STAFF

JEN BUDNEYExecutive Director and CEO

Jen is a 4th generation Ukrainian Canadian, whose great-grandparents settled in Manitoba (Hadashville and Brokenhead) and Alberta (between Lamont and Chipman). She was born in Saskatoon but grew up Australia and Alberta, and she has been working in the cultural sector as curator and administrator for more than 25 years.

An art school graduate with a Master’s in Anthropology and a PhD in Public Policy, for which her research focused on public value creation by small museums, Jen has a deep interest in museum management and improving the service museums can offer to the public.

She lives in the Caswell Hill neighbourhood of Saskatoon with her husband Richard and two children – Alexia (13) and Julian (10) – who all love to visit the Museum. Alexia adored the Ivana Kupala celebration in June 2022 and the talk by Nadya Foty-Oneschuk, and Julian, an avid reader of folklore, loves the ancient roots of the Trizub! For her part, Jen loves her small but creative and energetic team at the Museum and is excited to go to work with them every day.

LINDSEY REWUSKICommunications Manager

Lindsey has over 15 years of experience in communications in cultural organizations, including graphic design, marketing, digital content creation, and outreach. She was most recently at PAVED Arts, a media arts gallery and production centre, and spent ten years at Mendel Art Gallery/Remai Modern in Saskatoon, where she was the in-house Designer and Content Coordinator.

Lindsey is excited to start her new journey at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, not only to learn more about her family’s Ukrainian roots (who came to Saskatchewan in the early 1900s), but to help share with Saskatoon and beyond the Museum’s beautiful space, its unique history, and the story of Ukrainians in Canada, both past and present. When Lindsey is not working, she’s also a practicing visual artist, whose work includes immersive A/V installations and performances that combine light, video, photography, and sound.

Fun fact: It was on a visit to the UMC a few years ago, during an exhibition of ceramics by Peter Rupchan, that Lindsey discovered the origins of a mysterious antique bowl that has been passed down in her family for generations!

ANASTASIIA MISANAssistant Archivist

Anastasiia is from Novomoskovsk, Ukraine. She arrived in Saskatoon in April 2022 with her teenage brother, having left Ukraine on account of the war. She has two degrees – one in Interpretation, from the Dnipro National University of Railway Transport, and one in Psychology from National Aerospace University – Kharkiv Aviation Institute. She began working full-time at the Museum in June 2022, tasked with the heroic job of organizing our Museum’s library.

Anastasiia is a book lover and loves to learn, so the UMC is a perfect work environment for her. She says she “loves the atmosphere,” which has “brought new breath” to her life.

This fall, she is taking a course in Archival Management and will continue to catalogue and digitize our library holdings. You will also often find her greeting guests and guiding tours. She speaks seven languages and can tell a good joke in all of them!

KAREN PIDSKALNYEducation Head

Karen grew up on a farm in Prud’homme, Saskatchewan as a second-generation Ukrainian Canadian. Family and friends always gathered at the farm where Karen’s interest in storytelling, oral history, and photographs began.

A University of Saskatchewan graduate with a Slavic Studies major, Anthropology minor, and a Heritage Language Certificate, she began her career working in Saskatoon’s Ukrainian community. Her interest in photography led to her own portrait business. When she is not at the museum, Karen is volunteering at one of Saskatoon’s many Ukrainian organizations.

Karen is developing educational programming at the museum for schools and seniors. Her favourite part about working at the museum it is a community gathering place where everyone knows your name.

Fun Fact: She is still a Ukrainian Dancer

JARED BOECHLERResearch and Collections Assistant

Jared is a contemporary visual artist and has been working as an arts professional for the past 10 years. He was born and raised in Saskatoon but has lived and worked internationally as an artist, including in New York, Asia, and Europe. His previous positions in the museum sector include Curatorial Assistant at the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery, and Gallery Assistant at the New York Artists Equity Association in Manhattan. Jared takes care of the permanent collection and collaborates in the curation of exhibits. Some of his daily duties include accepting and safely storing donated artefacts along with managing the Museum’s digital collection. He was also responsible for curating two display booths for the UMC at the Saskatoon Exhibition in Summer 2022, and the Vitaliy Lytvyn print exhibit on display at the Museum this fall. Jared says he enjoys working in environments that require great attention to detail, so working directly with the artefacts is a fun part of the job! The opportunity to dig into the history that surrounds the objects and artworks means he is constantly learning, and this is also extremely rewarding.

JOHN KOENIGResearch and Communications Officer

John was born in Saskatoon but raised in various communities throughout the prairie provinces. He is half Ukrainian on his mother’s side and has fond memories of visiting his late Ukrainian grandmother Mary Kenaschuk to listen to the many stories of her own history as a farmer in the Watson area of Saskatchewan. Mary and her husband William Kenaschuk (Baba and Bill, as they were affectionately known) were active members of the Saskatchewan Farmer’s Union and the Watson Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Meanwhile, Baba herself was an active member of the Ukrainian Women’s Association of Canada.

With a BA in Archaeology and a Master’s in Art History, John has a keen interest in the preservation of culture and history, and the essential role that all museums play in this vital endeavour. When not at the Museum, John is a sessional lecturer at the University of Saskatchewan in the department of Art and Art History, and he has integrated his Museum research with his passion for art history by acquiring an interest in the essential role that Ukrainian artists have had – and continue to have – in the development of avant-garde art since the turn of the 20th century.

OLEKSANDR (ALEX) GOROBETSRetail and Visitor Services Officer

Alex is the Museum’s latest arrival from Ukraine. He came from Kyiv to Canada in February 2023 with his young family. He has a university degree in law and more than 15 years of experience in the retail industry. At the Museum, Alex greets visitors and is in charge of the gift shop.

In his work at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, he enjoys observing the reaction of visitors to stories about Ukrainian traditions and history. Outside of working at the museum, Alex spends time with his family, and is discovering Canada step by step.

UMC Board of Directors 2023

Andy Iwanchuk (President)
Karen Wasylenko (Past President)
Evan Howlett (Treasurer)
Leona Faryna Bridges (Secretary)
Jordan Welbourne (Vice President)
Joan Borsa
Tanya Sotnikov
Jim Shevchuk
Patricia Ciona
Linda Balon-Smith
Suzanne Skwarchuk
Rose Fedorak
Tatiana Soltykevych

Our Team

STAFF

UMC Board of Directors 2023