VANCOUVER MARITIME MUSEUM STAFF

DAVID JORDAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

David grew up in the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh, also known as Prince George. He completed his bachelor’s degree in theatre at Concordia University in Montreal and then his master’s degree at Ohio University. He has worked extensively with non-profits and served as executive director of the Vancouver Fringe Festival for eleven years. For four years he was the Arts Services Manager for the City of Burnaby, where he was responsible for the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts and major civic events. He has volunteered as an executive mentor for Vantage Point, as a member of the Arts and Culture grants advisory committee for the Vancouver Foundation, president of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals and as a member of the Granville Island Council. He lives with his wife and three children in East Vancouver. He is a fisherman and a poet.

director@vanmaritime.com | 604-257-8301

NICOLA CLUR, MANAGING DIRECTOR

Nicola was born and raised in South Africa. Her family immigrated to Canada and settled on the North Shore, where she was first introduced to sailing and a love of being on the ocean.

After graduating from Emily Carr in Fine Arts, she moved to Maui. Living in Hawaii allowed this passion to deepen further. Her family still lives there, and she visits regularly.

In 2010, Nicola joined the staff of the Vancouver Maritime Museum. A place that combined a love of boats and an interest in history seemed like a perfect fit. She started out in the Visitors Services department and then moved into Museum Operations. In the summer of 2022, she became the Managing Director. This work covers a wide range of responsibilities and is always interesting and new.

Outside work, Nicola continues to expand her artistic practice.

managing.director@vanmaritime.com | 604-257-8310

LINDSAY DEVERA, OPERATIONS MANAGER

Lindsay De Vera has worked for the Vancouver Maritime Museum for over 20 years. As operations associate, Lindsay assists with the most important aspects of keeping the museum going. Lindsay supervises visitors services staff and ensures they have what they need to provide the highest quality in customer service.

operations@vanmaritime.com | 604-257-8305

ERMEN DELLICARPINI, CURATOR

ermen is an Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Puerto Rican Taíno cultural studies scholar who was born and raised on Lenape and Shinnecock territories (the five boroughs of New York City and Long Island). ermen spent their summers sailing the coast of New England on their family’s 34’ Catalina. After moving to xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm territory, ermen completed an undergraduate degree that specialized in museum studies followed by a master’s degree in anthropology that focused in experimental and sensory auto-ethnography through the framework of endangered language revitalization of the Taíno language. During their master’s tenure, ermen was living on a 40’ wooden yawl built in British Columbia in 1930. In their role as curator, ermen strives to highlight the stories of all who call the Pacific Northwest home through a framework of equity, community engagement, and collective liberation.

curator@vanmaritime.com

SIMON FLEMING, EXHIBIT DESIGNER

Simon Fleming was born in Trinidad & Tobago and grew up in numerous towns in Ontario. He is a visual artist; his practice is project-based and multidisciplinary. He has exhibited internationally from South America to Europe and numerous provinces in Canada. He has participated in community-based artist residencies in Ireland

Simon started at the Vancouver Maritime Museum in 2014 as the Display Technician and moved into the Exhibit Designer position in 2023

exhibit.designer@vanmaritime.com | 604-257-8307

ASHLEY SMITH, CURATORIAL ASSOCIATE

Ashley was born on the traditional territory of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, part of the Three Fires Confederacy which includes the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Pottawatomi nations (Orillia, Ontario). In 2009, after three road trips across Canada, Ashley moved with her family to the traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm, Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ nations.

She completed her bachelor’s in history with a minor in English at Simon Fraser University. Currently, she is completing her dual master’s degrees in library & information science and archival studies at the University of British Columbia. As part of her studies, she is conducting research into the cataloging of Franklin Expedition objects held in museum collections. Ashley began her career at the Port Moody Station Museum and SFU’s Museum of Ethnology & Archaeology. At the Vancouver Maritime Museum, she is focused on caring for the collection and making it accessible to all!

Curatorial.associate@vanmaritime.com

LOUISE CHAPMAN, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Louise is a fundraising and public engagement specialist with a background in museums, higher education, non-profits and the arts. She started her career working in museums, with stints at the V&A, Dorset County Museum, Lyme Regis Museum and the British Museum. She spent 4.5 years in external relations at Royal Holloway, University of London and then at the charity China Exchange as program & partnerships manager.

Louise relocated from London, England, to Vancouver in 2018, and was the development manager at The Cultch theatre before moving into the director of development role at the VMM in 2021. She is a member of the Association of Professional Fundraisers and holds a BA (Hons) from the University of Manchester where she specialized in Chinese History.

development@vanmaritime.com

ZOË FORSYTH, DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

Zoë is a relationship management specialist and fundraising professional with two decades of experience working in the non-profit sector in Vancouver. After cutting her teeth working on the front line and in the box office for esteemed organizations such as The Cultch; Arts Club; and Vancouver Fringe, Zoë moved into the development field at Jazz Fest in 2019. She started at the Vancouver Maritime Museum as maternity cover for the Director of Development role in 2022 and joined the team on a permanent basis as Development Coordinator in 2023.

Highlights at the Vancouver Maritime Museum include an almost 100% success rate for project grant writing; building new and deepening existing relationships with sponsors; and breathing new life into the museum’s annual fundraising event, An Evening at the Museum. She combines her customer service expertise with extensive experience of event management; customer relationship management systems; and donor and member stewardship. She is a skilled communicator, relationship builder, and public speaker. Zoë studied Jazz and Contemporary Vocal Studies Vancouver Community College and is passionate about connecting people through art and culture.

zoe@vanmaritime.com / 604-257-3096

JAMES ELSTON, MARKETING COORDINATOR

Hailing from the UK and from a theatre/arts marketing background, James moved to Vancouver in 2023 and joined the team. He has plans to create more engaging content for the VMM and to help tell our story to a wider audience. You may see him often posting on our TikTok channels – so help him with a like and share!

marketing@vanmaritime.com | 604-257-8302

GRANT WHITAKER, ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR

admin@vanmaritime.com | 604-257-8303

DARRAGH DE GROOT, PROGRAMS MANAGER

ANNA BONDARTCHOUK, PROGRAMS COORDINATOR (EDUCATION)

Anna was raised in the territory of the hən̓qəmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples (in Burnaby). She has a Bsc. in Ecological Restoration from BCIT, but has found a passion for coordinating education programs for both adults and children. Anna is excited to be a part of the VMM team and to develop new program materials that reflect how intelligent, diverse and fun kids are. Their hobbies outside of work include drawing, writing, crafting felted toys, rock climbing, cooking, learning languages and asking what your zodiac sign is (virgo sun, taurus moon, cancer rising…).

education.coordinator@vanmaritime.com

EMMA FORGIE, PROGRAMS COORDINATOR (PUBLIC PROGRAMS)

Emma was born and raised on the unceded territories of kʷikʷəƛ̓ əm (Kwikwetlem), and qiqéyt (Qayqayt) First Nations, in the City of New Westminster. She earned her degree in Anthropology and Linguistics, from the University of Victoria, where her love and appreciation of the intricate connections living species have to our waters only deepened. She is passionate about cultural communication, hands on learning, and heritage conservation.

programs.coordinator@vanmaritime.com | 604-257-8312

WHARFINGER AT HERITAGE HARBOUR

hhwharfinger@gmail.com