Ottawa, May 26, 2021
Canadian Museum Association announces the election of 8 new board members
Following the election held at their annual general meeting on May 25th, 2021, the Canadian Museums Association (CMA) announced today the election of 8 new directors-at-large to the board of directors. Three officers were elected from existing board members, bringing the board total to 11 members.
This follows an increase in the number of board positions from 8 to 11, following a by-law change at a special general meeting held last December.
The new board is as follows:
President (1)
- Michael Wallace
Theatre Museum Canada, ON
Vice-President (2)
- Eric Chan
EEPMON, ON - Katy Tari
Pointe-à-Callière, cité d’archéologie et d’histoire de Montréal, QC
Directors-at-Large (8)
- Armando Perla
Independent Advisor on Museums, Human Rights and Social Inclusion, QC - Dean Oliver
Canadian Museum of History, NCR - Dolf DeJong
Toronto Zoo, ON - Heather George
Canadian Museum of History, NCR - J'net AyAy QwaYak Sheelth
Royal Ontario Museum, ON - Pailagi Jaimin Pandya
MacKenzie House Museum, ON - Sophie Yamauchi
Chinese Canadian Museum Society of BC, BC - Tracy Calogheros
The Exploration Place, BC
Congratulations to the new board! The CMA would also like to extend a sincere thank you to all who participated in the AGM and offered their service to the organization within the past year.
"The membership of the CMA elected a dynamic group of museum professionals from across the country. The new team includes experienced leaders from some of the country's largest institutions, small museums, and freelance and emerging museum professionals,” said newly elected Board president, Michael Wallace. “I look forward to working with this governance team focused on the CMA mission: Stronger museums. Engaged citizens. A better Canada."
"I'm honoured and grateful to the members for their support and encouragement as I take on the role of director with the Canadian Museums Association.” said newly elected director Heather George, a curator of Indigenous Histories at the Canadian Museum of History. “We have much work ahead of us, but I am encouraged by the amazing diversity of experiences and knowledge the new directors bring to the board. Our strength as an organization comes from our membership and I look forward to working on new ways to connect and build on the amazing 75-year history of the CMA.”
The meeting also saw the adoption of a member resolution on the climate crisis. The resolution largely concerned the need for a declaration of a climate emergency within the Canadian Museum sector, the development of a multi-year climate action strategy, as well as creating a push for museums to achieve net-zero carbon emissions between 2030-2050.