KATI announces New Executive Director

The Kutenai Art Therapy Institute Association (KATIA) is delighted to welcome Lisa Heisler as the new Executive Director of the Institute.

Lisa is an artist, and has a strong background in social planning, public administration and project management. She holds a Master of Arts from the University of Victoria, and over 15 years’ experience with needs assessment, collaborative program development & progressive management. She worked for three years as a grants administrator and received a UBC award of Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion.

Lisa's work is rooted in the non-profit sector, social justice, conflict transformation and decolonization. She was the City of Edmonton liaison for Edmonton's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's Inquiry and has worked alongside Indigenous leaders to reclaim our interconnectedness and tend to reconciliation throughout her career. In her own words, "Personally and professionally, truth and reconciliation are deeply important to me. I value and respect Indigenous ways of knowing, and work trauma-informed, grounded in attachment theory." Lisa is trained in restorative justice and committed to restorative practices.

“We believe that Lisa’s unique experience with community work, non-profit organizations and organizational change is exactly what KATI needs at this point in its unfolding,” said Kiara Lynch, Chair of the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute Association. “I am honoured to join KATI as it moves toward its 25th Anniversary in 2020, and build on the extraordinary work of Monica Carpendale, KATI’s Founder and Academic Dean. KATI’s mission of training culturally sensitive art therapists and providing art therapy as a community service resonates deeply with my own values and purpose. I look forward to working with all of KATI’s stakeholders to fulfill KATI’s vision and mission.”

Lisa can be contacted at lheisler@kutenaiarttherapy.com