RESULTS ICOM-CC Directory Board 2023-2026

Results of the election for ICOM-CC Directory Board for the 2023-2026 Triennium:

(in alphabetical order)

Stephanie de Roemer  - United Kingdom

After having served on the Directory Board for the 2020 – 2023 Triennial, I would like to build on my experience accumulated through exceptional circumstances in applying new gained insights, knowledge and means of communication to the strategic vision of the ICOM-CC as part of ICOM into the Triennial 2023-2026. 

Having adopted new means to facilitate meetings, workshops and networking as part of the ICOM-CC strategy, outreach and support for conservation and museum professionals World wide – I feel inspired to contribute my time and efforts to sustain the future evolution of this International Network of diverse and passionate heritage care professionals, while maintaining at its core the ‘non-for-profit’ ethos as a driver for equality and ethical practice and standards. 

I would continue to seek opportunities for fund raising and collaboration towards projects that facilitate broader engagement and participation in the sharing and training of conservation care in cross disciplinary and International ICOM Committee collaborations through the ICOM-CC Working Groups and the wider ICOM-CC membership. 

In addition I would also like to continue with the outreach via modern communication media for the ICOM-CC as part of a wider communications and outreach strategy in support of the ICOM-CC Working Group coordination teams and with the wider membership alike. 

Patricia Engel - Austria

Political work
I consider the political work for the benefit of the profession an essential part of a conservator ´s work. ICOM-CC has taken important steps towards developing a definition of the profession and its terminology. Securing legal protection of the profession might be an achievement that both its members worldwide and the works of art would largely benefit from. 

My background
I have studied Conservation-Restoration of works of art in Vienna and Warsaw (studies for master, doctorate and habilitation degrees), worked throughout my professional life of nearly 40 years as researcher and university teacher and a freelancer. The latter experience helped me to stay connected with the real life “out there”.
I have experience of working in committees and boards of international bodies, being the vice president of International Paper Historians, president of Conservators without Frontiers and head of the European Research Centre for Book and Paper Conservation- Restoration. 

Why me
I believe that the ICOM–CC Directory Board can particularly benefit from the person’s long experience

• of work in the profession,
• of teamwork, and
• of work in international context. 

I consider respect to colleagues and open-mindedness essential. Prerequisites for my candidacy:

• I have been ICOM member for about 30 years and the team member of its “Theory, History, and Ethics of Conservation” Working Group for many years.
• My employer, the University for Continuing Education Krems, supports my candidacy strongly. 

I would consider it a great honor to be selected as member of the ICOM-CC Directory Board. 

Lynn Lee - China

I am the Senior Conservation Scientist at the M+ Museum of Visual Culture, Hong Kong, where I am responsible for establishing the science laboratory and leading the research arm of the conservation department.  In addition to my interest in technical studies and conservation issues, outreach, education and dissemination are areas of importance to me.  Prior to my current appointment, I was at the Getty Conservation Institute for over 10 years.

During my tenure as Coordinator for the Scientific Research Working Group for the past two terms, I became interested in how ICOM-CC works within the greater ICOM infrastructure.  I am standing for the Directory Board because I strongly believe in ICOM-CC’s work in advocating for the field and strategically moving the sector towards greater progress in sustainability, capacity building and global outreach.  Most importantly, I am committed to the organization and its core values and feel that, as a Directory Board member, I can have meaningful impact. My skill sets in strategic planning, outreach and as an organizer are strengths that I bring to the position.  

Maggi Loubser – South Africa          

I am a relative newcomer to conservation. After a career spanning 30 years in Material Science, I was drawn in to first teach conservators XRF, then to design a science module for the Masters in Tangible Heritage Conservation at University of Pretoria, and then to run the programme since 2019.  Our masters is the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa and we are committed to expand conservation training across the African continent as fast as possible, to enable Africa to take its place at the international table and care for its own heritage.  To do this we are already in the process of creating centres of excellence in Namibia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho through past students.  I have also been internationally involved with Yale IPCH, on the international advisory bodies for the NICAS International Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science programme as well as their Go-Green consortium and organised the Global Consortium for the preservation of Cultural Heritage in South Africa in 2021.

It would be an honour to serve on the ICOM-CC board and would enable me to organise more collaborative training/exchange between African conservators and the rest of the world.  At the same time, it would put me in the position to bring the African voice to ICOM-CC partners as we have so much to offer.  Over generations, indigenous solutions to conservation problems were developed, which now, with the new focus towards “Green Conservation” may just provide some solutions to the developed world.

Satish C. Pandey - India

Trained as an art conservator and a conservation scientist, I have over twenty years of experience in conservation practice, teaching, and research. At present, I am a Professor and Head of the Department of Art Conservation at the National Museum Institute – the only institution in India offering full-time MA and Ph.D. programmes in Art Conservation. As an art conservation educator, I have been involved in designing and delivering training programmes at various levels, not only in my institution but also in a few other universities and museums in India. I have also been a panel member in the Indian Conservation Fellowship Programme–a flagship training initiative in art conservation, jointly funded by the Indian Ministry of Culture and the A.W. Mellon Foundation. I have established a number of collaborations with institutions in India and internationally, and have worked with a wide range of heritage conservation experts. Interacting with students and professionals at various levels has, thus, enabled me to assimilate an inclusive outlook in the heritage conservation sector. 

I have been a member of ICOM for more than a decade and my active role in ICOM-CC started with the Education and Training Working Group as Coordinator for the 2017-2020 triennium. My association with ICOM-CC has enabled me to gain a global perspective of art conservation as a profession and I strongly believe that ICOM-CC is capable of steering the shift in conservation approaches to enhance sustainability. I am standing for the Directory Board for the 2023-26 triennium and if elected, I would endeavor to advocate and assimilate discourses about sustainable conservation design and macro-management of heritage conservation to include stakeholders in the decision making.

