Clinton Brown, Principal, Clinton Brown Architects 

Clinton is a widely recognized leader in historic preservation architecture, community revitalization, and public policy. He brings over 30 years of experience to his work of collaboratively creating new value in heritage buildings and places, closely focusing on each of the firm’s projects.He earned a BA in Sociology from Franklin and Marshall College, interned at the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies, and earned his M. Architecture from the University of Virginia. Clinton is a Heritage Preservation-certified CAP Building Assessor. Two Secretaries of the Interior appointed him a Commissioner of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission. The Governor appointed him a Director of the Richardson Center Corporation Board. He serves on the Board of the Willowbank School of Restoration Arts in Queenston, Ontario, Canada. He was active in establishing New York’s state historic rehabilitation tax credit program.

Joe Lobko- Partner, DTAH Architects 

Joe is an architect with a particular interest in urban design, adaptive reuse and the non-profit sector. In 2006 he joined DTAH as a partner with the merger of his own practice, and in the same year he received an urban leadership award from the Canadian Urban Institute and became a fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. In 2012 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Sustainable Buildings Canada. Volunteer efforts include serving as past chair of the Toronto Society of Architects, and as a current member of the City of Toronto Design Review Panel.

Notable award-winning projects include leading the design of renewal and restoration projects such as Artscape Wychwood Barns and Evergreen Brick Works; the planning and urban design of Waterfront Toronto’s West Don Lands community (with UDA); the L’Arche Dayspring Chapel; Artscape’s first legal live/work project in Toronto; the competition-winning Sims Square office building adjacent to Burlington’s City Hall; and the Fort York Transitional Residence.

Spencer HIggins: Principal, Spencer R. Higgins Architects
Mr. Higgins is the principal of Spencer R. Higgins, Architect Incorporated, which is based in Toronto and since 1980 has provided specialist consulting services related to the conservation of historic buildings. He obtained a Certificate in Architectural Conservation in 1980 from ICCROM (TheInternational Centre for the Study of the Preservation and the Restoration of Cultural Property in Rome), following a Master of Architecture in Urban Design at Harvard University in 1976 and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Toronto in 1974. Mr. Higgins' firm has carried out numerous conservation projects across Canada, most recently on the Saskatchewan Legislative Building. From 1996-2006 Mr.Higgins was a partner in the architectural Joint Venture that undertook the internationally award-winning conservation work on the Library of Parliament in Ottawa.

John Bonnett- Intellectual Historian and Tier II Canada Research Chair in Digital Humanities, Brock University 

John Bonnett is an intellectual historian and Tier II Canada Research Chair in Digital Humanities.

His research interests include the writings of the communication theorist Harold Innis, and the emerging domains of history and computing and humanities and computing. Bonnett has published contributions in journals ranging from War in History to History and Computing and Literary and Linguistic Computing. He was the principle developer of the 3D Virtual Buildings Project, an initiative that had two purposes. The first was to teach students to generate models of historic settlements using 3D modelling software. The second more fundamental purpose was to develop the critical thinking skills of students by helping them to realize a fundamental point, that historical models need to be distinguished from the objects to which they refer.

Bonnett is currently developing a lab devoted to the emerging medium of Augmented Reality (AR). AR, like Virtual Reality (VR), presents users with computer-generated 3D objects. It differs, however, in where it places those objects. VR places its objects in artificial environments that users perceive through a computer screen. AR places its objects in a user’s view of real space. For historians, it is a significant development because its suggests the possibility of generating life-size replicas of historic environments and displaying them in an open field, representations ranging from ancient Rome to 18th century Paris to 19th century Ottawa. If historians are to use this emerging medium, they will need to develop and test new conventions for narration, expression and documentation.

Franklin Vagnone - Museum Anarchist, Twistedpreservation.com

With a strong background in the creative arts (Architecture, Design, Sculpture), Franklin is a Public Historian who has been labeled a "domestic-archeo-anthropologist" and has over 25 years of transformational leadership in non-profit management, financial oversight, fundraising, strategic planning, board relationships, award-winning cultural programming & creative place-making development. He has a thoughtful combination of philosophical and practical experiences that have allowed him to consult, lecture, and teach internationally for an extensive list of universities, cultural sites, museums, and community-based membership organizations. Under his leadership, recognition has been expressed through the 2015 MANY Individual Achievement Award, Two Lucy G. Moses awards from the New York Landmarks Conservancy, Award of Excellence from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network, Award of Merit from Museum Association of New York Award, and a Grand Jury Medal from The Philadelphia Preservation Alliance. Franklin maintains the blog: Twisted Preservation, which to date, has readers in over 85 countries - (http://twistedpreservation.wordpress.com/ ), and also moderates an international discussion group – The Anarchist Guide to Historic House Museums and He has co-authored a book The Anarchist’s Guide to Historic House Museums (with Ms. Deborah Ryan) about innovative concepts for historic cultural sites. The book, now in its 3rd printing since November 2015, was voted best Museum Education-related book of 2015 by Museum Educator’s Monitor, and became #1 bestseller (Museum-related) on Amazon for February 2015.

