Adriana Beemans joined the Metcalf Foundation in 2013, bringing extensive experience in community development, capacity building, and program innovation. Most recently she spent five years as the Director of Programs & Services at Working Women Community Centre, overseeing community engagement and settlement programming. As the Social Investment Fund Manager at Toronto Community Housing, she spent four years as a grant-maker working with community leaders in low-income communities. Before moving to Toronto, Adriana worked overseas with the Aga Khan Development Network in Pakistan and UN-Habitat in Afghanistan. She holds a graduate degree from the University of Toronto in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in International Development from Trent University.

Michael Trent joined Metcalf as Director of Performing Arts in 2015. Over his thirty-year career, he has contributed to the development of the dance field as choreographer, performer, teacher, artistic director, curator and arts community activist and volunteer. Prior to Metcalf, Michael spent eight years as the Artistic Director of Toronto’s Dancemakers and the Centre for Creation. He has frequently consulted and collaborated with artists and arts organizations at the local and national levels on issues including strategic planning, transition, curatorial expertise, artistic assessment and training. Michael received a BSc from the University of Toronto in physiology and bioethics and was the co-recipient of the 2004 K.M. Hunter Artists Award in dance.

Jennie Tao joined the Metcalf Foundation as the Communications Manager in 2021, bringing over a decade of experience working in communications, marketing, and fundraising roles at foundations and nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining Metcalf, she was the Senior Communications Manager at Green Economy Canada where she led all aspects of communications from strategic planning to content creation to media relations. Jennie held various roles at MakeWay (formerly Tides Canada) over eight years, working with donors to maximize their impact, guiding shared platform projects on the best ways to tell their stories, and supporting overall communications and marketing. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto.

Heather Dunford joined the Metcalf Foundation in 2008 after spending nine years with The School of Toronto Dance Theatre as Student Services Coordinator and three years with the Toronto Children’s Chorus as Box Office Coordinator/Development Assistant.  Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waterloo and completed the reputable Arts Administration Specialization with co-op placements at the Manitoba Theatre Centre, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, The School for Performing and Visual Arts at The Centre in the Square, and the Living Arts Centre Mississauga.

Annie Rawlings joined the Metcalf Foundation in 2017 as Officer Manager and Executive Assistant to the President and CEO. Before coming to the Foundation, Annie worked as a Senior Executive Assistant at Roots of Empathy for over 10 years and as an office manager in the healthcare sector.

Gabrielle Applewhaite joined the Metcalf Foundation in 2021 as Administrative Coordinator. Prior to joining the Foundation, she spent over five years with Green and Spiegel LLP, an established Canadian immigration law firm, where she started as a client intake coordinator and eventually moved on to become an immigration case analyst. Gabrielle holds a Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, with a major in English and a double minor in Book & Media Studies and Religion.

Kavone Manning joined the Metcalf Foundation in 2024 as the Program Associate. Before joining the Foundation, she spent two years working for The Afrosonic Innovation Lab based out of the University of Toronto Scarborough as a research assistant. Kavone has held various administrative roles at both nonprofit and professional performing arts festivals and organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Music, Honours Specialization in Education from Western University and a Master of Arts in Social Justice Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.

David Maggs is the Metcalf Foundation’s inaugural Fellow on Arts and Society (2022-2023). As a Metcalf Fellow, he wrote Art and the World After This (2021), an extensive report on the disruption and transformation of the arts in the wake of COVID-19. The impact of the report led to the creation of this new full-time role where he will explore the role of art in society, with particular focus on innovation, climate change, and cultural policy.

David carries on an active career as an interdisciplinary artist and researcher focused on arts, climate change, and sustainability. A student of Jane Coop, Andre Laplante, and Marc Durand, he is the founder and pianist for Dark by Five (darkbyfive.com), has written works for the stage, and collaborated on large augmented reality and virtual reality projects. David is the artistic director of the rural Canadian interarts organization Gros Morne Summer Music (gmsm.ca), and founder and co-director of the Graham Academy. He initiated and co-produced the CBC doc channel film The Country along with leaders from Newfoundland’s Mi’kmaw community, exploring the Canadian government’s handling of Indigenous identity in Newfoundland.

Learn more about David and his work as Metcalf’s Fellow on Arts and Society.

Anne Perdue joined the Metcalf Foundation in 2012. She is a multi-skilled communications specialist and has held a variety of positions — writer, editor, graphic designer, and publications consultant — with Cadbury Adams Canada, Kellogg Canada, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Royal LePage, and CIBC Wood Gundy. Anne studied English at the University of Toronto and graphic design at OCAD. She is an award-winning published author and has completed a residency in the Literary Arts Program at The Banff Centre.