Board of Directors
John Fielding, President
Born in Paris Ontario, John graduated from the University of Western Ontario (1961) with an Honors History Degree. After teaching for 24 years in secondary schools in Chatham (2), Brockville (21) and Western Australia (1), plus 13 years at Queen's Faculty of Education John retired in 2002. Besides his teaching John has authored four Canadian History textbooks, managed the writing of the Ontario Canadian and World Studies Curriculum, and designed numerous learning resources, for example: We Are Canadians, and Canadians in the Global Community.
John has received a number of awards recognizing his contributions to the communities in which he has worked and lived, including: Tennis Coach of the Year, Ontario Tennis Association, 1980; Citizen of the Year, Brockville Chamber of Commerce, 1982 (Recognition for organizing Brockville's Sesquicentennial and his role as founder and principal organizer of Brockville's Multicultural Society and Fair, 1982); Golden Apple Award, 1997 (Presented by the Queen's University, Faculty of Education, Student Society); Alan Skeoch Award for Contribution and Leadership in the Teaching of History presented by Ontario History and Social Studies Teachers Association, 2001; Award of Merit, 2002, presented by the Association For Canadian Studies.
Presently John serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Teach Magazine; Advisory Council of Historica Foundation of Canada, Executive Council of the Kingston Historical Society; and most recently the Cataraqui Archaeological Research Foundation.
John Coleman, Vice President
A graduate of the University of Western Ontario and the University of Toronto, John has devoted his working life to the protection and presentation of Canada's historic heritage.
He began his career at the Art Gallery of Ontario and then, after a few years in Toronto, joined the Parks Canada Agency, at the agency's Ontario office. His responsibilities were such that he undertook projects that, over time, gave him experience with every one of the Parks Canada national historic sites in the province.
John eventually moved from the Ontario office to Kingston, working for some time as the chief of heritage presentation for Bellevue House National Historic Site. When he became the operations manager for Bellevue House, his duties expanded to include responsibility for three of the Kingston Martello towers, Shoal, Cathcart and Murney.
Working for a national organisation like Parks Canada often means that employees have the opportunity to expand their experience beyond their set duties. In recent years, John had the good fortune to work on planning for the management of Bellevue House, the Kingston Fortifications National Historic Site and Fort Henry National Historic Site. In addition, he undertook an assignment to become part of a Parks Canada team developing the submission to UNESCO that gained recognition of the Rideau Canal and the Kingston Fortifications as a world heritage site.
In addition to being a member of the CARF board of directors, John plays a role on two other Kingston heritage committees. He is the chair of the Kingston First Capital Committee and a member of the Kingston Historical Society committee that plans the annual Cataraqui Cemetery commemoration of the life and career of Sir John A. Macdonald.
Heather Home, Corporate Secretary
Heather Home has been the Public Services Archivist at Queen's University Archives, Kingston, Ontario since September 2001. She is currently a member of the Kingston Historical Society Council and the Group for the Teaching of History at Queen's. Prior to arriving in Kingston, she worked at the Provincial Archives of Alberta in the Private Records Division and at CBC-Vancouver in their film archives. Heather earned her Masters in Archival Studies from the University of British Columbia and her undergraduate degree from Trent University.
Hugh Gale, Treasurer
A native of North Bay Ontario, Hugh has been a Kingston resident for the past thirty years. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Waterloo Lutheran University (Now Sir Wilfrid Laurier University) in 1971, a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning degree from Queen's University in 1980, and a Certificate in Municipal Administration from St. Lawrence College in 1977. Hugh has worked in the land use planning field for thirty-seven years and is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute. He has worked as a municipal planner in North Bay, Burlington, and Kingston, as a planning Consultant in eastern Ontario, and as a contract planner for the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority and for the Ontario Provincial government. Hugh has had a long interest in history and archaeology from both a personal point of view as well as a professional perspective.
Joe Brites, Director
Joe Brites divides his time between landlording and the operation of a wholesale business related to the recreational fishing industry. His previous board experiences have included work with both the private and public sectors. He comes to the Board with a prior background in media relations.
Laura Carter, Director
Peter Gower, Director
Rory MacKay, Director
Roderick (Rory) MacKay is a retired teacher of history and science with the Limestone District School Board, but considers himself to be a life-long educator. He is author of two books on the history of Algonquin Park, and as a licenced research archaeologist is continuing to investigate aspects of the Park's early logging and settlement history. More books are intended.
Gordon Sly, Director
Joe Stafford, Director
Joe Stafford holds a Masters degree in history from York University and has taught history at the high-school level with the Durham Catholic DSB for more than 20 years. He currently teaches at Saint Theresa where he has been the history department head for six years. Previously, he served as Head of History at Monsignor John Pereyma in Oshawa.
Joe has also served on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Historical Society since 2008 and, also in 2008, received the Governor-General's Award for Excellence in Teaching History. The Award recognized his achievements in student re-enactment/role playing; a skills development program for a history department focusing on essay and research skills using primary documents and the work of his high school history club, the Renaissance Society, which included a student conference for local, regional and national organizations under the theme "Preserving a Collective Memory: The Importance of Heritage Organizations, Past, Present and Future".
Carol White, Director
Bernie Ziomkiewicz, Director
Bernie received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Queens in Art History and Chemistry and is a support member with the teaching laboratories of the Queen's University Physics Department. He also graduated from St. Lawrence College in the Electronics Technology program.
For several years, he has been a part-time intern at the Canadian Conservation Institute. Bernie has been on the Board of Directors for three years as the Chair of the Safety, Security and Conservation Committee.