Tannis Richardson

A graduate of The University of Winnipeg Collegiate, Tannis Richardson is a dedicated philanthropist and volunteer who has made a difference across Canada through her dedication to arts, health and cultural organizations.

She is a Member of the Order of Canada, and has special ties to UWinnipeg as her late father, Dr. Paul H.T. Thorlakson, served as Chancellor from 1969 to 1978.

Richardson has helped the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) raise funds for numerous projects and became one of the first members of the Advisory Council of the Volunteer Associates of the art gallery, a position normally reserved for past WAG presidents and board members.

She is also a long-time benefactor and leader of the Health Sciences Centre Foundation and, in 1991, she was the first recipient of the foundation’s Laureate of Excellence Award.

Richardson has served on the boards of Rainbow Stage, the Manitoba Opera Association, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Association of Youth Orchestras; and has supported and volunteered for the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research, the Kidney Foundation of Canada, The United Way of Winnipeg, the Western Canadian Aviation Museum, the Manitoba Museum, and the Winnipeg Public Library Foundations.

Richardson has shown special attention to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) of Canada, chairing the local fundraising committee and serving on the national Executive Committee and Board of Chancellors, as well as serving with JDRF International.