managing government remittances, benefit and pension plans, and special payments, and complying with the many federal and provincial laws governing payroll. Alicia is also available to consult on matters ranging from payroll policies and procedures to benefits administration to CRA audits. When not reconciling complex payrolls or evaluating thorny compliance questions, Alicia enjoys family life in beautiful Elmira, Ontario.

Chris Mustard’s career in arts management spans more than two decades, and has focused on charitable organizations’ financial systems and reporting needs. Currently working with Young Associates, a leading Toronto arts consulting firm, Chris specializes in working with managements to develop effective accounting systems, from software implementation through development of internal and external reports, and financial information management.

Chris is also an accomplished one-on-one trainer, helping individuals with limited technical backgrounds become proficient at maintaining their accounting records, preparing and interpreting accurate financial statements, and making sound financial decisions for their companies.

Her work includes consulting assignments as well as ongoing financial management support to a roster of Toronto arts and cultural companies, and some organizations in the broader charitable sector. In this capacity, she oversees accounting systems, prepares account reconciliations, assists with preparation for annual audits, and works with general managers on planning issues, including budgeting for annual operations and projects, cashflow forecasting and grant financials.

Rob (he/him) joined Young Associates in the fall of 2015. He holds a B.A. Honours degree in Dramatic Arts from Queen’s University, and a Graduate Degree in Arts Administration & Cultural Management from Humber College. Rob has also completed continuing education credits in Accounting from the University of Toronto. Before Young Associates, Rob enjoyed being a part of the thriving theatre and music community in Toronto.

Jason Aviss (he/him) joined Young Associates in January 2019, bringing with him ten year's experience as an arts administrator in music, film, and the performing arts. Jason received his Hons. BA from the University of Toronto and an Ontario Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration–Cultural Management from Humber College.

Jason was Production Manager and then Director of Operations at The Music Gallery from 2009-12. He later joined the Toronto International Film Festival as a senior event and festival producer from 2012-17, before joining Red Sky Performance as Production Coordinator. Jason served as Co-Chair for Humber College's Arts Administration-Cultural Management Program Advisory Committee from 2013-18, and as a grant-writer & bookkeeper for Queer Songbook Orchestra from 2014-15.

Alejandra Galindo, Senior Associate

Alejandra (she/her) joined Young Associates in December of 2019. She graduated from Ryerson University's Theatre School with a BA in Theatre. She has over 6 years of experience in business/project management and bookkeeping and has undertaken several small projects as a designer in theatre. Alejandra is very excited to join this team and help the arts once more!  

Ingel Madrus, Associate

Ingel (she/her) joined Young Associates in early 2022. She has over fifteen years experience as an arts administrator, having held both programming and management roles at community and national organizations. Ingel holds a Bookkeeping Certificate and Business Accounting Diploma, both from Centennial College, as well as a Diploma of Craft & Design from Sheridan College, and an MA in Ceramic & Glass Design from the University of Art & Design in Helsinki, Finland. Ingel loves the challenges and rewards of working behind-the-scenes in the arts sector and was thrilled to join Young Associates, where her commitment to the arts and respect for the accounting process can come together.

Nancy Menard, Associate

Nancy (she/her) joined Young Associates in 2022. She graduated in Accounting from Cambrian College and has completed a Canadian Securities Course. She brings over 30 years of experience in bookkeeping from a variety of industries, and her love of the arts stems back to her days as a dancer (performer) and dance teacher. Nancy has also served as an active board member of a dance performance group for several years and has assisted with various fundraisers for non-profit organizations. She is looking forward to continuing her career within the Arts community through Young Associates.

Sarah McGregor Briscoe, Associate

Sarah (she/her) joins our team with a Business Diploma from Canadore College and a Physical Education Degree from Brock University. She was born and raised on a farm, married a dairy farmer, and has 4 beautiful children. Together, they run Donden Farms Inc, where she has worked as a bookkeeper for 7 years. This is also her second year doing payroll for her family's farm, McGregor's Produce. She also worked at her local municipality for several years as an Accounting Clerk. Sarah is very excited to be joining Young Associates and taking her career to the next level.

Paul Winkelmans, Associate

Paul Winkelmans (he/him) is a recent addition to the Young Associates staff in 2022. Originally from Victoria BC, he pursued studies in music across the country, including Winnipeg and Montreal, before moving to Toronto in 2017. He has since worked as a freelance singer, working regularly with organizations such as The Elmer Iseler Singers, and has been serving as the interim Director of Music at Lawrence Park Community Church since January 2021. In 2020, he completed a certificate in Arts Administration and Cultural Management and currently helps manage the annual Pacific Baroque Festival in Victoria, BC, among other projects. He is very excited to be joining Young Associates and continue supporting the arts community in his new role.

