OUR TEAM

Our Team:

Big Hearts, Dedication, and Diverse Skills

Shara Gustafson – Executive Director

Shara has resided in Dunster, BC for 33 years, juggling the worlds of music, mama bear, homemaker, and gardener.  She has been performing and recording with bands for over 27 years.  She has participated in the local thespian group “Wishbone Theatre” and was part of nearly a dozen productions in the community.  As the Artistic Director of the Robson Valley Music Society since 2005, she is committed to bringing diverse and culturally rich experiences to her rurally isolated community through the Robson Valley Music Festival every August.  She is thrilled at the opportunity to work with the Schoolhouse as the new Executive Director.  In her spare time, she enjoys growing and cooking food,  outdoor recreation, and spending time with her hubby, four kids, three grandchildren, and her dog who looks like a muppet.

Katharina McNaughton – Chair

Born in Germany, Katharina moved to the Robson Valley at a young age.  After moving away to get an education, travel, and gain life experiences, Katharina returned to the valley to make a home with her family.  She has been on various non profit boards across BC and was the Chair of DFASS for 3 years before stepping down to continue her role as a director.  Her education and experience are an asset to DFASS.  She has a bachelor degree in Commerce & Marketing,  a diploma in Business Administration, Linguistics , and a diploma in Professional Photography.  She is committed to hard work and to helping this organization achieve its goals as it continues to support our community.  Katharina loves to travel and enjoys many outdoor activities in the Robson Valley like hiking, kayaking, camping, gardening, and fishing.  She loves to be creative and always has several art projects on the go, including renovating projects!

Petra Herstikova -Vice Chair

Freshly moved to the valley about 4 years ago, Petra fell in love with this place and now she won’t leave.   Her hobbies include but are not limited to:  photography, danmei*, manhwa*, donghua*, stay, dramas, gardening, and occasional cooking and baking.  Mother of three (read as:  has the patience of a wuxia master trying to ascend, can multitask in a noisy environment with minimum sleep).  She is mostly known for volunteering at the burger stand.  She loves the sense of community, support, and appreciation we have for each other, so she thought she’d help out to keep it going. If you read all the way here, congratulations, go find her for a cookie.

Donna Hampson – Treasurer

Donna was a lifetime Vancouver Island girl until she moved to Dunster in 2013.  Donna manages her and her husband’s contracting business and is a bookkeeper with a sense of humour with her local and international clients.  She enjoys being creative, working on projects on their 11 acre homestead while renovating their 60 year old farmhouse, and volunteering in her community.  Donna is a master coordinator and facilitator, and has brought those skills to her personal and professional pursuits including Brownie and Girl Guide leadership for 5 years as well as developing a 3 year program for all levels of her troop, managing many levels of youth lacrosse and hockey for 6 years, mentoring young girls and women professionals, and volunteering.  Donna has been actively involved as treasurer and strategic event planning for the Dunster Schoolhouse since 2014, the Dunster Community Forest Society since 2015, and the Robson Valley Music Society since 2019.  She was invited to her first DFASS meeting to “get to know people in the community”.  The functions of the society truly provide an environment of inclusivity and activity for the community and that appealed to her.  She has enjoyed collaborating and contributing her skills and knowledge in keeping the Schoolhouse relevant as a community player.  She enjoys attending Schoolhouse events and workshops and being in a support position for their local event planning and all things behind the scenes.

Glenda Thompson – Secretary

Glenda is a community social butterfly through and through.  Glenda has joined many committees and non profit boards to help her community with ongoing projects.  Her love for Dunster, gardening, cross country skiing, and biking has kept her in this beautiful valley.  Working with other loyal members of clubs and seeing the results is gratifying. She hopes to continue volunteering in her community for many years to come.

Sharon Stearns – Director

Sharon is a playwright, actor, dramaturg, and theatre producer.  She has worked with theatre companies across Canada.  She also works as a freelance writer writing essays, articles, and reviews, as well as documentaries, and plays for CBC radio.  Her short fiction has appeared in various literary magazines and anthologies.  As the Artistic Director of Wishbone Theatre Productions, she is dedicated to developing and producing new plays and musical events. Since 1997 she also teaches theatre and creative writing both privately and in BC public schools through Artists-In-Education Programs.  Sharon calls the Robson Valley home.

Brenda Courtier – Director

I was born and raised on a farm in NE Alberta. My husband and I lived in the Stony Plain area of Alberta  for over 30 years before retiring in Dunster in 2020. We bought property here in 2009 and enjoyed coming here for weekends and holidays summer and winter. We have been involved with the Dunster Community volunteering in many capacities. We love the valley and its people and look forward to many more years in Dunster.