Board of Directors

Ross Porter - President and CEO

Photo: Don Dixon

President and Chief Executive Officer of JAZZ.FM91 since July of 2004, Ross Porter is acknowledged by jazz lovers from coast-to-coast as Canada’s preeminent jazz broadcaster.

Perhaps best-known to jazz aficionados for his lengthy and distinguished career as a broadcaster and producer with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s national radio network for many years, Ross Porter more recently developed, launched, and spearheaded programming for Canada’s national jazz channel COOL-TV, also managing day-to-day operations at CanWest’s 24-hour jazz station, COOL-FM and COOL Recordings.

Over past years, he amassed considerable credentials as a producer for widely-lauded network radio documentaries on jazz greats including Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker and many others. He also produced critically-acclaimed television documentaries on legends such as Oscar Peterson, Joni Mitchell, Quincy Jones, George Harrison, Brian Wilson, and Diana Krall.

Known for his impeccable taste in music, his unique delivery, and his matchless ability to articulate the colorful jazz landscape for radio listening audiences across the country as executive producer and host of CBC Radio’s highly successful daily “After Hours” jazz show, Ross Porter also shared his passion and unique understanding of the jazz genre with international air travelers as the host of Air Canada’s in-flight audio jazz channel for several years. His lengthy list of background credentials also includes stints as a respected print journalist, both as a music columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press and as a jazz reviewer for The National Post. His book the Essential Jazz Recordings was published by McClelland and Stewart and recently went into its second pressing. It is a consistent best seller in the music section of books stores.

Winner of numerous honours throughout his illustrious career, Ross Porter was accorded the 2000 CanWest Award for his ‘Outstanding Contribution to Jazz’ by friend and mentor Izzy Asper. The prestigious National Jazz Awards named him ‘Broadcaster of the Year’ in both 2002 and 2004. In the spring of 2009 Porter was nominated, by the Jazz Journalists Association, for the Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Broadcasting.

His interest in music is diverse. Porter worked in the Cultural Industries in Manitoba and helped to develop the careers of Fred Penner and the Crash Test Dummies. As a radio a radio producer and host at CBC he was helpful in assisting in the careers of Holly Cole, Diana Krall, Jane Bunnett and numerous others.

Porter was a member of the Oscar Peterson National Committee, which commissioned Canadian artist Ruth Abernethy, to create a commemorative statue at Canada's National Arts Centre. In June 2010, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh unveiled the sculpture in Ottawa.

Renah Persofsky - Vice Chair

Renah is a huge Jazz fan whose favourites include Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong. She has been on the JAZZ.FM91 Board since 1998 and is very active as Chair of the Finance Committee. A former CEO with the BMO Group of Companies and with Dexit Inc., she is now on the Boards of several start-up technology firms as a senior advisor on Strategic Mergers and Acquisitions as well as International Marketing.

Denny Christianson - Director

Trumpeter and educator Denny Christianson is best known for his recordings and tours with his Big Band of twenty years, as well as his fusion group “Sortie”, his small group with co-leader Jan Jarczyk, and his new “Little Band”. Appointed as Director of Music at Humber College in 2001, Denny has also recorded over 250 albums in a 30- year career spanning Los Angeles, Montreal, and Toronto, performing and/or recording with with pop and jazz greats such as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Pepper Adams, Dianne Schurr, Tony Bennett, Bill Holman, Carmen McRae, Benny Carter, J.J. Johnson, Kenny Drew, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Michel Legrand, etc. He also played on the Sammy Davis, Jr. TV show, and has served as musical director for numerous television shows. He has written several commissions, including a full-length musical, and his 7 albums as a leader(Justin Time Records) have earned 8 Juno and Felix nominations.

Jane Nurgul Erbil - Director

Jane is a seasoned senior level business professional with broad North American experience as well as over 13 years business experience in her native country of Turkey.  Jane has a Masters of Public Administration from Baruch College in New York City as well as a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Bosphorus University in Istanbul. Throughout her marketing career at top-tier multinational companies, Jane has assumed responsibility in creating advertising, promotions and media programs for global brands in both traditional and digital media. Jane has led the organization of Philip Morris Superband Jazz Concert series for a decade where timeless and world-renowned artists were hosted in Istanbul. Jane has a broad interest in public service and is affiliated with the Canadian Board Diversity Council based in Toronto.