Lina Halstead, Payroll Associate

Lina joined Young Associates in 2022 as a part-time Payroll Associate. She brings over 20 years of experience processing payroll and earned her Payroll Compliance Certificate in 2013. Lina enjoys taking courses to upgrade her current skills, as well as learning new skills and volunteering. Lina is excited to be joining the Young Associates team.

Christie Johnson, Associate

Christie (she/her) has been an arts worker for more than two decades, primarily in a commercial art gallery context, supporting galleries and artists in an administrative, bookkeeping and graphic design/digital marketing/e-commerce capacity. She is currently completing Accounting Foundations at George Brown College, and her many years in client-facing small business sales and management have provided her with valuable hands-on experience that she is excited to apply to her role at Young Associates. Actively involved in the non-profit sector, Christie holds several volunteer positions within an organization that facilitates the relocation of survivors of gender-based violence. A visual artist herself, Christie is delighted to be part of a team that works to support all things creative, while indulging her affinity for communication, detail, organization and data!

Kenley Farace, Associate

Kenley (she/her) comes to Young Associates with a great passion for equity-based community organizing as well as the performing arts. She has recently completed York University's Master of Environmental Studies program. Kenley is beyond excited to help a diverse array of clients achieve their financial goals and thrive in today's ever-changing world.

Affiliated Consultants

Anne joined Young Associates in 2013. She began her arts management career in the 1980s at Keyano Theatre, Fort McMurray, Alberta.  Moving to Toronto, she worked at the Toronto Theatre Alliance on the Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and at Jeunesses musicales as Ontario Executive Director.

After earning her Master’s degree in Arts Policy and Management from the City University, London, UK (1987-88) Anne returned to Canada and worked at Harbourfront as Co-ordinator for the Festival of Authors; then as General Manager at Theatre Direct Canada and Mixed Company Theatre.  She also taught in the Humber College post-graduate Arts Administration – Cultural Management program, starting in 2000.

In 2002 Anne moved to Owen Sound and worked on revenue development at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery, then at the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre, a major facility on the Lake Huron shore.  In 2003 Anne began to teach in the undergraduate arts management program at University of Toronto, Scarborough.  In 2008-9, Anne co-ordinated the Humber program.  From 2011 to 2013, Anne taught post-graduates in the Culture and Heritage Site Management program at Centennial College.  Anne resumed the coordinator’s role for the Humber post-graduate arts management program as of 2014, and maintains her consulting practice at Young Associates alongside this full-time faculty position.  Recent clients have included Flesherton Public Library, the John B. Aird Gallery, Orchestras Canada, and Shakespeare in Action (theatre company).

Jerry Smith has worked with Young Associates for over a decade, collaborating with Heather Young on a wide range of contracts and projects, and he officially joined the company as an associate in 2010. Together, he and Heather have carried out strategic planning work for Municipal Cultural Planning Inc., the Imperial Theatre in Sarnia, the Regent Theatre in Picton, and the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga. Over the last few years, they have partnered on original organizational development work for the Ontario Association of Art Galleries, CARFAC Ontario and ARCCO (Artist Run Centres and Collectives Ontario), as well as a Marketing audit for The Red Barn Theatre. Jerry contributed development work to the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy (COSI).As a free lance consultant, Jerry has carried out feasibility studies and program reviews, facilitated numerous community and public consultations, as well as delivered a series of workshops in the areas of Board Development and Leadership, Strategic Planning, Marketing, Fundraising and Sponsorship. In the private sector, Jerry has planned and executed market research and focus groups in the retail and service sectors.

Jerry’s experience includes a wide range of work on boards of directors on the local, provincial and national stage, and was selected as a Volunteer of the Year for the City of Toronto. Recently, Jerry was selected as a Cultural Champion for the City of Toronto. Currently, Jerry is the Chairman of the Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra, a member of the Steering Committee for Contact Ontario, and a member of the ArtsVote Report Card Committee. He is also a member of Arts Consultants Canada.

For thirty years, Jerry was active inside Humber College and beyond, as an educator and trainer. In addition to his faculty position as Professor, Jerry established programs at all levels in the education system, including the professional theatre training program at Humber College, as well as the college’s post-graduate diploma certificate programs (full time and part time) in Arts Administration/Cultural Management.