Willowbank welcomes a new Executive Director and is hiring a new Dean of Faculty

The Willowbank School of Restoration Arts is pleased to announce the appointment of Katie Houghton as our new Executive Director.  In this role, Katie will provide leadership during an important time of expansion and engagement. She will serve as a key point of connection between School program participants and a wide array of alumni, donors, and supportive individuals and institutions, throughout Canada and internationally.

Katie has been with Willowbank since 2022, as Director of Marketing and Business Affairs. She served as interim Executive Director during a previous period of transition.

Katie is committed to the role of history and culture in shaping our shared future, evolving from an early degree in Ancient History. She has had extensive experience in the non-profit world, focused on development and marketing, both in England and Canada. Her international perspective is important to Willowbank’s evolution. She lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake and so also brings a welcome local perspective.

As noted by Julian Smith, Chair of the Board, “Willowbank exists to explore better ways of understanding and sustaining our shared human habitats. It is an exciting but difficult task. For some, Willowbank tends to be too messy; for others it tries to be too neat. Katie is a person who understands the order beneath the disorder. She reminds me of one of my favourite Jane Jacobs lines, when she was fighting to save old working-class communities against destructive urban renewal advocates: ‘Under the seeming disorder of the old city is an intricate ballet in which the individual dancers and ensembles all have distinctive parts which miraculously reinforce each other and compose an orderly whole.’ My sense is that this kind of perspective, which Katie brings, is key to a successful leadership role at Willowbank.” 

Julian also noted that Willowbank’s Board of Directors - with its mix of student, faculty, alumni and community representatives – was unanimous in its support of Katie’s appointment.

We wish Katie all the best in this new role. 

NEW DEAN OF FACULTY

Willowbank is also in the process of developing a new, part-time position for a Dean of Faculty. This person will provide a focal point for Willowbank’s Diploma Program curriculum development and faculty engagement. A job description and call for applications will be issued in the near future. This person will work with Katie and with the School’s students, faculty and alumni in ensuring the ongoing success of the Diploma Program and other related offerings. More details to follow as soon as they are available, via our e-newsletter, website and social channels.