The Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation, today announced that Anne Chafe has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Rooms Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador. The appointment is effective today.
Ms. Chafe has been with The Rooms since 2007 and most recently served as interim CEO, to which she was appointed in July 2019. A biography for Ms. Chafe can be found in the backgrounder below.
The appointment was recommended through the Independent Appointments Commission. Members of the public interested in opportunities to serve on provincial agencies, boards and commissions are encouraged to complete an application at www.iacnl.ca.
The Rooms is Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest public cultural space and contains the province’s most extensive collection of artifacts, art and historical records. Since it opened in 2005, The Rooms has presented hundreds of exhibitions and more than 1,000 education and public programs and has received more than 1,000,000 visitors.
Quotes
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Anne Chafe as the new CEO of The Rooms Corporation. I have full confidence in Ms. Chafe’s abilities and extensive expertise, to be successful in this position on a permanent basis. Her knowledge of The Rooms as the cultural hub of Newfoundland and Labrador, will be invaluable. “
Honourable Bernard Davis
Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation
“Anne Chafe is a nationally recognized museum professional, who has dedicated her education and career to the advancement of the heritage and cultural sectors in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Canada. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we look forward to working with Anne as she guides The Rooms to its next phase of development and solidifies its reputation as a national treasure.”
Margie Allan
Board Chair, The Rooms
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Media contact
Eric Humber
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation
709-725-9655
erichumber@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Biography of Anne Chafe
Anne Chafe was appointed interim CEO of The Rooms in July 2019 where she previously served as Executive Director of Museums and Galleries. Ms Chafe first started at the corporation as the Director of the Provincial Museum Division in 2007. Prior to her return to her native St. John’s, Ms. Chafe worked for 23 years in the museum and cultural field in Ontario.
Ms. Chafe began her museum career at the former Newfoundland Museum in 1983. Following her completion of a Masters of Museum Studies degree from the University of Toronto in 1986, Ms. Chafe remained in Ontario where she worked at municipal museums in Oakville and Windsor before settling in the Region of Waterloo. Here she held the positions of the Assistant Curator of the Joseph Schneider Haus Museum and Curator of the Seagram Museum before assuming the position of Manager of Heritage Resources for the City of Waterloo, which she held for nine years prior to returning to St. John’s.
In Ontario, Ms. Chafe was involved in provincial professional organizations and served as the President of the Ontario Museum Association and as a Museums Committee member of the Ontario Historical Society. At the local level, she sat on numerous heritage and cultural organization boards and was a founding member of several community initiatives such as Doors Open Waterloo Region. More recently, Ms. Chafe served as the President of the Alliance of Natural History Museums of Canada, as a juror for the Governor General of Canada’s History Alive awards, and the Canadian Museums Association’s Awards Program. She also sat on the editorial board of the Canadian Museums Association’s publication, MUSE and was a member of the Virtual Museum of Canada’s Advisory Committee. Currently, Ms. Chafe is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Canada’s Board of Directors.
Ms. Chafe’s work has been recognized by the Governor General of Canada’s History Alive program, the Canadian Museums Association, the Ontario Museum Association, the Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Historic Sites Association of NL. She is also a recipient of the Sally Thorsen Award for Professional Excellence from the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation.