Joan has extensive cultural heritage management experience in both the private and public sectors with a strong background in preservation services, built and landscape heritage assessment, archival/historical research and Museums services. She earned her MA in Architectural History from York University. In her role in Preservation Services with the Toronto Historical Board (City for Toronto), Joan was part of a small team of professionals who advised City Council on a broad range of heritage preservation and planning matters. Later, as Curator of Casa Loma, she gained extensive experience as part of the Senior Management team and honed her skills in cultural and community engagement and short to long term planning for a major tourism/heritage facility. She was a key staff liaison with the restoration architects and skilled trades as the Casa Loma Estate underwent a major exterior restoration programme. More recently, as Manager of Culture and Community Services, Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, Joan managed the Heritage and Museums services portfolios and has widened her experience in cultural planning to include the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings and historic main street revitalization. For many years, she was also the staff representative on the municipality’s Heritage Advisory Committee.  She has published articles on architecture and architectural preservation for a wide range of organizations, including the Canadian Society for Industrial Heritage, the City of Toronto and the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada.

Joan currently sits on the Uxbridge Downtown Revitalization Advisory Committee providing heritage and revitalization advice regarding her community’s historic main street.