The Washington Conservation Guild is pleased to provide this slate of candidates for the 2025 season. All positions will have the opportunity to renew for an additional one or two year term. Feel free to write in a candidate on your ballot if you feel another individual best represents your WCG priorities.

The ballot will be emailed to the membership. If you do not receive your ballot, please email nominating@washingtonconservationguild.org. Voting closes at 11:59pm on Wednesday April 30, 2025.

Candidate for Vice President (term ends June 2026 or 2027 depending upon necessity):

Sara Leonowitz holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware’s undergraduate program in art conservation, minoring in art history and religious studies. After graduating in 2020, she worked as an independent contract technician in book and paper conservation for the National Park Service and a private practice in Washington, D.C. In the Fall of 2023, she graduated with distinction from West Dean College’s Master’s program in the conservation of books and library materials. Her MA thesis project investigated the ethics and values behind treating objects, particularly books, that have been damaged during armed conflict. During her time at West Dean, she served as Vice President (2021-22) and President (2022-23) of the Student Association where she led meetings and liaised with administration at the College over student concerns and operations. She is currently working as a Conservator Technician at the National Archives and Records Administration in downtown Washington, D.C.

Candidate for Treasurer (term ends June 2027):

Kaitlyn Munro Seymour is an associate textile conservator at Caring for Textiles, originally joining the team in 2014. She has worked on many projects during her time at Caring for textiles including collaborative conservation treatments with DC area museums and institutions such as Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of the Marine Corps, and The Valentine Museum. Kaitlyn has also worked internationally with special conservation projects in Ghana and Rwanda. She has a special interest and skill set in the conservation and display of historic dress. Kaitlyn is currently serving as a director and videographer for the Washington Conservation Guild. She has a Master of Fine Arts in Costume Design and Technology from the University of Cincinnati.

Candidates for Community Partnership Project Director (term ends June 2026 or 2027):

Liatte Dotan is an object conservator with experience working with a broad range of collections and specializing in organic and natural history materials. She graduated from the Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Art Conservation Department at SUNY Buffalo State in 2022. Before beginning her work in private conservation, Liatte completed a Kress fellowship at National Parks Service Harpers Ferry Center in partnership with the Gettysburg Foundation focused on coatings and other materials used for treating outdoor ferrous metal objects. She has extensive experience surveying museum collections, and has worked at institutions such as Harpers Ferry Center National Park Service, Arizona State Museum, The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Israel, and the Joe-Alon Center for Bedouin Culture in Israel. Liatte is a member of the American Institute for Conservation and her work is guided by the AIC Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice.

Jen McNulty is an early-career objects conservator with particular interest in porcelain, mosaics, and archaeological materials. She holds a Graduate Diploma in Conservation from West Dean College in the UK and also has experience in hospitality. Her work background and time spent living and travelling abroad have given her a passion for connecting with people from all kinds of different backgrounds, and she is so excited about the opportunity to volunteer with the WCG as a Community Partnership Project Coordinator.

Candidate for Emerging Professionals Committee Director (term ends June 2027):

Rachel Bissonnette is a Book & Paper Conservator at the Folger Shakespeare Library. She holds an M.S. from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. During her graduate education, Rachel interned at the Chester Beatty Museum in Ireland, Harvard Library’s Weissman Preservation Center, and the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts. Prior to her graduate studies, Rachel worked as a conservation technician at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Her pre-program years were enriched by the Washington Conservation Guild (WCG) programming geared toward emerging professionals. Now, Rachel is eager to serve on the board as the Emerging Professionals Committee Director to give back to the community that supported her early career development.

Candidate for Social Media Lead Director (term ends June 2027):

Amaya Reszka is a pre-program conservation professional at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, among other positions in private practice and contracted positions across the DMV area. Holding a Bachelor’s of Arts in Studio Art and Animation from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, she hopes to continue her education, volunteer, and professional work in relevant and adjacent fields until applying for her M.A./M.S. in Conservation of Art and Cultural Heritage, and Conservation Science and Imaging.

Candidate for Social Media Team Member (term ends June 2026):

Isabella Moritz is completing her MA in Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, and Museum Practice (specializing in Conservation) from the Fashion Institute of Technology in May 2025. She received her BA in Art History, with minors in French and Anthropology from Roanoke College in 2022. She works part-time as a conservator with Caring for Textiles, and part-time as an educator at the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, where she also worked as a curatorial assistant on their 2024 Sewn in America: Making, Meaning, Memory exhibit. She is an interdisciplinary artist with particular love for fiber arts, and in her graduate thesis will be examining how the reconstruction of historical garments can serve both as a conservation technique and provide tactile understanding of their construction and use.

Candidate for Website Editor (term ends June 2026):

Brianna Weakley is currently a Getty Conserving Canvas Project Fellow at the National Gallery of Art. She holds a MS from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, Post-baccalaureate certificate in conservation from Studio Arts College International, and a BFA from the University of Arizona. She has gained experience in a variety of labs including the Cleveland Museum of Art, Frans Hals Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and various private practices across the United States.

Candidates for Meeting Director (term ending June 2027):

Daniella Briceño Villamil (she/her) is a conservation fellow at Glenstone. Daniella is a graduate of the Winterthur | University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC) where she specialized in objects and time-based media art. With a passion for contemporary art and artistic processes, she has worked with the collections of Tate, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation (RRF), the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and the Brooklyn Museum, as well as the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Daniella has been a member of WCG since pre-program and served as a social media manager before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, she established the Instagram presence for the organization, leading the social media team, growing the account from approximately 200 to more than 1K followers, and creating new engagement campaigns, such as Meet Our WCG – a campaign to highlight the membership.

Additional Candidates for Meeting Director (term ending June 2027):

This position is open and self-nominations may be made on the ballot or by emailing nominating@washingtonconservationguild.org.