Reiko Sakaki – Japan

I am a historian specializing in the history of Latin America and cultural exchange around the world in the 16th to the 18th centuries, and I worked as aa curator at a corporate museum in Tokyo for 30 years. Apart from my specialization in history, I have long been interested in the conservation of cultural property, especially after the “2011 Great East Japan Earthquake”. Since then, we in Japan have experienced severe damage to museums or cultural properties from earthquakes, floods due to heavy rains, and river flooding throughout Japan. I have realized the importance of conservation and disaster prevention, and my interest in the conservation/preservation has increased more and more since I became a freelancer and ICOM-CC Directory Board member 2020-2023.

I have been a member of ICOM since 2010 and attended ICOM General Conference in Shanghai (2010) , Milan (2016) and Prague (online, 2022). The ICOM-CC Triennial Conference in Copenhagen (2017) was the first IOM-CC Conference for me as a member of ICOM-CC. At ICOM General Conference in Kyoto (2019), I was a liaison for ICOM-CC and took part in the arrangements for the off-site visit in Nara and the ICOM-CC Post Conference Tour in the Tohoku region. This unforgettable experience gave me an unexpected opportunity to serve ICOM-CC as a Directory Board member/Treasurer in the term 2020-2023.

I hope that I could continue to support activities for ICOM-CC members who was doing excellent works despite the difficulties caused by the global pandemic.

Kate Seymour – The Netherlands

I am standing for the ICOM-CC Directory Board to foster and promote the strategic goals of our committee. My time as Coordinator (2008-2017) of two Working Groups and member of the Directory Board, as Working Group Liaison (2017-2020) and Chair (2020-2023), has provided me with insights into the working practices of ICOM-CC and ICOM. 

Museums are increasingly recognised as both stewards of the past and agents for social change. ICOM’s new Museum Definition (2022) calls for museums to collect, research and conserve tangible and intangible heritage to be enjoyed and studied by audiences. To ensure that collections can be transferred to future generations, it is ever more important that these testaments to our cultural endeavours are well-maintained and preserved. 

It is fitting that ICOM-CC is one of the largest International Committees within the ICOM global network and has a strong voice within ICOM. ICOM-CC, with its worldwide membership, and covering all conservation disciplines, acts to advocate for conservation and for the skilled professionals in this field. 

ICOM-CC must continue to play a pivotal role, as a preeminent professional body, within ICOM demonstrating the need and necessity for conservation. Exploring ways of connecting ICOM-CC’s activities with those carried out by ICOM’s Secretariat, International and National Committees and Regional Alliances remains core to my service to this committee. 

If elected again to the Directory Board, I will continue to serve the committee with passion and dedication, advocating for our sector and supporting activities central to our strategic plan. Together we are stronger. 

Emily Williams  - United Kingdom        

I am an Associate Professor in Archaeological Conservation at Durham University (UK) where I direct the MA in Conservation of Archaeological and Museum Objects.  Prior to this, I was the Senior Conservator, Archaeological Materials at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (USA).  In addition to these roles, I have worked on sites and in museums in Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, Egypt, Iraqi Kurdistan, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey and taught a variety of workshops both in the US and internationally. These experiences have given me broad insights into the field of conservation and the diverse and varied practices from which it is formed.

I am an ICOM-CC member of long standing. I served as the local arrangements co-organizer for the 2010 Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Working Group (WOAM) meeting and have edited or co-edited three of the WOAM Interim Meeting proceedings. I was an Assistant Coordinator in WOAM (2011-2014) and Coordinator (2014-2020). Most recently, I have served as Vice Chair on the Directory Board (2020-2023).

When I ran for the Directory Board in 2020, I felt that ICOM-CC and the conservation field faced many challenges and I wanted to help address these through building organizational resilience, removing barriers to participation and increasing transparency within the organization and by helping ICOM-CC advocate for the field by championing the work of the Working Groups and exploring new avenues for advocacy.  I continue to believe that these are important endeavors and I feel I have the skills, experience, and energy to continue contributing to this work.   

Lori Wong - United Kingdom  

With 25+ years of international conservation experience, I am excited to submit my candidacy for ICOM-CC's Directory Board. My interest in serving on the board stems from a commitment to address challenges and ensure the future of our profession. Sustainability is a critical concern encompassing ecological, economic, cultural, and social aspects and I would endeavor to continue ICOM-CC’s work in this area. I am also dedicated to promoting ethical, inclusive, and equitable practices that considers the stakeholders involved in conservation efforts. As a board member I would aim to contribute to these areas and to expand the perspectives on cultural heritage more broadly, reimagining how it is approached, engaged with, and preserved.

Throughout my tenure at The Getty Conservation Institute (2002-2022) and in my current role teaching conservation at The Courtauld Institute of Art, I have developed a strong foundation of knowledge and expertise. I have also served in leadership roles with international conservation organizations, notably as ICOM-CC Working Group Coordinator for Murals, Stone, and Rock Art from (2014-2020) and on IIC's Member Council (2020-2023). Furthermore, I have contributed to the relaunch of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee for Mural Paintings as an Expert Member.

ICOM-CC plays a vital role in improving conservation practice globally. Given my diverse experiences and expertise, I am confident in my ability to make valuable contributions as a member of the ICOM-CC Directory Board. I am enthusiastic about sharing my knowledge and skills to support the board's objectives and help shape the future of our profession.