Towards Change & Innovation: Museums, Sustainability, and Well-Being

Lauren Wheeler, Strategic Service Director, Alberta Museums Association Lauren is a public historian and with over twenty years experience in a wide range of museums and heritage institutions in Alberta, Canada. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Public History from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada and focuses her research on visuality, environment, and outdoor recreation in western Canada. Lauren started working with the Alberta Museums Association (AMA) in 2013, as the Program Lead overseeing accreditation through the Recognized Museum Program. Lauren took on the role of Strategic Services Director in 2021 and is the lead on the AMA’s environmental initiatives including work to reduce the institution’s greenhouse gas emissions. A settler to Canada, Lauren was raised in Canmore on Treaty 7 territory and has resided in Edmonton, in Treaty 6 territory since 2008. Melody Caban, Nonprofit Consultant Melody Caban is an experienced Consultant who specializes in bringing an innovative eye to nonprofit retail operations. With over ten years of experience, she has been a speaker at numerous conferences, including with the Museum Store Association in the US and the Association for Cultural Enterprises in Scotland. Her institution’s stores have also been featured in local and national media, including USA Today. Melody’s unwavering advocacy for inclusivity and sustainability in museum stores is grounded in her belief that they can significantly contribute not only to a museum’s revenue, but also to their vision and mission. Shannon Walker, University Archivist, Arizona State University Shannon is currently the University Archivist at Arizona State University. She oversees the collections and programs of University Archives, specializing in the history of the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Prior to ASU, she worked in the Western History & Genealogy Department at the Denver Public Library and at the Getty Conservation Institute Library in Los Angeles. She received her MLIS from the University of Denver and has a dual degree in History and Anthropology from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Shannon is interested in the intersection of libraries, archives, and museums and the presentation, preservation, and personalization of cultural heritage. Hillary Spencer, Co-chair, International Committee for Exhibition Exchange (ICOM) Hillary Spencer is a transformational leader skilled in strengthening museum with strategic leadership and impact driven, mission focused vision. She is committed to social justice narratives and models of co-creation and co-leadership in both content creation and structural change. She has extensive experience in business development with a global network, focusing on traveling exhibitions and resource exchange. Hillary is a thought leader on the role of risk and leadership and is an active voice in the future of museums. She is the co-chair of ICOM’s International Committee of Exhibition Exchange and recently relocated to Washington DC after serving as the CEO of The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature. Spencer was also the CEO and President of the Children’s Museum of the Upstate, founding director of Nomad Exhibitions, North America and the Assistant Director of Global Business Development for the American Museum of Natural History. Joining us for Session 02 on Wednesday 19th July (6 AM ET/ 3 PM Pakistan Standard Time): Dr. Shirley-Ann Behravesh, Assistant Prof. of Global Sustainable Enterprise; Senior Global Futures Scientist Shirley-Ann Behravesh is an assistant professor in global sustainable enterprise with the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Dr. Behravesh is also a senior global futures scientist with the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation. She holds degrees in management, finance, manufacturing engineering and sustainability. Her research focuses on strategies to encourage adoption of sustainability and innovation practices within organizations and communities. Having grown up on a small island in the Caribbean, Dr. Behravesh is particularly interested in building resilient communities through grassroots innovations in small-island states and the developing world. She teaches courses in innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability. Dr. Behravesh works with and advises organizations in the field of sustainability and sits on the Climate Action Advisory Council for the City of Tucson. Sarah Sutton, Co-founder and CEO, Environment and Culture Partners Sarah Sutton is co-founder and CEO of Environment & Culture Partners (ECP), a US-based non-profit accelerating environmental leadership of the cultural sector. ECP is a partner on a variety of projects, including the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative, a grant program supporting $10M USD of energy efficiency and clean energy projects in visual arts museums; Culture over Carbon, an Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant researching energy use in museums; and Caretakers of Wonder, also a National Leadership Grant, addressing the work of children’s museums in climate change mitigation, and developing a learning framework for early childhood climate engagement. ECP is the Cultural Sector Lead for America is All In, a multi-sector coalition of 5000+ US organizations supporting the Paris Agreement. Ms. Sutton is co-author of The Green Museum, author of Environmental Sustainability at Historic Sites & Museums, and, most recently, author of The Role of the Arts & Humanities in Documenting Climate Change: Broadening Public Engagement. She was a member of the American Psychological Association’s Climate Change Task Force, and one of 100 global representatives invited to advise the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMS), and the United Nations Education, Science and Environmental Committee (UNESCO) on the role of cultural heritage in IPCC Assessments. Majed Jakka Al Mansoori, Deputy Executive Directo, Museum of the Future Majed Al Mansoori is Deputy Executive Director at the Museum of the Future which was envisioned by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Majed believes in the vision that foresees people, 200 years from now, looking back at the Museum of the Future still in awe of its timeless formation and its ever-changing narrative. With immense passion for creating ultimate experiences, he sees MOTF as the ideal fit. Championing this unique vision, from design to execution, is a huge part of his role at MOTF.