ICOM-CC Directory Board (2023 - 2026 Triennium)

Chair

Kate Seymour
Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL)
Avenue Ceramique 224 Wiebengahal,
6221 KX Maastricht
THE NETHERLANDS

Vice-chairs

Stephanie de Roemer
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Trumpington St
Cambridge CB2 1RB
UNITED KINGDOM

Satish Pandey
National Museum Institute
A-19, Sector 62
Noida 201309
New Delhi
INDIA

Treasurer

Reiko Sakaki
Freelance
Osaka
JAPAN 

Members

Emily Williams

Lori Wong

Maggi Loubser

Lynn Lee

Patricia Engel

Directory Board Bios

Kate Seymour

The Netherlands

ICOM-CC is a truly global organisation with members coming from all corners of the world, all focusing on safe guarding cultural heritage. ICOM-CC plays a key role in defining best-practice strategies and methodologies for preserving and conserving these irreplaceable assets. ICOM-CC leadership needs people who can transcend boundaries and work across disciplines. I believe I have developed these characteristics through my work as a conservator and Head of Education at SRAL (Maastricht, NL), teaching conservation practice and science at the Universities of Amsterdam and Maastricht, as well as through workshops in Europe, Russia and India. I work with conservation students, mid-career conservators, researchers and museum professionals from many different countries, which provides me with insight into different working practices and allows me to explore new methodologies. These professional activities have encouraged my broad outlook on the conservation sector and have emphasised the necessity to listen to others, as well as maintain a flexible attitude and an open mind set.

I have been actively involved in ICOM-CC for over 18 years, first assisting the coordinator of the Sculpture, Polychromy, and Architectural Decoration Working Group (2002-2008), followed by two terms as Coordinator (2008-2014) of the same group and then as Coordinator for the Education and Training in Conservation Working Group (2014-2017). Lately, for the past three years I have been an elected member of the Directory Board, functioning as the Liaison officer connecting the Directory Board with the Coordinators (2017-2020). My long history with ICOM-CC has strengthened an understanding of the organisation and our parent body, and of global issues affecting the conservation field. Throughout my career, I have strongly promoted communication and exchange of ideas, research, and treatment practices helping to form current conservation strategies and teaching modules. Networking, capacity building and dissemination are aims both core to the ICOM-CC strategic plan and to me personally. If elected, I hope to bring my positive outlook and organisational skills to accomplishing the tasks required of ICOM-CC Directory Board members, and ultimately further developing standards of excellence that can be used within the conservation field.

Stephanie De Roemer

United Kingdom

I have been the Working Group Coordinator for Sculpture, Polychromy and Architectural Decorations Working Group for the last two triennia, which allowed me to develop many of my communications skills in advocating the conservation profession and care for Sculpture, Interiors and Architectural settings across broad and diverse audiences.
It is the complexity and diversity of the 3-dimensional heritage which has led me to find and explore alternative ways and methods to conventional and current conservation practices; in particular training in facilitation and audience engagement practices.
Through my training in the conservation of Archaeological cultural heritage and my experience in the conservation of Contemporary Installation-, Concept-, and Performance Art, I would endeavor to bring methodologies, practices and ethical debates concerning ‘sustainability’ to the agenda of the International Council of Museums - Conservation Committee, within the framework of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Conservation, I believe, has much to offer beyond the conservation lab, studio, workshop, and university environment. As a practice it offers opportunity for participation, engagement and collaboration, the fundamental requirements for communication, networking and nurturing communities of practice working together towards achieving and sustaining our ability to care.

