The Emerging Conservation Professionals Network would like to thank Amber Kerr-Allison for her many years of service as a member of the ECPN committee and an example to a global contingency of emerging conservators. A graduate of the Winterthur / University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, Amber played an instrumental role in the formation and growth of ECPN.
As coordinator of Professional Education and Training, Amber has worked as a liaison to conservation graduate training program leaders, as well as leading representatives within the AIC and IIC professional organizations. She has promoted access to student research as selection committee chair for the first annual student poster session at the 2010 IIC Congress in Istanbul, and as ECPN project coordinator for the development of an online, international database for student research. Amber also helped organize the first portfolio review session to be held at an AIC annual meeting, which drew a large number of pre-program participants at the 39th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia in 2011.
Amber’s work on the ECPN committee reflects the broader role she has played as an advocate for conservation. Amber’s professionalism and masterful speaking ability have made her an indispensable voice for emerging conservators. Her clear passion for conservation education and outreach have set a standard for emerging conservation professionals everywhere to advocate for the field, and to effectively communicate our goals as conservators to the public. As Paintings Conservator at the Lunder Conservation Center at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Amber continues to make education and public outreach a priority in her conservation career.
We are grateful for Amber’s many contributions to ECPN, for her grace, diplomacy, and initiative, all of which have helped sustain and cultivate our organization. We recognize also her contributions to the conservation field in general, and wish her the very best in all her future endeavors.