Michael Rikley-Lancaster sent this to me last night. Here is your 2018 MVTM board!
Hesch Hanley President/ Director
Hesch has 35 years of federal government experience working at central agencies and large operational departments, providing executive advice and direction in the areas of resource reallocation and governance, project management, risk management, strategic and operational planning, policy development, task force management, and program management and review.
During his career, the wind down and the transformation of Museums Canada from one corporate entity into new corporate entities: the National Gallery of Canada, Museum of History, and other notable federal cultural institutions, occurred. Hesch was also part of the Public Service 2000 initiative that oversaw the transformation of the federal government, including Program Review I and II. Hesch has lectured at Queen’s University and the University of Ottawa.
Lizz Thrasher, Vice President/ Director
With a background that ranges from kitchen management to auto restoration, Lizz has an unusual mix of technical and artistic skills. She formally trained in conservation and arts administration at Sir Sandford Fleming College, Peterborough.
Since starting her career as a conservator and museum professional, Lizz has worked in a variety of heritage institutions, including the Canada Museum of Science and Technology and The Klondike National Historic Site. She has worked on objects as diverse as a beaded silk wedding dress and the carding machines upstairs at the MVTM. She is currently the Facilities Manager at the Diefenbunker, where she is responsible for the building and building infrastructure as well as the care of the museum collection.
Meredith Filshie, Secretary/ Director
Meredith has been passionate about textiles, fibres, beads and beautiful things all her life. She has an undergraduate degree specializing in Textiles, Clothing and Design from the University of Guelph and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario. For 24 years, she worked in economic development policy groups with the federal government and had increasing levels of management responsibility. Currently she is the owner of Canada Beading Supply in Ottawa and is a member of several fibre arts organizations in the Ottawa area. Her experience in management, policy development, strategic and operational planning, budgeting and personnel combined with her involvement in the fibre arts community will help the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum remain a vital and exciting institution in Eastern Ontario.
Alan Jones, Treasurer/ Director
Alan was the Chief Valuator for Revenue Canada, and retired in 2000. He and Glenda moved to their new home in West Carleton in 1994. They have 20 acres of ANSI land -Area of Natural and Scientific Interest. Alan is an MBA, and a Fellow of the Chartered Business Valuators, the Chartered Professional Accountants, and the Certified General Accountants. He has been involved with the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum (MVTM) since 1995,and served as treasurer 1997-2003 and president 2008-2012. He has served on a number of local initiatives, such as the Stewardship Committee, the Heritage Committee, the Mills Community Support Corporation and the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority. Alan and Glenda won the Mississippi Volunteerism Award in 2013.
John Beesley, Director
John has now lived in Almonte for 3½ years. He has recently been looking at ways that he can contribute to the community in a meaningful way, while also leveraging some of the skills that he has developed in his full time work. John has come to appreciate the importance of arts organizations to the community, and given that the MVTM is one of the pre-eminent arts organizations in Almonte, he believes he can help the organization build on its past successes and prepare for the future.
From an academic perspective, John has an Executive MBA from the Smith School of Business, Queen’s University. The program is generalist in nature and provides a background in business management, human resources, operations management and finance. Additionally, he has worked for CIBC in a number of roles with increasing scope and complexity throughout the years. His work experience has given him exposure to personal & small business banking, project management, leadership of branch and district teams and regional operations accountability.
Edith Cody-Rice, Director
Edith is a senior lawyer, now retired, with years of experience in public, legal, and voluntary sectors. She is deeply committed to public service and is a strong negotiator and team player with superior collaborative and communication skills. Edith is fluent in both official languages and has long experience in governance and management of projects, policy development and the crafting of legislation and reports. She loves the arts and museums, and thinks that the textile museum is one of the most valuable assets in the town of Mississippi Mills. Edith has been deeply involved in the voluntary sector most of her adult life.
Josée Dambois, Director
Josée has had a lifelong curiosity and interest in fibre arts, learning sewing from her mother at age ten to being a self-taught quilter and knitter. Currently, she is pursuing coaching in classical drawing and painting as well as apprenticing with a master weaver. She is a member of the National Gallery of Canada, the Ottawa Valley Weavers’ and Spinners’ Guild, the Out of the Box Fibre Artists group and, of course, the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum (MVTM). Fluent in both English and French, her work experience includes three national museums (the Canadian Museum of Nature, the National Gallery of Canada and the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation) amongst other national organizations. Josée brings over 20 years of experience in non-profit sector, ten of those years in corporate governance. She holds a Diplôme d’Etudes Collégiale (DEC) in Business Administration with specialization in Finance, a Fine Arts Certificate from Algonquin College and a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in psychology, from Waterloo University.
Jill McCubbin, Municipality of Mississippi Mills Council Representative/ Director
Jill is a Mississippi Mills Councillor, Almonte Ward. She also works at the Mississippi Mills Public Library, at Mill Street Books and provides marketing and communications services to a couple of private organizations. Jill’s background includes small business (mainly bookstores) website design and development, publishing, writing and editing. She was a founder and early editor of theHumm and of Independently Reviewed (a national newsletter). Jill is also an artist and has exhibited paintings in Ottawa, Peterborough, Almonte and at the MVTM in 2013.
Kathy Priddle, Director
Kathy has lived and worked in Almonte for more than 23 years. She has raised her 3 children here and been a tireless volunteer over the years. Her roles have ranged from President of the Almonte Toy Lending Library to President of the MVTM. Kathy also volunteers at The Hub and Cornerstone Community Church and served on the Mississippi Mills Library Board. She still finds time to work part-time in downtown Almonte and also teach drama. Early in her career, Kathy taught Grade 4 and was also a nature interpreter for the MNR. Her educational background is in Environmental Studies (B.E.S., University of Waterloo) and Education (B.Ed., Nipissing University).
Fraser Scantlebury, Director
Fraser is currently the Executive Director of the United Way Lanark County, having joined the organization in the spring of 2011 as Fund Development Officer. He brings to that position an extensive business career as a consultant, combined with a long-standing volunteer commitment to the non-profit community. Fraser has had extensive dealings with a number of senior level management teams across various industries, government, and non-profit organizations, and his management roles have included international experience, as well as serving on the boards of a number of non-profit organizations and a publicly traded company. Primarily areas of expertise include leadership learning; fund-raising and marketing; governance; e-learning program development; and project management.
Michael Rikley-Lancaster
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