(Janis Monture / Facebook)
Janis Kahentóktha Monture will lead the Canadian Museums Association as its new executive director and CEO, starting Feb. 27.
Monture, a member of the Mohawk Nation Turtle Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River, is currently executive director of the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford, Ont., one of the largest Indigenous-run museums in Canada.
Monture is the first Indigenous person to fill the role of executive director in the association's 76-year history.
She will continue efforts to implement the Truth and Reconcilliation Commission's Call to Action #67, while supporting Canada's museum sector and developing international relationships, the association said in a statement released Monday.
Heather George, the association's president, said Monture brings "an invaluable set of skills as an experienced administrator, leader and community builder."
Monture has spent 16 years at Woodland, leading it through an important transition that included the redevelopment of the former Mohawk Institute Residential School into an interpretive centre.
She has served on the steering committee for the Great Lakes Research Alliance for the Study of Aboriginal Arts and Cultures, and worked twice as a guest artistic director at Harbourfront Centre, a leading arts organization in Toronto.
Source: Canadian Museums Association