The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada

Dr. Michael Carroll is a 20th-century diplomatic historian specializing in Canadian and American foreign relations, United Nations peacekeeping and Canadian history. He holds a Master of Arts (History) from Carleton University and a Ph.D. (History) from the University of Toronto. He has been Chair of the Department of Humanities at MacEwan University since 2019, where he has taught since 2007. He previously taught at the University of Victoria and Seiwa University in Japan.

Dr. Carroll has a special interest in public history and has been engaged in recording and preserving oral histories for over twenty years. Collegial governance at MacEwan has also provided him with the opportunity to serve extensively on academic and community committees, as well as those serving the wider historical profession. He is the author of numerous publications, including Pearson’s Peacekeepers: Canada and the United Nations Emergency Force, 1956-1967.

• First appointment: June 18, 2024 to June 17, 2029

Ms. Karen is a member of Saulteau First Nations in northeast B.C. through her mother and now resides in Kamloops. Since 2018, she has been the Heritage Manager with the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, a program she developed from the ground up that provides grants, resources, research and training for B.C. First Nations. Karen began her career as an archaeologist, overseeing large-scale archaeology projects. She then owned a consulting firm specializing in cultural heritage management. In 2012, Karen co-founded the National Indigenous Heritage Circle and served as president for two terms. Her experience includes participation in national and international conferences, high-level government meetings and negotiations, and community-based cultural heritage research. She has served on several boards, such as the Royal BC Museum and Parks Canada’s Indigenous Advisory Circle.

Karen completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Victoria and has a Master’s Diploma in cultural heritage management from Athabasca University.

• First appointment: June 17, 2024 to June 16, 2029

Mr. Bernard Thériault is an historian, researcher, writer and commentor. He has been retired from the New Brunswick public service since 2010, where he was the Director General for the Premier’s Cabinet. He also served as Director for Aboriginal Fisheries, Gulf Region, for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. From 1987 until 2000, Mr. Thériault served as the member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick for the Caraquet riding. During this time, he served as the Minister of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Aboriginal Affairs, as well as acting Minister of Education. He began his career as an historian, head conservator and Director of programs at the Village Historique Acadien, in Caraquet. He grew up in Caraquet and continues to live there today.

• First appointment: June 13, 2018, to June 12, 2023
• Second appointment: December 15, 2023, to December 14, 2028
• First appointment as the Chairman: March 25, 2024, to March 24, 2028

Michael Philpott works as a consultant with Human Space where he is responsible for Heritage for All, a project examining and making recommendations with respect to the accessibility of federal heritage buildings. He previously worked for six years as a heritage officer with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr. Philpott has coordinated and provided training in conservation and research practices and has written for a variety of audiences and on topics of architecture, material culture, and urban planning. He was a member of the City of St. John’s first Built Heritage Experts Panel, is a board member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Historic Trust, and has volunteered with a number of other heritage and urban issues-based organizations. He holds a bachelor of arts (honours) from Memorial University and a bachelor of environmental design studies (architecture) from Dalhousie University.

• First appointment: January 27, 2023, to January 26, 2028

Ms. Sarah Jerome, an elder with the Gwich’in Nation, is actively involved in promoting the history, culture, traditions, and languages of northern people. Ms. Jerome was one of the last Gwich’in to be raised “on-the-land” and grew up at her family’s bush camp on the Peel River. She attended residential school for twelve years but returned to the land with her family during the summer months, where she continued to practice her traditional skills and language. Today, as an elder, she teaches Indigenous knowledge to youth in the Inuvik region, leading a program which explores educational pursuits, genealogy, language and culture.

Ms. Jerome has extensive experience as an educator, with positions as a teacher, principal and superintendent, spanning over two decades. She was the Language Commissioner for the Northwest Territories from 2009-2013, and also a board member of the Porcupine Caribou Management Committee and Gwich’in Renewable Resource Council. She holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of Saskatchewan, and an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Alberta.

• First appointment: January 8, 2021, to January 7, 2026

Russell Grosse is a native of the historic Nova Scotia multi-generational Black Community of Cherry Brook. He has been involved in the protection, preservation and promotion of Nova Scotia’s Black Culture and History for over 28 years. An employee of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia since 1994, he has held the role of Executive Director since December 2013. As a professional video technical producer, Mr. Grosse also donates much of his time to the capture and documenting of Black History. He has also been executive producer of several community cultural productions and artistic showcases that support the promotion of Black culture and history. In 2022, Mr. Grosse was co-chair and event coordinator of the Government of Canada’s National Apology to the members and descendants of Canada, No. 2 Construction Battalion. In 2022, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for volunteerism.

• First appointment: January 27, 2023, to January 26, 2028

Jessica Kotierk has worked as the Manager and Curator of the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum in Iqaluit since 2019. She previously worked as the project manager for the Nunavut Film Development Corporation. Ms. Kotierk is Inuk with family ties to Igloolik and has devoted her museum career to the preservation and curation of Inuit artifacts. Her diverse experience has led her to various locations in Canada and abroad, including Bern, Switzerland, and Copenhagen, Denmark.

Ms. Kotierk is currently a member of various boards such as the Alianait Entertainment Group Board, the Archives Council of Nunavut Board, the Indigenous Heritage Circle Board, the Inuit Leadership Group for the Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership Grant, the Travel Nunavut Board, the Inuit Art Foundation Archives Advisory Committee and is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. She holds a bachelor’s degree in film studies from York University and a diploma in Collection Management and Conservation from Fleming College.

