2023-2024 CMS Course Director Biographies

Each Certificate in Museum Studies (CMS) course is delivered by highly qualified Course Directors who brings solid theoretical knowledge and extensive practical experience in the museum community. Meet our Course Directors for 2024-2025:

 

Cindy Colford - Artifacts

                                

Prior to joining the Manitoba Museum in the fall of 2016, Cindy spent 11 years as a part-time faculty member in the Heritage Programs at Fleming College, and more than eight years as a conservator at the Peterborough Museum & Archives. Cindy has worked in a number of institutions across Canada and in the United States including the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Parks Canada Atlantic Service Centre, the Provincial Museum of Newfoundland & Labrador, and the Canadian Museum of History where her work has focussed on preventive and practical conservation, collections management, and collections and conservation training.  She is active in the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property (CAC), and served as President from 2012-2017. Cindy received a Bachelor of Arts in Canadian and American History from McMaster University (Hamilton, ON), a diploma in Collections Conservation and Management, and a certificate in Adult Teacher/Trainer from Fleming College (Peterborough, ON).

                                                

 

 


Carmen Li - Care of Collections

                                

Carmen Li is a conservator accredited with the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators with double specialization in the categories of Objects and Preventive Conservation. She received a Master of Art Conservation from Queen's University in 2006 and a Diploma in Collections Management and Conservation from Sir Sandford Fleming in 2004. Before joining the conservation team at the Royal Alberta Museum, Carmen held the position of Preventive Conservation Manager with the University of Alberta Museums, and coordinated a major collections move at the Museum of Northern Arizona. Through a series of advanced internships, she's had the opportunity to work at the Canadian Conservation Institute (2007-2008), National Museum of the American Indian (winter 2007), Fitzwilliam Museum (summer 2006), and Royal Ontario Museum (summer 2006).  In addition, she has worked as field conservator on archaeological site in Turkey and in the Canadian arctic.  Since 2013, Carmen has been employed at the Royal Alberta Museum, and was appointed Head of Conservation in 2014.  She currently oversees an active treatment and preventive conservation program for a large and diverse collection with a museum in the midst of a major renewal project. Carmen has co-instructed a Preventive Conservation course and served on panels and juries with the Alberta Museums Associations.


 Meredith Leonard - Exhibit Planning & Design

                    

Meredith Leonard is currently Senior Curator Learning and Interpretation with the City of Hamilton. A certified teacher with more than ten years of experience in the heritage field, she previously served as the Education and Community Coordinator at Halton Heritage Services, Education and Community Relations Officer at Museum of Ontario Archaeology, Curator for Marketing, Programming and Exhibitions at Fort Erie Museum Services and Visitor Services Coordinator at the St. Catharines Museum & Welland Canals Centre. Meredith holds a Hons. BA in History and Political Science from McMaster University, Master of Museum Studies degree from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Science in Adolescence Education from D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York. She was selected as a 2015 fellow in the Getty Leadership Institute's NextGen Program at Claremont Graduate University in California and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre.

 

Michelle Clarabut - Education Programs

                    

Michelle joined the Great Lakes Museum in April 2019 with a background in research, education and advancement. As the Programs and Communications Manager, Michelle transitioned the museum's visitor experience and programs from a small storefront operation to the larger Museum we have today - doubling engagement numbers in the process. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree from Queen’s University in Art History and Italian, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Guelph in European Studies and a Doctorate in Cultural History from Royal Holloway, University of London. During her time at Royal Holloway, Michelle lectured in cultural history and worked in Advancement.

Michelle volunteers on the Board of the Navy League of Canada, Kingston Branch. She has previously volunteered with Kingston Association of Museums, Art Galleries and Historic Sites as Chair of the Marketing Committee and has been involved with numerous research and public engagement initiatives; including workshops and conferences, exhibits and activities aimed at connecting people with the cultural heritage of Kingston.

Laura Phillips - Collections Management 

              

Laura Phillips (she/her) has a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from Queen’s University where she undertook community-based research on ways to expand narratives beyond Euro-Enlightenment concepts in a geology museum. She is a settler with ancestry from Ireland, England, and Wales. Laura worked in museums, galleries, libraries, and archives (GLAM) internationally for more than 20 years (England, Qatar, USA, Eeyou Istchee, Canada). These days Laura is part-time faculty in the Museum Management & Curatorship program at Fleming College, a sessional lecturer for the University of Toronto's Information Management graduate program and a facilitator for an adult learning program at the Cree School Board of Eeyou Istchee.

 


Amber Lloydlangston - Museums in Context

                    

Amber Lloydlangston holds a Master of Museum Studies from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Ottawa. She worked for ten years at the Canadian War Museum where she undertook a variety of different tasks. In addition to conducting historical and material culture research for exhibitions, she provided guided tours, gave formal and informal talks, wrote for the media, supervised interns and contract employees, developed computer interactives, and also directed audio and video productions. At Museum London from August 2014 in the position of curator of regional history, Amber does many of the same tasks and then some. She is pleased to be able to bring experiences in a smaller, regional museum to the position of course director.

 


Ian Kerr-Wilson - Museums in Historic Buildings (Facilities Management)

                   

Ian Kerr-Wilson began working in the heritage field in 1981, as a public programmer at museums in Kingston and Toronto.

He joined the City of Hamilton in 1989, holding programming, curatorial and management positions over the following 30 years.  When he retired in 2019, he was the Manager of the Heritage Resource Management Section for the City of Hamilton. 

As manager, he oversaw 9 city-owned and operated museums (including 6 national historic sites), 40 heritage buildings, 150 annual public events, 100-plus monuments, memorials and heritage plaques.

He is a graduate of the Master of Museum Studies from the University of Toronto, and has graduate and undergraduate degrees from Queen’s University and Trent University.

 

 

Marcus Létourneau - Museums in Historic Buildings (Facilities Management)

 Marcus Létourneau (he/him) is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo and teaches a course called “Heritage Planning for Practitioners” at Algonquin College. Marcus currently serves on the Board of Directors for ICOMOS Canada and the Heritage Resources Centre at the University of Waterloo. He is an appointed member of the Board of Directors for the Friends of Springfield House Complex and is part of the program development team for a new Bachelor of Applied Science program in Building Conservation at Algonquin College. He is a professional member of the Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP), a Registered Professional Planner with OPPI (RPP) and a professional member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP). He serves as Chair for the Leeds and the Thousand Islands Municipal Heritage Committee (2023-2026).

 

Marcus has a PhD in Cultural/Historical Geography; a MA in Cultural Geopolitics; BA (Hons) in Geography with a History Minor; a Diploma in Peace and Conflict Studies; a Professional Certificate in Heritage Conservation Planning; an OMA Certificate in Museum Studies; a Certificate in Management Leadership; and, training in Marine/ Foreshore Archaeology.
 

 

 

Kathleen Powell - Organization & Management of Museums

Smiling white woman with dark red hair and glasses standing in front of trees and a grey building  
Kathleen Powell is the Supervisor of Historical Services at the City of St. Catharines where she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre, the Morningstar Mill, and the Lakeside Park Carousel.  She has worked in museums and historic sites in Niagara for the past 30 years and has served as the Chair of the Museums of Niagara Association and is a Past-President of the Ontario Museum Association.
Kathleen has a BA in History from Brock University and is a graduate of the Certificate in Museum Studies program with the Ontario Museum Association.  She is currently working on her Masters in History at Brock University.  A lifelong resident of Niagara and an avid rower, Kathleen continues to support museums and heritage preservation in the community.