Principal Planner, Heritage & Policy Planning
Denise joined NPG after working as the Heritage Planner for the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake from 2015-2023, where she honed her excellent writing skills preparing reports on heritage policy and heritage property designations. Denise’s municipal work experience also included processing development applications, archaeological management, land-use and policy planning, and conducting urban design reviews, all giving her comprehensive exposure to many facets of development and a broad perspective on approaches to conserving community assets. Denise also served as the staff liaison for Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Heritage Committee, UNESCO Committee and Urban Design Committee so she brings extremely valuable experience working with, and presenting to, Councils, Committees, and the public.
Denise has a passion for helping communities assess and understand the unique ways that they can articulate and enhance their unique community character. As NPG places a high emphasis on enhancing quality of life and creating and maintaining unique communities with a strong sense of place, we are thrilled to have Denise on board.
As for Denise’s education background, she has a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in History from Brock University, a Bachelor of Education from Western University, and in 2015, she graduated from Willowbank School of Restoration Arts with a Diploma in Heritage Conservation. Willowbank provided Denise with foundational knowledge in practical and theoretical approaches to heritage conservation, including hands-on experience working with heritage materials. In 2014, she worked as an intern with UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre in France where she witnessed the benefits and challenges of managing World Heritage Sites, and attended meetings with international experts who outlined creative approaches to local capacity building to sustain heritage places.
With her sunny and effervescent personality, Denise is a perfect fit and a very welcome addition to NPG’s team. You can find Denise enjoying a good book and sipping on a strong cup of tea in her spare time (especially on rainy days).