Museum Development East Midlands Programme Board

Franne has worked in the museum sector for over 25 years and is currently Head of Library and Heritage Services for Leicestershire County Council, having previously worked for Calderdale Museum Service and Lincolnshire Museum Service. Franne has chaired the strategic advisory group for MDEM since 2014.

Dr Mike Galer

Dr Mike Galer has been General Manager/CEO of Crich Tramway Village home of the National Tramway Museum since April 2014. He has 22 years of professional museum experience including previously as Senior Collections Officer and Senior Keeper of Military History at Derby Museums along with other, earlier posts in London. Originally an Insurance Personal Claims Manager, he re-trained in the late 1990’s acquiring a MA then PhD in Museum Studies from UCL. Mike has been involved with MDEM for many years and was a director of East Midlands Museums Service (EMMS) before that. Mike combines his extensive commercial and museums experience to support MDEM and champions the importance of maintaining genuine access to heritage in our region.

Kasia Wosiak

Kasia has been working in the museum sector since 2007 and her focus is on collections work and interpretation. She’s passionate about connecting communities with collections and believes that museums provide a platform for sharing experiences and stories, and make a positive impact on their visitors and users.

Paul Baker

Paul is the Director of Creswell Heritage Trust. He is a Fellow of the Museums Resilient Leadership Programme and a ‘Best in Heritage’ Laureate. He has worked within numerous heritage organisations in a variety of roles and has a keen interest in leadership, creativity and commercial activities.

Jodie Henshaw

I am passionate about museums, heritage and creativity and the role they can play in the lives of people and their communities. I love learning about new ways of working and being innovative in my own work place. I love working in partnership with individuals and organisations from a variety of sectors. I have over 20 years’ experiences of planning and delivering community projects. I am particularly enthusiastic about the role that museums’ can play towards improving the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable in our society. Recent projects included working with women who are victims of abuses and trauma, people living with memory loss and families fleeing the Ukraine. I have been successful in securing funding from a wide variety of organisations and can help and advice with applications and evaluating projects. Over the last 4 years I have managed the museum through a period of significant change including a restructure, new management and the pandemic. Over 20 years in local authority means that I have an excellent knowledge of health and safety practise, recruitment and managing budgets.

Brian Kennedy

Brian has worked in Leicestershire County Council Museums for over 30 years. Initially trained as an archaeologist then primary teacher, Brian’s focus for much of his career has been on museum learning. During his tenure in this arena Brian has been responsible for strategically developing the learning offer both to schools but also to more specialist audiences such as care home staff and SEND teachers. Over the years this has resulted in a number of national and regional awards. More recently Brian’s role has switched to community engagement programmes including experience in libraries in addition to museums. Brian also has experience as a senior strategic manager for a large Adult Learning Service.
Brian’s interests include maximising museums and cultural activity as vehicles for wellbeing and good health and how to capture and advocate for these benefits. On a personal level Brian is fascinated by how perception and memory colour our experience of the world and how this might be reflected in the interplay between the individual and the museum.