Message from ANSM Executive Director

It is a great honour to take over as Executive Director of ANSM from the extraordinary Maggie MacIntyre, who alongside Karin Kierstead, worked tirelessly over the past two years to strengthen the organization and advance the mandate of ANSM in a time of organizational transition, amid the challenges of the pandemic. A huge thank you to both of you. I further wish to extend my gratitude to Maggie for the incredible onboarding process during my first three weeks at ANSM and for her efforts to put me in a strong position to be successful; having led the charge on developing a robust and comprehensive three-year Strategic Plan as well as her tireless advocacy work for the sector and ANSM as an organization.

I have spent the past twenty-five years of my career in the creative industries/not-for- profit cultural sector, wearing a wide variety of hats, and have been extremely fortunate to fill a diverse number of roles. Before taking on the role of Executive Director at ANSM, I completed a two-year contract with the Town of Lunenburg as the inaugural Economic Development and Funding Manager. Prior to that, I was a co-founder of Culture Link, a Community Interest Company that brought the Light House Arts Centre to life in the former World Trade and Convention Centre, in the heart of downtown Halifax. My cumulative experience has positioned myself to execute the mandate of ANSM at a high level, and I look forward to meeting the challenges faced by the sector with hard work and ingenuity, in collaboration with our partners and stakeholders.

I am excited for this new chapter in my career and would like to take this opportunity to express to our membership, as well as the ANSM Board of Directors, that I will do everything in my power to lead the organization with the same dedication and professionalism as my predecessors. We have a very talented and committed staff here at ANSM and together we will continue to serve our members and advocate for the museum sector with dedication and passion.

Hopefully I will have the opportunity to meet with you during the ANSM conference next week, in beautiful Cape Breton. I also plan to hit the road in 2024 and visit as many museums as time and budget allow. Reach out to me anytime with your concerns and insights as we collectively strive to strengthen a resilient and sustainable museum sector.

Sincerely,

Devin Casario
Executive Director
Association of Nova Scotia Museums