SatishPandey

India

I am a historian specialized in the history of cultural exchange across the world in the Age of Exploration, and I have worked as a curator at the Tobacco & Salt Museum, one of the Japanese corporate museums, located in Tokyo, for more than 25 years. Through my experience of working in exhibitions with curators/conservators from different countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, and the Philippines, etc., and visiting museums or cultural heritage sites in more than 50 countries, I became interested in the conservation of the cultural properties. Especially it was the “2011 Great East Japan Earthquake” that shocked me and made me realize the importance of conservation again, and since then, I have attended symposia, lectures and conferences related to this issue much more frequently than before.
I have been a member of ICOM since 2010, and I attended two ICOM General Conferences in Shanghai, China (2010) and Milano, Italy (2016). The ICOM-CC Triennial Conference in Copenhagen, 2017, was the first ICOM-CC Conference for me as a member of ICOM-CC. At the ICOM General Conference in Kyoto, Japan (2019), I was a contact person for ICOM-CC and took part of arrangements of the off-site visit in Nara and the ICOM-CC Post-Conference Tour in the Tohoku Region.
It was an unforgettable experience for me to visit with ICOM-CC members the museums / institutes in Nara and the Tohoku region that have been struggling with difficult tasks of conservation and restoration of cultural properties damaged by earthquake and tsunami in 2011. At the same time, I strongly thought that it would be necessary to maintain and strengthen the relationship between ICOM-CC conservators / specialists and Japanese museums / institutes to share valuable information related to “conservation and restoration of the cultural properties” with each other. In cooperation with you all, I have the enthusiasm and the power to take them.
I hope to be able to serve as a bridge for both and to contribute to ICOM-CC and ICOM.

Reiko Sakaki

Japan

I am a historian specialized in the history of cultural exchange across the world in the Age of Exploration, and I have worked as a curator at the Tobacco & Salt Museum, one of the Japanese corporate museums, located in Tokyo, for more than 25 years. Through my experience of working in exhibitions with curators/conservators from different countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, and the Philippines, etc., and visiting museums or cultural heritage sites in more than 50 countries, I became interested in the conservation of the cultural properties. Especially it was the “2011 Great East Japan Earthquake” that shocked me and made me realize the importance of conservation again, and since then, I have attended symposia, lectures and conferences related to this issue much more frequently than before.
I have been a member of ICOM since 2010, and I attended two ICOM General Conferences in Shanghai, China (2010) and Milano, Italy (2016). The ICOM-CC Triennial Conference in Copenhagen, 2017, was the first ICOM-CC Conference for me as a member of ICOM-CC. At the ICOM General Conference in Kyoto, Japan (2019), I was a contact person for ICOM-CC and took part of arrangements of the off-site visit in Nara and the ICOM-CC Post-Conference Tour in the Tohoku Region.
It was an unforgettable experience for me to visit with ICOM-CC members the museums / institutes in Nara and the Tohoku region that have been struggling with difficult tasks of conservation and restoration of cultural properties damaged by earthquake and tsunami in 2011. At the same time, I strongly thought that it would be necessary to maintain and strengthen the relationship between ICOM-CC conservators / specialists and Japanese museums / institutes to share valuable information related to “conservation and restoration of the cultural properties” with each other. In cooperation with you all, I have the enthusiasm and the power to take them.
I hope to be able to serve as a bridge for both and to contribute to ICOM-CC and ICOM.

Emily Williams

United Kingdom

I am an Associate Professor at Durham University, England, where I direct the MA in Conservation of Archaeological and Museum Objects. Prior to that I was the Archaeological Conservator for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, USA, and I have worked at a variety of sites and museums around the world.

One of the first professional conferences I ever attended was the Wet Organic Archaeological Materials (WOAM) Working Group conference in York (1996). Since then, I have served as the local arrangements co-organizer for the 2010 WOAM Conference in Greenville, NC, and then as an Assistant Coordinator (2011-2014) and WOAM Coordinator (2014-2020). I have been a faithful attendee of the ICOM-CC Triennial Conferences since the one in The Hague, 2005.

I am running for the Directory Board because I am deeply committed to the organization and because I feel that during the next triennial period the organization and the conservation field face a lot of challenges and I would like to help build the organization’s resiliency and help the Board advocate for the field. Skills that I would bring to the position include conference planning, publication experience (especially important as ICOM-CC begins an initiative to move the archives of the working groups on-line), grant writing, strategic planning, and public outreach.

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.

Lynn Lee

Hong Kong, 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. 

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
- 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