I have over thirty years of experience in working with boards, leadership teams, technical specialists and front-line workers in corporate, non-profit, cultural and public sector organizations. My clients know me for my effective, highly collaborative and client value-focused approach, cross-disciplinary perspective and delivery on commitments.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
Over the past three decades, I have been a member of several non-profit boards including: the Calgary Heritage Authority, Foothills Land Trust, Strategic Capability Network, Reynolds-Alberta Museum Advisory Board, and the Canadian Council for Railway Heritage.
EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS
- Master of Arts in Museum Studies, with distinction,
University of Leicester, 2018 - Graduate, The Museum Management Institute,
Getty Leadership Trust, 2002 - Chartered Human Resources Professional,
Human Resources Institute of Alberta, 1995 - Bachelor of Arts in Honors Business Administration, with distinction,
The University of Western Ontario, 1985
My Approach
My work combines business acumen and cross-disciplinary thinking with the values and spirit of the non-profit sector. I offer you:
- Fair Dealing – I do what needs to be done, my results are fit for your purposes and within your resources.
- Good Counsel – I’ll tell you what I think is the right thing to do; if something is not my area of strength, I’ll try and refer you to a quality resource.
- Best Thinking – I focus and think through your work thoroughly and to the best of my ability.
- Excellent Value – I strive to deliver excellent value to my clients and complete projects on budget, on scope, and on time.
Presentations
- Why is this thing significant? (Or: Beyond the National Dream: Significance Assessment of Large Transport Collections) Heritage Rail Association Conference, Squamish, September 2019
- Beyond Counting Rivets: Assessing the Significance of Large Transport Objects Transport to Mobility (T2M) Conference, Montreal, October 2018 (Panel with Sharon Babaian and Fiona Smith Hale, Ingenium)
- Empathetic Museum 101: A Model for Advancing Institutional Inclusion British Columbia Museums Association, Kelowna, October, 2018
- Beyond Counting Rivets: Assessing the Significance of Large Transport Objects International Association of Transport Museums (IATM) / International Committee for Museums and Collections of Science and Technology (CIMUSET) Conference, Ottawa, September 2018 (Panel with Sharon Babaian and Fiona Smith Hale, Ingenium)
- The Empathetic Museum 101: A Maturity Model to Advance Inclusion Ingenium All-Staff Meeting, Ottawa, September 2018
- Empathetic Museum 101: A Maturity Model to Advance Inclusion Canadian Museums Association Annual Conference, Vancouver, April 2018 (Co-presented with Marie Chapman, Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21)
- Empathetic Museum 101: A Maturity Model to Advance Inclusion Alberta Museums Association & Western Museums Association Annual Conference, Edmonton, October 2017
- Canadian Museums and Syrian Refugees: Shining Moment or Missed Opportunity? British Columbia Museums Association Annual Conference, Whistler, October 2016
- Ask the Expert – Strategic Planning British Columbia Museums Association Annual Conference, New Westminster, October 2015
- Riding the Wave of Change Alberta Museums Association Annual Conference, Red Deer, September 2012 (co-presented with Leslie Holmes and Diane Brayman, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and Monica Roberts, Fort Edmonton Park)
- Strategic Planning 101 Alberta Museums Association Annual Conference, Red Deer, September 2012 (Full day pre-conference workshop)
- Grass-Roots Strategic Planning for Small Museums British Columbia Museums Association Annual Conference, Nanaimo, October 2010 (Co-presentation with Laura Williams, Fort Steele Heritage Town)
- How to Develop a Mission Statement Alberta Museums Association Good Governance Symposium, Calgary, February 2010
- A Stake in the Matter: Museums and Constituency Alberta Museums Association Annual Conference, Edmonton, September 2010 (Co-presented with Kirstin Evenden, Glenbow Museum and Kerry Brown, Stakeholder Engagement Consultant)
- Canada’s Decentralized National Rail Collection: The Time Has Come Pacific Rails Conference, Victoria, May 2007
- Museum Strategic Planning: Turning Big Picture Ideas into Action Alberta Museums Association Annual Conference, Calgary, September 2006
- Phoebe Snow Meets The Perfect Storm: Strategic Planning for Railroad Museums and Tourist Railroads Association of Railway Museums/Tourist Railroad Association Annual Conference, Sacramento, November 2006 (Co-presentation with Ken Wyman)
- The Future of Railway Museums in Canada: Phoebe Snow Meets The Perfect Storm Golden Rails Annual Conference, Winnipeg, May 2005
- Filing Your Flight Plan: Strategic Planning for Museums Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association Annual Conference, Wetaskiwin, October 2005
Publications & Citations
- “Beyond the National Dream: Significance Assessment of Large Transport Collections” (working title, in draft)
- Book Review: A Legacy in Brick & Iron: Sacramento’s Central & Southern Pacific Railroad Shops Journal of Transport History, scheduled for publication in spring, 2020
- Jennings, J. Cullen, J. Bryant, K. Bryan-Greenwell, S. Mann, C. Hove and N. Zepeda “The Empathetic Museum: A New Institutional Identity” in Curator (October, 2019)
- Cited in: Keefe, Kevin “Once Again, California Dreamin’: The California State Railroad Museum is ready to reassert itself as the leading national institution of its kind” Trains, January 2018, pp. 52-59
- Beyond the National Dream: Negotiating the Significance Parameters of a Distributed National Railway Collection for Canada. Master’s Thesis, University of Leicester, September 2017.
- “Museums and Refugees: Shining Moment or Missed Opportunity?” Canadian Museums Association Muse November-December 2017, pp. 34-37.
- “Black Gold: What the Oil & Gas Industry Can Teach our Sector” Roundup: the voice of the BC Museums Association, Winter 2015, pp. 27-30.
My Passions
Canadian Art
I first saw Emma Lake school art in early childhood and with the guidance of several friends continue to study and appreciate Emma Lake school artists, their contemporaries and those they influenced - e.g. Illingworth Kerr, Dorothy Knowles, David Alexander, Luke Lindoe and Laurel Cormack.
Illingworth Kerr, “Foothills, Blue & Gold”, 1970, oil on board, 18 x 24". Used with permission of the Artist's estate.
Railway Heritage
I have been involved in the railway preservation movement for the past thirty years, volunteering in restoration and operations, working on many projects, special events and serving on several boards.
Canada's Rocky Mountains
Living so close to the mountains is a privilege and I am among them every chance I get, particularly in the East Kootenays. I enjoy kayaking, cross-country skiing, snow shoeing and hiking there.
Museums and Built Heritage
Museums are both my vocation and vacation. Dynamic places which offer endless learning, inspiration and enjoyment, I visit and study museums and historic sites wherever I go. My interest in railways has led me to grow a particularly strong interest in industrial, technology and transport museums.
My Network
When the fit is right, I can bring trusted colleagues on board to carry out important client work.
Terry Gilbert & Co. Ltd
Terry is a management consultant who has assisted numerous businesses and organizations in strategic planning and execution, public consultation and employee engagement. She has led broad-based consultation efforts in support of strategic plan development for organizations as diverse as SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology), YMCA Canada and ARBI (the Association for the Rehabilitation of the Brain Injured).
Wendy Ellen Inc.
Wendy Ellen Inc. specializes in providing human resource skills to small to mid-sized companies on an as-needed basis in sectors as diverse as oil and gas to not for profit to hospitality. Wendy Ellen Inc. will help you protect your most valuable resource, your people. Our goal is to work with you, so your people love to come to work every day. Consultants in Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer.
Home page photo: Luke Lindoe, Two Grainaries, detail, 1982, oil on board, 24x36". Used with permission of the Artist's estate.