• First appointment: December 15, 2023, to December 14, 2028

Dr. Stephen Azzi is a professor of Political Management, History, and Political Science at Carleton University in Ottawa, where he is a founding faculty member of the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management. He is a senior fellow at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Azzi has published extensively on Canadian history, with a focus on politics, ideas, and international relations. His most recent book is the third edition of the Historical Dictionary of Canada. He has chaired university committees at Carleton and Laurentian University, sat on both the Senate and the Board of Governors at Laurentian, and led the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program for six years. Dr. Azzi holds a Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo.

• First appointment: February 10, 2024, to February 9, 2029

Mr. Harry Holman is a researcher and independent scholar with research interests in Canada’s marine and nautical history. He has been involved in heritage advocacy, management of historic resources, and historic research for more than fifty years, most recently as Director of Culture and Heritage for Prince Edward Island. He is a life member and former board member of the Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation.

He is actively involved in several heritage organizations and is particularly proud of his involvement in the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Historic Places Initiative. He has served as member of professional organizations and national advisory boards for institutions including the Osgoode Society, the Confederation Centre of the Arts, the Vancouver Olympics Cultural Program, and the Confederation Birthplace Pavilion. His training and education include degrees in history and law from the University of Alberta and Queens University in Kingston. He has also served as the provincial archivist for Prince Edward Island.

• First appointment: June 15, 2017, to June 14, 2022
• Second appointment: December 15, 2023, to December 14, 2028

Aly Ndiaye, a.k.a. Webster, hip-hop artist, independent historian, activist and lecturer, was born and raised in the Limoilou district of Québec City. His father is Senegalese and his mother is from Quebec. He has always been proud of his origins and describes himself as a SénéQueb.

His passion for history led him to pursue university studies in this field. He regularly gives lectures on a variety of topics, including the history of the Afro-descendant presence and enslavement in Quebec and Canada. He is also a veteran and one of the pioneers of Quebec's hip-hop movement. Mr. Ndiaye is the author of a hip-hop writing manual, À l'Ombre des Feuilles (Québec Amérique, 2019), a children's book that follows the journey of Olivier Le Jeune, the first person of African descent known to be enslaved, Le Grain de Sable (Septentrion, 2019), and the French translator of Charles W. Mills' Racial Contract (Mémoire d'encrier, 2023).

• First appointment: January 27, 2023, to January 26, 2028

Dr. Valerie J. Korinek is the A.S. Morton Professor of History at the University of Saskatchewan. She is an award-winning teacher and scholar, the recipient of the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teacher College of Arts and Science. Her scholarly contributions have been recognized with a fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada.

Dr. Korinek has published widely in contemporary prairie gendered histories. Her most recent book, Prairie Fairies: A History of Queer Communities and People in Western Canada 1930-1985 (2018) won the Clio Award from the Canadian Historical Association for Best Book in Prairie History and the Best Book Prize from the Canadian Committee on Women’s and Gender History. She is a frequent contributor to local, regional, and provincial community organizations. She has extensive board and committee experience, having served as Head of the History Department, and most recently completed a three-year term as the Vice Dean of Faculty Relations in the College of Arts and Science. She holds a doctorate in Canadian history from the University of Toronto specializing in Canadian cultural and gender histories. She has called Saskatoon home since 1996.

• First appointment: January 30, 2024 to January 29, 2029

Ms. Rae Mombourquette is a Tlingit Acadian citizen of Kwanlin Dün First Nation in Whitehorse, Yukon. She is a granddaughter of the Big Salmon Northern Tutchone people and great granddaughter of the Marsh Lake Tagish Kwan. Ms. Mombourquette is an Indigenous researcher specializing in Yukon First Nation heritage co-management and Yukon First Nations Self-Government Final Agreement Chapter 13 Heritage implementation. Ms. Mombourquette has over 12 years of experience working in the Yukon Heritage field, and is passionate about promoting and preserving all aspects of Canadian history. She has a B.A. in Canadian Studies from Thompson Rivers University and a certificate in Indigenous Women in Community Leadership from the Coady International Institute at St. Francis Xavier University.

• First appointment: June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2026

Ms. Leslie Weir assumed the position of Librarian and Archivist of Canada on August 30, 2019. Prior to joining Library and Archives Canada, Ms. Weir was the University Librarian at the University of Ottawa from 2003 to 2018. She also held positions at the National Library of Canada and the Statistics Canada Library. Ms. Weir also served as President of Canadiana.org, where she oversaw the introduction of the Heritage Project, in collaboration with Library and Archives Canada, to digitize and make openly accessible some 60 million heritage archival images. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Canadian History from Concordia University in 1976, and a Masters in Library Science from McGill University in 1979.

Dr. Tim Cook, CM, FRSC is the Chief Historian and Director of Research at the Canadian War Museum. He holds a B.A. (Hons) from Trent University, a M.A. from the Royal Military College of Canada and a PH.D. from the University of New South Wales. He is a frequent commentator in the media, series editor of UBC’s Studies in Canadian Military History, a Director for Canada’s History Society, and the author or editor of eighteen books of Canadian history.

Dr. Cook has won the C.P. Stacey Prize for Military History (twice), the Ottawa Book Award (four times), the RBC Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, and the J.W. Dafoe Book Prize (twice). For his contributions to Canadian history, Tim has been awarded the Governor General’s Award for Popularizing History (The Pierre Berton Award) and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada and the Order of Canada.

Ms. Nadine Spence, Klii? aht'a, is an Ahousaht First Nation member, part of the larger Nuu-chah-nulth Tribe on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Since 2001, she has worked for Parks Canada in a variety of capacities and various functional areas in both field operations and national policy development. Among other roles, Ms. Spence has served as Executive Director of Indigenous Affairs, Executive Director of Operations for British Columbia and Yukon, and Director of Natural Resource Conservation.

Ms. Spence holds a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University, where her major research project focused on exploring the role of women in the governance of a tribal park protected areas model.