Emergency Committee

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Laura Hicken is a collections manager and registrar at the International Spy Museum.

Katie Lowe is a Preservation Specialist at The Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia. She consults and educates on environmental monitoring, collections move planning, space planning, general preventive care, emergency preparedness and response, Integrated Pest Management, and more. Katie has 7 years of experience in museums and additional backgrounds in social work and education, both of which inform her unique approach to preventive conservation. She is currently Acting Secretary for the board of the Museum Council of Greater Philadelphia and Secretary of the American Association for State and Local History’s Field Service Alliance. 

Sally Ritts is a senior architectural conservator and preservation quality control manager. She specializes in stone, decorative plaster and cultural heritage conservation and project management, primarily in the DC area. She collaborates with architects, designer, historians and contractors to research, document and assess conditions as well as performing and overseeing all aspects of conservation treatments. Sally is especially interested in the study of building materials’ innate resilience and how an understanding of each material’s strength and weaknesses in the face of stressors may dictate use and need for future intervention.

Grace Tebow is a post-graduate with specialties in preventive care, paintings, and book and paper.

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 experience in collections management for art and anthropology museums, and has been involved in emergency management for cultural institutions for over a decade. She is also the co-chair of the Colorado Cultural and Historic Resources Task Force, the Colorado Alliance for Response network, and Emergency Preparedness Chair for the Colorado-Wyoming Association of Museums