Every year, the Board of Directors elects and evaluates an Artistic Director responsible for overseeing all Dr Clown orientations. The elected Artistic Director then nominates the Executive Team.

	Melissa Holland (Artistic Director) Melissa has a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts specialized in Drama in Education from Concordia University and a degree in Education from McGill University. She has taught theatre and English to children, teenagers, and adults in Montreal, Madrid, Edinburgh, and Chibougamau.  In Scotland, she trained and worked as a clown doctor for the charitable organization Hearts & Minds.  She also carried out a two-month pilot project in Windsor, Ontario that led to the establishment of a program called “Fools for Health.”
	Francine Côté (Trainer) Francine has been in show business as an artist and a trainer for over 25 years.  She received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts and studied in Paris for two years with Philippe Gaulier and Monica Pagneux, with training in clowning, acting, masks, movement, etc.  She then pursued a career in both clowning (Cirque du Soleil, La Ratatouille, Le Grand Cirque, festivals, etc.) and physical acting (Bouffon de Bullion, Le Pool, Dynamo Théâtre, Passe Partout, etc.).  She has developed a training program for clowns and has given about twenty training sessions.  She has also worked as a coach and as a director for circus acts and shows (UQAM, Gulko, L'Aubergine, La Petite Fanfare, etc.).  In 1998, she was awarded the Charlie Rivel Prize in Copenhagen.  For the last two years she has worked mainly as a trainer: acting coach for the Cirque Éloïse, clown at the National Theatre School of Canada, and coach for a number of professional artists.  She was happy to take on the role as Dr Clown’s Artistic Director because the future of clowns in our society is one of her main areas of interest.
	Olivier-Hugues Terreault (Founding Director) A professional artist with training in theatre, storytelling, and clowning, Olivier-Hugues has a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Dance from UQÀM (University du Québec à Montréal).  He founded La Compagnie du Pont-fleurs, an interdisciplinary performance group, and was its director for seven years.  He became a therapeutic clown and an advocate of Dr Clown so that he could combine his art with social work.  Since 1999, he has participated in a variety of social clowning workshops with Dr Patch Adams and with various Canadian therapeutic artists.  He has received several grants from the Canada Council for the Arts.  He has been visiting Montreal hospitals since March 2000.
	Florence Vinit, PhD (Psychosocial Director) Born in France, Florence has a doctorate in sociology from l’Université Marc Bloch in Strasbourg granted in cosupervision with UQÀM, her thesis being on the effect of touch in healthcare practice. Along with her Masters degree in psychology received from l’Université PARIS-VIII, she also benefits from complementary training in medical ethics, victim advocacy, NLP, and haptonomy. Her participation in a work-study workshop in a Polish pediatric facility for the treatment of leukemia inspired her to use therapeutic clowning as a complement to traditional care practices. France’s L’Association Le Rire Médecin inspired her to develop a similar program in Quebec.

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