Bureau Members (2024 – 2027)
Kerime DANIS – President (Australia)
Trained as an architect and heritage consultant with over 40 years of experience in heritage conservation in Australia and the Turkish Republic, Kerime leads the heritage team at a Sydney consultancy firm.
Kerime is also the current President of ICOMOS Advisory Committee. As an Advisory Committee Officer, she has contributed to the ICOMOS Responsible Practice Toolkit, Triennial Scientific Plan 2024-2027, and the Mentorship Toolkit.
She has served as ICIP Secretary General since 2018, and supported the Bureau's work by coordinating with the President, drafting annual reports, and contributing to the ICOMOS 2021-2023 and 2024-2027 Triennial Scientific Plans. She has also drafted the ICIP By-Laws and helped establishing seven working groups.
Her extensive experience in heritage interpretation spans a variety of projects, including adaptive reuse and State Significant Developments in NSW. She has worked with ICIP and Australia ICOMOS’ committees on Intangible Cultural Heritage and Caring for Country, collaborating with Indigenous communities, stakeholders, and specialists to develop interpretation strategies and frameworks. These projects integrate storytelling, digital media, and graphic design into the fabric of cultural heritage sites.
Jihon KIM – Secretary-General (Republic of Korea)
Dr. Jihon Kim is a Senior Programme Specialist at the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, where she has worked for the last 16 years, taking charge of work concerning international cultural heritage conventions as well as managing various international research and development projects. This includes projects with capacity-building programmes for local communities and relevant institutions, such as governments and museums, to mainstream sustainable development and heritage protection. Regarding heritage interpretation, she has been involved in research projects aimed at identifying best practices for heritage interpretation at UNESCO World Heritage Sites and relevant museums, particularly with the participation of local communities, as well as in the development of guidelines for heritage interpretation in site management.
She has been teaching heritage law and policy at Sungkyunkwan University and Konkuk University as an Adjunct Professor since 2016 and conducting research on conflicts over contested heritage issues at Seoul National University as a Research Fellow in the Institute of International Studies and a Visiting Scholar at the Harvard University Asia Center. She is a board member of ICOMOS Korea and co-convenor of the working group on 'Contested Histories' within ICOMOS-ICIP. She has also served as a board member of the Our World Heritage initiative, a global NGO advocating for heritage protection, and has organized various events on dissonant memories of heritage sites.
She is a former Research Fellow at the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) and served as a diplomat at the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Korea to UNESCO and as a Public Legislative Officer (Culture, Sports, and Tourism) at the South Korean Ministry of Government Legislation. She received her B.A. in Archaeology and Art History and her M.A. and Ph.D. in International Studies from Seoul National University. She was the Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University Asia Center.
Dr. Kim has written many books and articles on international cultural heritage law and civil society, including the “Non-State Actors in the Protection of Cultural Heritage” (2021) and “Direction and Agenda of the World Heritage Interpretation for Peace Building and Sustainable Development” (2022).
Darko BABIC – Vice-President, Policy (Croatia)
Darko (Associate Professor; PhD in Museum/Heritage Studies) acts as Chair of the Sub-Department of Museology and heritage Management at the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, the University of Zagreb (Croatia).
He is very active in advancement of museum/heritage profession served or serving as Executive Director (ex-Chair and Board Member) of ICOM Croatia, as ex-Chair of ICOM-ICTOP (now acting as the Board Advisor) and as initial founder and within a three terms (2010-2019) the Supervisory Board member of the Interpret Europe, the European Association for Heritage interpretation His research interests are heritage interpretation, heritage and sustainable development, as well as management and policies.
Darko has substantial experience in implementation of the EU-funded heritage projects and as author of museum and heritage related plans and developments (foremost interpretation plans & strategies for creating of new trainings or exhibitions). From 2018 he acts as advisor to Croatian Minister of Culture.
In 2013 Darko introduced course “Heritage Interpretation” at the University of Zagreb.He is a member of editorial boards of “HER & MUS journal” (Ediciones Trea, Spain) and “Museologica Brunensia” (Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic).
Darko has been involved in creation of several European and/or nationally awarded winning heritage projects (The Treasury of Međimurje, Betina Museum of Woden Shipbuilding) as well heritage interpretation centres in Croatia.
Jae Heon CHOI – Vice-President, Programs and Activities (Republic of Korea)
Jae has been a professor in the Department of Geography at Konkuk University since 1995, holding a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, USA. Throughout his academic career, he has made significant contributions to the field of heritage interpretation, both through theoretical research and practical implementation. He is currently serving as the President of ICOMOS Korea and has previously held leadership roles in the Korean Urban Geographical Society and as a member of the ICOMOS World Heritage Panel.
In 2014, he established the World Heritage Studies program at the graduate school of Konkuk University, which continues to nurture young professionals in the field of heritage interpretation. Additionally, he played a critical role in the establishment of the World Heritage Interpretation and Presentation Center (WHIPIC).
Jae’s practical experience includes overseeing the inscription of World Heritage sites and serving as a project director for significant initiatives such as the Nomination Dossier for Sansa, Mountain Monasteries in Korea. Through his work with WHIPIC and various international conferences, he has presented new approaches to heritage interpretation, further strengthening his understanding and experience in this field.
Bekeh UKELINA – Vice-President (Co-opted), Emerging Technologies (Nigeria)
Bekeh is a Professor of History and Africana Studies and the Director of the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies at the State University of New York, Cortland. His scholarship centers on interpreting and presenting culture, bridging the gap between scholarly research and public understanding.
Bekeh’s career has been deeply rooted in studying, preserving, and interpreting heritage. He has a Master's Degree in Religion and Culture from the Catholic University of America and a Ph.D. in History from West Virginia University.
Furthermore, his graduate certificate in Digital Public Humanities from George Mason University has equipped him with professional and technical skills / experiences with the skills to present and interpret heritage for various audiences.
Past Bureau Members
2021-2024
President - Ms Sue Hodges
Secretary-General - Ms Kerime Danis
Vice-Presidents –
Ms Anne Ketz (USA), Dr Darko Babic (Croatia), Dr Wei Ren (China)
2018-2021
President - Ms Sue Hodges
Secretary-General - Ms Kerime Danis
Vice-Presidents –
Ms Anne Ketz (USA), Dr Darko Babic (Croatia)