Board - CHC|CPC

Britt Braaten

President

Britt is a Creative Development Specialist at the Canadian Museum of History. She holds a Master of Museum Studies and a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Arts & Science from McMaster University. Her passion for cultural heritage was ignited as a student intern at the Immigration Museum in Melbourne, Australia. Since then, she has put this into practice, developing exhibitions, programs and online offerings with the Multicultural History Society of Ontario (Toronto), the Canada Science and Technology Museum and the Canadian War Museum. Her work focuses on exhibition storytelling, as well as promoting accessibility and inclusion in museums. Britt comes to the Board as a strong believer in the importance of collaboration and mutual support within the heritage sector. She looks forward to contributing to the work of CHC|CPC.

Sarah Catterall

Vice-President

Sarah Catterall is an MA student in the Public History program at Carleton University. She graduated with her BA Hons. in History from the University of Victoria in 2015, and she then worked as a high school history teacher. After relocating to Ottawa in 2019, she joined the Goulbourn Museum as the Education Officer, where she developed public programming and supported the Museum’s transition to a virtual model during Covid-19. Previous accomplishments include land title archival work, digital transcription with the Multicultural Historical Society of Ontario, conducting oral history interviews for the University of Victoria’s Military Oral History collection, publishing academic papers (including with the Royal United
Services Institute, Vancouver Island), presenting at the BC Studies conference in 2015, and developing a historical television spot. Additionally, she has eight years of administrative experience in the non-profit sector.

Sebastien Labelle

Treasurer

Bio to come.

Cindy Stelmackowich

Secretary

Cindy Stelmackowich is an artist, curator, and academic. She has a BA and BFA from the University of Saskatchewan, MA focusing in Cultural Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies from Carleton University, and Ph.D. in the History and Theory of Art from Binghamton University, New York. She has a studio at the Enriched Bread Artists in Ottawa, and her artworks have been exhibited across Canada, the United States, and Europe in solo and group exhibitions.

As a museum professional, Cindy has developed innovative curatorial projects that often feature historical artifacts. She has planned exhibitions for the Canada Science and Technology Museum, Canadian Museum of Nature, Bytown Museum, Canadian Consulate in New York, as well as for contemporary art galleries, including the Dalhousie University Art Gallery, Carleton University Art Gallery, Enriched Bread Artists, and Artists Space in New York City.

Niġel Klemenčič-Puglisevich

Director

Niġel Klemenčič-Puglisevich is currently a student at Carleton University in his final year of his BA (Hons.) in Greek & Roman Studies and History with minors in Archaeology and Medieval & Early Modern Studies. As an emerging museum professional, he has worked in the industry since 2015 and has held a variety of positions, mostly in the areas of digital content development, digitization, research, and exhibitions. He currently works in the Ottawa area as the Communications Administrator at the Goulbourn Museum and Curatorial Assistant at the Museum of Classical Antiquities. His goal within museums is to break down barriers for marginalized communities and increase accessibility and collaboration within museums. His research interests centre mostly around his Maltese heritage, medieval Islamic archaeology, and decolonial practice in public history.

Elizabeth Hale

Director

Elizabeth is a Technical Project Manager at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (History) from Carleton University, a Diploma in Museum Studies, and Certificate in Project Management from Algonquin College. She has worked in the museum and heritage field for 25 years as an Exhibition Project Manager and Collections Manager including time at the National Gallery of Canada, Canadian Museum of History, Canadian War Museum, Library and Archives Canada and the Canada Science and Technology Museum. She has also worked as a consultant for the Omàmiwininì Pimàdjwowin / Algonquin Way Cultural Centre and the Arnprior & District Museum.

Elizabeth has been a part-time Professor for the Algonquin College Applied Museum Studies program for the past 7 years and enjoys teaching and mentoring the next generation of heritage professionals. As a member of CHC|CPC, she hopes to continue this important work by helping the organization grow its membership, heritage networking opportunities and programming.

Jim Dean

Past President

Jim is the Creative Director of Haunted Walks Inc., Canada’s largest walking tour company offering experiences in Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto, Ontario. He holds a BA from the University of Western Ontario and an MA in Film Studies from Carleton University. For the past 15 years he has lead product innovation and marketing initiatives for The Haunted Walk. This includes, the popular “Haunted Talks” podcast he hosts, and the hours of video content he has produced. Jim is also the owner of James Dean Creative, which offers consulting services in the areas of marketing, innovation and customer service.