Emergency Committee

Irene Karsten is a Senior Preventive Conservation Advisor at the Canadian Conservation Institute, where she has worked since 2009. Irene does facility assessments, carries out risk management projects and provides training in emergency preparedness and response training for heritage institutions in Canada. Irene has an MSc (1998) and PhD (2003) in Human Ecology with specialization in textile conservation science from the University of Alberta (Edmonton) as well as a Diploma in Art Conservation Techniques (1994) from Fleming College in Peterborough, Ontario.

Amy Zavecz is an Assistant Registrar for the Partner Loan Network at Art Bridges Foundation. In this role, she coordinates various aspects of artwork loans, including scheduling, logistics, communications, insurance, and data management. Prior to this engagement, Amy supported collections emergency management and professional development initiatives in the DC metro area. She currently serves as the co-chair of the American Institute for Conservation’s Emergency Committee and supports the Programs & Partnerships subcommittee. Amy received her M.A. in Art and Museum Studies from Georgetown University and her B.A. in Art History from Drew University.

Cornelia has recently earned her Ph.D. in Disaster Science and Management from the University of Delaware, where she also worked in the Disaster Research Center’s E.L. Quarantelli Resource Collection. Before coming to the United States, she worked as a librarian in Rome, Italy where she first encountered issues of emergency preparedness and response. Cornelia holds a MA in Italian Language & Literature and a MA in Library & Information Science. Her areas of interest range from libraries and other collecting institutions to cultural heritage protection related to armed conflict and the climate crisis. She has published on emergency preparedness, risk assessments for collections, and the role of public libraries during COVID-19. While in the US, she joined the National Heritage Responders, the HENTF (Heritage Emergency National Task Force) Asset Mapping Working Group, and initiatives regarding community centered preservation and emergency preparedness. In July 2025, Cornelia returned to her native Austria and now strives to foster collaboration and exchange across the Atlantic.

Elizabeth Drolet works in private practice in Los Angeles, where she specializes in the treatment of historic and archaeological objects, as well as consulting on the storage and exhibition of art and cultural materials. She is a lecturer at the UCLA/Getty conservation program, and the site conservator for the Tombos Archaeological Project, Tombos, Sudan. As a member of the Emergency Committee, she has worked to prepare interviews, articles, and committee communications for AIC News, and in updates to the Emergency Committee Wiki and Zotero Database.  Elizabeth received a B.A. in Archaeology from Boston University, and a M.A. in the Conservation of Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials from the UCLA/Getty Program.

As Associate Photo Conservator at the Center for Conservation of Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA), Ivey assesses the condition and treats a wide range of photographs, from daguerreotypes to digital prints, and contributes to outreach efforts. She has held positions at the Cleveland Museum of Art,  National Archives and Records Administration, the Image Permanence Institute, and the George Eastman Museum.

Ivey received a MA in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management from the University of Rochester, in collaboration with the George Eastman Museum. Her contributions to emergency response can be seen on the Digital Print Preservation Portal (DP3) and in the workshop curriculum she developed for the recovery of aqueous inkjet prints after a water emergency.

Paige Hilman is a current Masters student in the UCLA/Getty Interdepartmental Program in Conservation of Cultural Heritage. She holds a BA in Art History with a minor in Arts Administration from the University of Arizona and certificate in Field Archaeology from Pima Community College. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a Conservation Assistant with the National Park Service and interned at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, AZ. Paige serves on the Programs and Partnerships subcommittee.

Dana Murray is a registrar and collections steward currently working towards her PhD in Information at the University of Toronto. Her ​​research explores the social and behavioural impact of extreme weather events on gallery, library, archive, and museum (GLAM) professionals as they seek to fulfill their professional duty to their collections in times of crisis. Her research and methodology grew out of her professional experience within municipal, federal, and private museological collections, as well as committee work with the American Institute for Conservation, the Association of Registrars and Collection Specialists, and the National Trust for Canada. Dana received her Masters of Museum Studies from the University of Toronto, Master of Arts in Religion and Public Life from Carleton University, and Honours Bachelor of Arts in Classical Civilizations from the University of Toronto Mississauga.

Alison Reppert Gerber is the Preservation Services Section Head for the Library of Congress’s National Audio Visual Conservation Center. In this role, she oversees the program planning and management for the preservation of audio, video, and film collections in support of the Library’s mission. Responsible for the oversight of three laboratories at NAVCC, Alison manages the technical and financial resources allocated to the Preservation Section, establishes priorities, and directs preservation work activities.

Alison was previously Head of Preservation Programs at the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, where she directed the work of the Archives Conservation Laboratory and the Audiovisual Media Preservation Initiative (AVMPI). She received her MA in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University and her BA in Art History, with advanced studies in Chemistry and Religious Studies, from Seton Hill University. She has extensive experience in preventive conservation and treatment of paper, photographic, and audiovisual media; emergency preparedness, response, and training for cultural heritage; and management of cellulose nitrate film collections.

Gigi Yang is the Museum Services Supervisor for the Louisville Historical Museum in Louisville, Colorado. She oversees all aspects of a small local history museum from collections and building maintenance to tours, community events, and historical research. She was on staff as the Collections Manager during the Marshall Fire that swept through Louisville, Superior, and Marshall in December 2021 and helped lead museum efforts in disaster recovery, conservation workshops for salvaged items, oral history and documentation, and community healing in the aftermath of the fire. She has a BS in Textiles and Apparel Design from Cornell University, a Masters in Library and Information Science from Emporia State University, and a Certificate in Museum Studies from Northwestern University. Gigi currently serves on the Wiki/Zotero subcommittee with the AIC Emergency Committee and on the Small Museums Committee for the American Association for State and Local History.

Samantha Springer is a conservator of sculpture and three-dimensional objects with a particular interest in working with living artists of contemporary art that are typically marginalized and underrepresented in Western institutional collections. As owner and principal conservator of Art Solutions Lab based in the Portland, Oregon area, Springer works toward providing ethical and practical solutions to collection stewards who seek the guidance of a conservation practitioner. 

Christina Cain is the Emergency Programs Manager for the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, where she manages the National Heritage Responders and Alliance for Response initiatives. Christina holds a Master of Science degree in Museum and Field Studies, has over 26 years of experience in collections management in art and anthropology museums, and has been involved in emergency management for cultural institutions for the last 13 years. She is also the co-chair of the Colorado Cultural and Historic Resources Task Force, the Colorado AFR network, and Emergency Preparedness Chair for the Colorado-Wyoming Association of Museums