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. I believe in connecting teams, building momentum, and designing experiences that are meaningful, accessible, and inclusive across cultures and contexts.
Voice and Visibility
Strategic Leadership
Recognized as a "Top 40 Under 40" leader for excellence in community development and cultural innovation
High-Protocol Engagement
Leading the inaugural opening of the Founders Gallery for Art and Heritage with HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh, & Tom Hickerson, Vice Provost,University of Calgary
Creative Media & Narrative
In-studio with Grammy-winner Alex Cuba, exploring the intersection of art, music, and community storytelling
Media Impact
Architecting the North American premiere and tour of "Ancient Peru Unearthed," featured in Scientific American.
Multimedia Content Strategy
Leading an exclusive oral history series with Vikram Vij for the "Being Punjabi" exhibit, one of ten original video productions directed and edited for the installation
Broadcast Interviewing
A 30-minute "live-to-tape" interview with Margaret Atwood on bioethics and her book "Oryx and Crake" for NUTV, Calgary
Media Agility & Community Stories
A strategic in-the-field interview for radio with CBC’s Ian Hanomansing. Small town roots, youth empowerment and the Olympic inspiration of gold medalist Carol Huynh
For CICK 93.9FM
High-Stakes Narrative: Don McKellar & José Saramago's Blindness
Facilitating an exclusive dialogue with filmmaker Don McKellar on the cinematic adaptation of Nobel Laureate José Saramago’s 'Blindness".
"When we showed it to Saramago after Cannes, I was nervous...he's a Nobel Prize winner, and it's his book. There was a long silence, and we were all worried... then we realized he was crying. He said he had the same feeling he had when he finished writing the book." — Don McKellar
Exclusive 20-minute deep-dive with Colleen Sharpe (NUTV, at Calgary International Film Fest)
Global Diplomacy & Operational Excellence
Recipient of the Internationalization Award for sustainable Internationalization of the University of Calgary.
The University of Calgary Internationalization Achievement Awards (UCIAA) identify and honour outstanding
contributions in leading the sustainable internationalization of the University of Calgary in any department, faculty
or the institution as a whole. Awards in the categories of student, faculty, staff, community member, and academic
program recognize the important achievements of the people whose efforts make the University of Calgary a
global intellectual hub.
Inclusive Experience Leadership
Strategic Lead: "Being Punjabi: Unfolding the Surrey Story"
Directed a landmark three-year collaborative ecosystem for the Museum of Surrey, transitioning from traditional curation to a community-empowered model.
"The project was unique because it presented the unfiltered voices of community members" By prioritizing unfiltered voices in a trailblazing interpretive text solution and cross-sector partnerships, the project redefined the museum as a facilitated platform for genuine cultural dialogue and inclusive storytelling.
“Being Punjabi: Unfolding the Surrey Story,” was the first exhibition in Canada to highlight Surrey’s Punjabi community, showcasing stories of both struggle and success.
BCMA 2020 Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
Strategic Audience Alignment
The Museum of Surrey received the People's Choice Award for Outstanding Exhibit
"Being Punjabi: Unfolding the Surrey Story is a wonderful example of an exhibit curated in a collaborative manner, that brought community stories to a broader audience and generated a heartfelt interest in a unique and vibrant culture by foregrounding, prioritizing, and empowering the community as co-curators and programming leads.
Surrey Board of Trade Arts & Business Award on June 14, 2019. This award recognized the Museum of Surrey's efforts brokering high-value partnerships between the cultural sector and the business community. This award validates the ability to align artistic excellence with commercial viability and corporate social responsibility goals
BCMA 2020 People's Choice Award for Outstanding Exhibit
Foundational Leadership & Collaboration (The Military Museums)
The Founders’ Gallery is a career milestone. Beyond coordinating the development of a new A-class facility, I recognized the need for a clear vision, mission, branding, and program strategy.
"In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the Founders gallery, and to bring to the fore The Founders Gallery, and art gallery within, influential in bringing priceless artworks to TMM, and her dedication and commitment that resulted in world class exhibits: "Art in the Service of War: The Emergent Group of Seven", "War Art Now" (Dick Averns), "Unravelling the Yarns - War Rugs and Soldiers" a collaboration with Princess Patricia's Light Infantry and Nickle Gallery, "Prairie Boys at Sea: 100 years of Alberta's Navy", and "The First Maple Leaf Flag". For her dedication and commitment Colleen is hereby granted a lifetime membership"
Voice Amplification
Nominee, Alberta Media Arts Alliance (Rosie Awards), Best Documentary Under 30 Minutes.
Produced and led the documentary Wake of a War Bride, recognized as a finalist in a highly competitive category that included productions from CBC and Global Television Network. Funded by the National Film Board of Canada and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, this first-time filmmaking project demonstrated my strength in shaping meaningful narratives and producing professional-quality media with limited resources.
Leading the Discourse on integrated experience
Presented internationally in Venice on integrating art, archives, and artifacts to create immersive and inclusive audience experiences. With my archives colleague John Wright we wrote: "The New Triple A – Art, Archive and Artefact at The Military Museums". Keynote speaker Judy Chicago reinforced the importance of inclusion and collaboration in art
Vision Branding: Founders' Gallery
Society of Illustrators, New York – Gold Medal (Illustrators 53), Advertising, for The Founders’ Gallery.
Led audience-focused creative strategy and collaborated with designer Brad Yeo to develop the brand and visual language for The Military Museums’ Founders’ Gallery, a 4,000 sq. ft. art and heritage exhibition area, bridging military and contemporary art audiences.
Big Idea Storytelling
"The Big Deal"
Selected #6 in the Top 10 of finalists for the highly competitive
Big Rock Eddies. This annual global contest invited creatives and filmmakers to produce broadcast-ready ads.
Co-writer and coproducer (with Michelle Wong)
