ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM
Valerie Huaco named Deputy Director for Collections & Research and Chief Innovation Officer
Huaco comes to ROM from Oakland Museum of California (OMCA), where she began as a conservator and rose to the position of Deputy Director & Chief Content Officer. Like ROM, Oakland Museum is one of the few museums in North America with a collection spanning art, culture, and nature.
An accomplished executive with more than a decade of experience overseeing the curatorial and collections teams at OMCA, Valerie had a successful track record leading innovative curatorial practice. Among her accomplishments at OMCA, she set the priorities for an extensive collection spanning three campuses, oversaw a roster of changing exhibitions responsive to contemporary social issues, initiated an Indigenous-first repatriation and access program, and reimagined the Museum’s acquisition process to prioritize traditionally marginalized groups.
Huaco has a deep knowledge and understanding of Indigenous issues based on lived experience and is herself of Quechua, Hispanic, and European descent. She is affiliated with the Indigenous Peoples Museum Network, is on the board of Oakland Art Murmur, and has served on committees for the American Alliance of Museums and the Western Museums Association.
Huaco will be responsible for the leadership, strategic vision, and financial oversight of ROM’s Curatorial and Collections Division in her role as Deputy Director for Collections & Research. She will also oversee the Library and Conservation areas and the Museum’s scholarly publishing activities. In her role as Chief Innovation Officer, Huaco will bring creative and transdisciplinary approaches to ROM’s singular strengths across art, culture, and nature. As a senior member of the executive leadership team and reporting to ROM Director & CEO Josh Basseches, Huaco will contribute to the Museum’s strategic planning.
“Valerie is a highly accomplished leader in the museum sector,” said Basseches. “Her strong background in collections development and stewardship, coupled with her leadership and museum-based management experience, will be invaluable for further developing our collections and guiding innovative curatorial practice. Valerie also brings strong experience integrating the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion at a pivotal time in ROM’s ongoing transformation as a contemporary museum that reflects the rich diversity of our communities.”
“I am thrilled to join the ROM’s talented staff in sharing stories of the natural world and human expression throughout time on earth,” said Huaco. “This is such an exciting time to join the Museum, as it leads a broad cultural re-emergence. I look forward to supporting access to collections and partnering with community to continue development of Canada’s premier collection."