President of the Board
LaVerne Erickson is the founder of Rosebud School of Arts, Rosebud, AB; Canadian Badlands Passion Play, Drumheller, AB; the Canadian Badlands Performing Arts Summer School; and the Chemainus Theatre Festival on Vancouver Island. He coined the name “Canadian Badlands” which led to the formation of Canada’s largest municipal tourism corporation, and his appointment as Alberta Tourism Ambassador. He has been awarded honours in the fields of economic development and tourism, culture and arts, is an AMFA Gold Medalist who performed on concert and opera stages, is a Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medalist, an Alberta’s 100 Legacy Award citizen, and was the first person to be featured on CTV’s “Inspired Albertans”.
LaVerne earned a BA, BEd, and MA at the universities of Lethbridge and Calgary. His music diplomas are from the Mount Royal and Royal Conservatories. He holds a permanent professional teaching certificate from the ATA. He has been keynote speaker at Teachers Conventions and at Community Futures Conferences.
As an educator he has taught at the elementary, secondary, college and university levels. As a planner and economic development leader he has worked with communities across Western Canada for which he received the Champion Spark Plug award. He has served on charity and not-for-profit boards, and corporate boards – both private and publicly traded.
As an artist he has composed a great deal of choral music and his paintings hang in public and private collections. LaVerne is a mix of artist, entrepreneur, and visionary inspired by his love for the Creator and creativity. He champions Rosebud Fellowship as a Legacy-Building Charity.