Dean Brinton, CEO of The Rooms Corporation, today announced the appointment of Anne Chafe as director, The Rooms Provincial Museum, and the appointment of Penny Houlden as director, The Rooms Regional Museums.

"Ms. Chafe will complement The Rooms team with her professional experience and recognized expertise. She brings to this position a nationally-acknowledged history of cultural advocacy, as well as a demonstrated commitment to cultural heritage," said Mr. Brinton. "Ms. Houlden brings many years of experience to her new role with the regional museums. The Board of Directors and I are very pleased with these recent appointments."

Anne Chafe began her museum career at the former Newfoundland Museum in 1983. Following her completion of a Masters of Museum Studies from the University of Toronto in 1986, Ms. Chafe remained in Ontario where she worked at the municipal museums in Oakville and Windsor, Ontario before settling in the Region of Waterloo. There she worked as the Manager of Heritage Resources for the past nine years.

Ms. Chafe succeeds Ms. Houlden as director of The Rooms Provincial Museum. Ms. Houlden will now be responsible for the management, administration and recapitalization of The Rooms Regional Museums, which include the Labrador Interpretation Centre in North West River, the Loggers� Life Provincial Museum and the Mary March Provincial Museum in Grand Falls-Windsor, and the Provincial Seaman�s Museum in Grand Bank.

Penny Houlden was director of the Newfoundland Museum from November 1998 until she took over as director for The Rooms Provincial Museum in June 2005. Ms. Houlden is a member of the Canadian Museums Association (CMA) Board of Directors and past executive director for the Museums Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (MANL).

"Our provincial museums provide irreplaceable contributions to our communities and the province as a whole," stated Mr. Brinton. "With these appointments, we have dedicated, knowledgeable, and experienced professionals in a position to support the future sustainability of these sites for future generations."

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Media contact:
Deanne Fisher
Director of Marketing and Development
The Rooms
709-757-8070, 691-5681
deannefisher@therooms.ca

In 1986 Ms. Chafe completed a Masters Degree in Museum Studies from the University of Toronto and began her career with The Rooms Provincial Museum�s predecessor the Newfoundland Museum. From there, Ms. Chafe moved on to become the Manager of Heritage Resources for the City of Waterloo. During her time in Ontario, she served as the President of the Ontario Museum Association and as a Museums Committee member of the Ontario Historical Society. In 2006 she was awarded the Sally Thorsen Award for Professional Excellence by the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation.

In Waterloo, Ms. Chafe held the positions of 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 the past nine years before assuming her post at The Rooms.

Ms. Houlden completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of British Columbia and a Masters Degree in Folklore from Memorial University. She subsequently worked as a Curator with Provincial Historic Sites in the development of the Hiscock House, Trinity, and the Mockbeggar Property, Bonavista. Ms. Houlden served as executive director/ training coordinator with the Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (MANL) from 1983-1993. In that role, she received a Canadian Museums Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Museum Management as a member of "The Price of Fish" exhibit committee. Ms. Houlden subsequently worked as cultural development officer with Federal/Provincial Cultural Development Programs.

In 1998, Ms. Houlden joined the Newfoundland Museum as Director. During this time, as a leader of the project team, her work on a special web project partnership with the Innu Nation and the Canadian Heritage Information Network has been honoured by a Canadian Museums Association�s Award for Outstanding Achievement and, recently, by an International Council of Museums Gold Award for Web Design.

2007 10 17                                                  9:05 a.m.