Penny Young - Archaeology Heritage Team, Archaeological Research Associates (ARA) Ltd. 

Penny Young is a heritage planner and archaeologist. She is a member of the heritage team at Archaeological Research Associates, an archaeological and heritage consulting firm. She has over twenty years of experience working in government as a heritage planner/coordinator, regional archaeologist, and archaeology database coordinator where she managed and coordinated the impacts to cultural heritage resources including built heritage, archaeological sites and cultural heritage landscapes for compliance with municipal, provincial and federal policy and legislation. She also has held temporary positions with three Ontario municipalities. At Willowbank as the Archaeological Field Director, she co-directed student excavation and was an archaeology instructor. She has a BA in Anthropology and English and an MA in Anthropology from McMaster University.

Roberth MacKenzie - Principal, Quartek Group Inc. 

Robert is a principle owner of Quartek Group Inc. architects, engineers, planners and project managers, which is a multi-disciplined consulting firm located in the Niagara Region. His Company provides a wide range of design services to clients in the private and public sector. Robert’s current role in Corporate Development follows 5 years as President, from 2010 until 2015. He has been a principal of the firm since he joined in 1998, coming from a partnership with Stan Butcherd in Port Colborne. He contributes 28 years of practical experience in design, construction, contract administration, and business management in the architectural profession. He also brings to the Quartek team a broad background in art/technology composition, computer-aided design, and other related skills adaptive to successfully conveying ideas and spatial concepts to a broad range of clientele. His experience includes feasibility

studies, space analysis, schematic planning, scheduling, graphics, signage, and interior & landscape design over a wide spectrum of building

projects, particularly in office, commercial, industrial, hospital, government, institutional, and hospitality/tourism categories. Robert has

experience with the energy design and building systems appropriate to historic restoration projects. Robert's heritage projects have included: The Niagara Parks Commission, 2010 Conservation plan report for preserving masonry and terracotta tile roof systems on two significant heritage buildings (Toronto Power Generating Station 1906, Rankine Power Generating Station 1905) • Recent (2016) assessment reports for the Ontario Power Generating Station • Restoration of Humberstone School, Port Colborne • Architectural Condition Study of Point Abino Lighthouse, Fort Erie • Masonry assessment for Adaptive Re-use Study (St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital Complex) with Julian Smith 2009 • Mortar selection / testing and re-pointing for various rubble and natural stone buildings and monuments.

Ashleigh M Bell - Interior Designer, Heritage Facility Program Coordinator, City of Hamilton
Ashleigh Bell, graduated with the Willowbank class of 2013 and currently holds a position with the Tourism & Culture division of the City of Hamilton, coordinating capital projects on municipally-owned cultural facilities, museums and historic sites. She is involved with a number of community and professional organizations, including the Hamilton Community Land Trust and the Hamilton-Burlington Society of Architects, for which she has coordinated two educational series on conservation discourse. Ashleigh attended OCAD and has a background in Interior Design. She currently teaches Architecture in Canada and Architectural Styles courses with first years in the Diploma program and Historic Interiors with second years.

Jean François Furieri -  President and Owner, Iconoplast Designs

Jean-François has over 45 years of experience as a master plasterer. Raised in Spain and the south of France, he began working in his grandfather's studio at the age of 10. His father, uncle and grandfather were all accomplished sculptors and master plasterers, who taught Jean-François the trade through apprenticeship. Jean-François has learned the traditional methods and is an accomplished plaster conservator and restorer but he does not shy away from using modern materials when necessary, and is adept in both Venetian plaster and resin among other applications. Jean-François has worked on numerous projects across North America, including the Lyric Theatre and Appollo Theatre in New York, the Cinema Egyptien in Montreal, the Bank of Montreal in Ottawa, he recently worked on the complete stabilization and restoration of the plaster of  the Catholic Church of St. Joseph in River Canard, Ontario - where he employed a Willowbank intern on his job site. These are just a few of the influential projects that Jean-François has been a part of. His website is: www.iconoplast.com.