Debbie Gamble - Director

Debbie Gamble is an experienced international executive and leader in the emerging communication technology fields.  Her experience includes significant leadership roles in both the banking and payment sectors, embracing Visa and MasterCard.  In addition to being a long-standing jazz fan, Debbie is a founding member of the Verity Women’s Club, and a strategic specialist in mobile wireless and broadcast technologies.  She and her husband live in Toronto.

Alan Gee - Director

Alan Gee is Chairman and Partner at Blammo Worldwide.  An award winning Creative Director, Alan's career spans over 30 years of creating advertising for a wide range of clients in the UK, US, Canada and The Caribbean.  His career started in the UK, where he honed his craft as an art director before arriving in Canada. After a number of years at multi-national agencies, he opened his own agency and has never looked back.  Over the last two decades his agency’s work has won global accolades: Cannes Lions, Clio’s, The One Show, London International, CA Magazine and D&AD not to mention many local Canadian awards.  Alan is active in the advertising community as a member of the Advertising and Design Club of Canada, he also sits on the board of the Globe & Mail’s Cannes Lions Advertising Board, and is frequently asked to speak on the ever changing communications industry.  As a judge, Alan has both chaired and served on local, national and international award show committees and is a passionate promoter of great Canadian creative.

Kelly Peterson - Director

Kelly Peterson is a tremendous jazz fan whose favorites include (among many) Ben Webster, Ella Fitzgerald, Clark Terry, Joe Pass – and of course, Oscar Peterson. Kelly has an Honors degree in Theatre, and worked in professional improvisational children’s theatre as well as summer stock before eventually moving to Sarasota, FL and managing restaurants. It was there that she met Oscar Peterson. Kelly moved to Canada 25 years ago, when she and Oscar were married. In her current capacity as one of the Trustees of the Estate of Oscar Peterson and General Manager of Regal Recordings, Ltd., Kelly manages and promotes the legacy of her late husband. She is an avid supporter of music and theatre, as well as World Vision and Christian Children’s Fund.

John Sadler - Director

John has a diverse background in strategic planning, finance, marketing and public policy. As the Managing Director of Genoa Management, John leads a team of senior partners in providing capital markets counsel and investor relations services to the firm’s clients. Before founding Genoa Management, John’s career included extensive experience in both the private and public sectors. Based in Toronto and New York, he served as the Executive Vice President of Newcourt Credit Group between 1993 and 1999. Prior to this, John worked in Ottawa as a Senior Policy Advisor to several federal Cabinet Ministers between 1984 and 1991. John is an honours graduate from Wilfrid Laurier University’s business school. He has served on numerous charitable and voluntary boards including Safe Kids Canada, the Via Salzburg Chamber Music Series, the Empire Club of Canada, the Toronto Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Toronto. He lives in Toronto with his wife Michelle and their two teenage daughters.

Alex E. Stuart - Director

Al has been a partner at The Pilot Tavern since 1987, taking on the role of Managing Partner in 2002. The Pilot is a Toronto icon, operating in the Yorkville area since 1944, and for the past 24 years, has hosted live jazz matinees every Saturday, featuring local, national and international artists. Prior to assuming management of The Pilot, Al served as Vice President of Operations at Stuart Energy Systems Corporation (SES), a producer of electrolytic hydrogen gas plants, installed in over 100 countries worldwide. Al volunteers his services to numerous business and community organizations, serves on several boards and committees, and is currently spearheading a new cancer research fundraising initiative. Born and raised in Toronto, he is the eldest son of JAZZ.FM91’s founding chairman, Mary Alice Stuart.  Al, his wife Julie Wells and their four children live in North Toronto.

Bill Tapscott - Director

Bill is a major fan of jazz in the bop and post bop traditions and has an extensive collection of recordings favouring Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Keith Jarrett and John Coltrane. He feels lucky to live in a city where Jane Bunnett and the Spirits of Havana play regularly, whether it be at Lula Lounge or Koerner Hall. A Software Entrepreneur, Bill has founded and co-founded a number of successful technology start-up companies in Toronto over the past 25 years. These include: Intellione, creator of a world leading method of processing cell phone data to generate traffic information; Maptuit, a leading navigation and optimization software company in the logistics Industry; and, Mountain Lake Software Corporation, a boutique custom software development company with a strong financial services practice. These companies became acquisition targets of larger organizations for their strategic value. Today, Bill works in the Government Relations field and is an active Board Member of The Jonah Group, a software consultancy that delivers significant competitive advantage to businesses through high-performance custom digital solutions.