Beyond expectations, building legacies
This page highlights selected recognition, awards, writing, and career milestones that reflect my approach to strategy, storytelling, and creative leadership. I’m known for seeing opportunities, aligning partners, and turning complex ideas into clear, engaging experiences that help people learn, connect, and feel seen.
Grounded in Red Deer, Alberta, and shaped by international work and travel, I bring a systems mindset and a human-centered approach to every collaboration. I think in terms of people, processes, and outcomes—connecting teams, building momentum, and designing experiences that are meaningful, accessible, and scalable across cultures and contexts.
Spotlight on Surrey: The 'Surrey on Screen' exhibition
I led the strategy and development of a major exhibition highlighting Surrey’s growing film industry, reframing local creative identity through storytelling and community engagement. After pitching the concept, I built partnerships with the City of Surrey Film Office, local BIA, and collaborated with major studios, including Warner Bros. Discovery & Paramount.
The exhibition combined archival artifacts, original media, and interactive learning elements. Highlights included more than 50 objects from the Warner Bros. Archive, a custom reel of locally filmed productions, and one feature item from Paramount - Jim Carrey’s Sonic the Hedgehog costume, secured through complex, last-minute negotiations. Working with my team, we also developed hands-on experiences such as a green screen activity and produced original video interviews with diverse industry professionals.
The project strengthened industry relationships, elevated awareness of Surrey as a film hub, and created an engaging, accessible learning experience for visitors.
Community's canvas: The Museum of Surrey mural
Upon joining the Museum of Surrey, I noticed the vast 40-by-30-foot atrium wall presented an untapped opportunity to create a more meaningful and "wow" experience. Inspired by Indigenous Elders’ teaching of rivers as symbols of connection, I proposed and led the development of a large-scale photo mural designed to reflect the community it serves.
This project supported the museum’s new mission as a People Museum and required aligning stakeholders, sourcing and negotiating with an international designer in the Netherlands, coordinating a community-wide photo collection, and partnering with a local printer to deliver a technically complex installation. The final mural, composed of more than 44,000 contemporary and archival images, blends storytelling, representation, and interactive discovery. Local people are literally seen IN the museum.
Since opening, the mural has become a signature feature, drawing more than 10,000 visitors at reopening and continuing to foster a strong sense of belonging and engagement within the community.
Unearthing history: Ancient Peru: Nickle Galleries, University of Calgary
What began as a curatorial role evolved into end-to-end coordination of a complex, multidisciplinary exhibition and learning experience. I led key aspects of development, including content strategy, stakeholder alignment, and production across audio, video, and physical media.
I shaped and wrote exhibition content, produced multimedia learning elements such as an audio tour and original video, and coordinated external partners including designers, model builders, and audio specialists. I also developed educational programming and advised on retail and merchandise to extend the learning experience beyond the gallery.
In collaboration with international partners, I created and negotiated the exhibition agreement with Peru and later supported legal and operational planning for a national tour. The project included fundraising, a high-profile opening attended by Canadian and Peruvian diplomats, and a trilingual publication. I coordinated contributor agreements, design and production. I also contributed an essay on the ethical and cultural consequences of grave robbing.
This work strengthened my ability to design inclusive, multimodal learning experiences and manage complex, cross-cultural initiatives from concept through national distribution.