Pauline Rafferty

Chancellor's Community Recognition Award

Spring 2011 Convocation

Pauline Rafferty has brought a mix of knowledge, leadership skill and experience to her roles with the Royal BC Museum since 1992.

From 1994 to 2001, she was a director within the museum, responsible for managing finance, marketing, human resources and information systems. After her appointment as CEO in 2001, Rafferty and her team successfully transformed Royal BC Museum as a Crown corporation, enacted a new Museum Act and had title for Cultural Precinct lands transferred to the Royal BC Museum Corporation. She did all of this while achieving greater financial self-sufficiency for the organization.

Prior to joining the museum team, she used her archaeology training in the field for five years from 1974 to 1979. Throughout the 1980s, Rafferty worked for the provincial Archaeology Branch, Heritage Trust and the Ministry of Tourism. Her work first centred on archaeology, then on heritage interpretation. She supervised survey crews and managed grant proposals for heritage-project proponents. In additional to that work she also met the marketing needs at provincial sites such as Fort Steele and Barkerville.

In 1990, Rafferty was appointed assistant deputy minister at the Ministry of Women’s Equality.

Rafferty has been honoured for her work with awards from organizations such as the Canadian Museum Association and Tourism BC. Additionally, Rafferty is an active volunteer with several community organizations. She serves on the boards of the National Capital Commission’s marketing and programming advisory board, the Alliance of Natural History Museums of Canada, Simon Fraser University, the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Victoria.

Rafferty’s work at the Royal BC Museum has meant a significant contribution to the economy of Victoria and the surrounding community. The role Royal BC Museum played in the redevelopment of Helmcken House and most significantly the role of the museum in the successful repatriation of Nisga'a artifacts in 1998 are a few examples of the kind of important community contribution Rafferty has championed through her leadership.

A trained archaeologist, Pauline Rafferty has practical experience in uncovering and protecting history. She brought that skill set to her work for the Archaeology Branch, Heritage Trust and the Ministry of Tourism in the 1980s supervising survey crews and managing grant applications. She also worked to promote and finance heritage sites such as Fort Steele and Barkerville.

In the 1990s Rafferty was assistant deputy minister at the Ministry of Women’s Equality when she joined The Royal BC Museum to develop a new business plan in 1992. By 2001 she had been appointed CEO of the museum.

Under her leadership RBCM was transformed as a Crown corporation. She was also deeply involved in enacting a new Museum Act and helped the museum achieve greater financial self-sufficiency while solidifying its important place in Victoria and the larger community of British Columbia for generations to come.

Rafferty’s work at the Royal BC Museum has meant a significant contribution to the tourism business in Victoria. Under her leadership the museum played an important role in the redevelopment of Helmcken House and most significantly the museum was instrumental in helping the successful repatriation of Nisga'a artifacts in 1998.

For her contribution and leadership to her community and for helping to ensure the history of the community is maintained and understood by future generations, we honour Pauline Rafferty with the Chancellor’s Community Recognition Award at Royal Roads University.