Diane Gendron enjoys a vibrant life as a long-time resident of the Township of Langley. Diane cherishes her time with family, friends, and her cats. When not donating her time to the community you can find Diane in the garden, or travelling to visit family. From an early age, Diane has been passionate about performing. She began singing on stage at three years old during her mother’s piano recitals in Langley. Her mother had around 40 pupils each year, a presented a big recital in the community where everyone performed. Every once in a while, Diane runs into people who took music lessons from her mom and these conversations bring fond memories of that time. Diane continued to follow her love for the arts through community theatre around the province, modelling, and music. Diane currently, plays bass guitar and sings in a four-piece rock band called KatMoon.

Professionally, Diane enjoyed a dynamic career at BC Transit from 1979 to 1995, where she played a role during the launch of SkyTrain for Expo 1986 and contributed to celebrations for BC's transit centenary. She later transitioned to architecture, managing communications at the Architectural Institute of BC starting in 1997. Additionally, Diane was a founding board member of Bard in the Valley, serving as co-producer and vice president for the first two years, and then president and producer of the plays until 2019. She has held the role of president and director for the Langley Arts Council over the years and continues to share her professional insight and experiences to support the Arts Council's organizational growth. 

Freda Lombard - Director

Freda's artistic journey began in 2009 when she moved to Canada from South Africa, receiving art supplies that same year. She has evolved into an accomplished 'fun art/paint night' instructor and a prolific creator of captivating works that eloquently convey narratives through a captivating palette of colours.

As a Certified Therapeutic Arts Practitioner (CTAP) accredited by CIIAT, Freda adeptly conducts therapeutic art sessions for individuals and small groups, focusing on personal development, emotional well-being, and self-awareness. She's also known for crafting team-building art workshops. Her artistry, a fusion of creativity and therapeutic insights, reflects her belief in the profound potential of art.

Throughout her time living in the lower-mainland Freda has supported the Arts Council as a volunteer, member of staff, and as a member of the Board of Directors. Freda is passionate about sharing her passion for arts and culture and connecting people within the community. 

Yasir Ali - Director 

Born and raised in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Yasir’s journey with art started as an exploratory process of understanding the real through the abstract. His work is aimed at exploring fragments that reflect the state of change that we are constantly in whether dictated by nature, human action, or a combination of both.

Having an engineering background rooted in processes and systems, Yasir has been working in the Design-Build industry in BC for over 10 years and has worked in residential, tech, commercial, institutional, and healthcare construction sectors. He currently runs a construction department called Self Perform Operations at Turner Construction. In his spare time, he enjoys painting at his art studio and co-parenting two young cats with his wife.