Doris Van Den Brekel will be retiring next month after fifteen years with the AGO. She joined the Gallery in 1998 as Program Coordinator of the then Docent (now Gallery Guide) program. In the fifteen years that Doris held this role, she saw it through a tremendous shift from a traditional tour-based program to an interactive model that represented the values and objectives of the transformed AGO. Under Doris’ creative stewardship the AGO’s Gallery Guide program has become recognized as one of the leading programs of its kind for its focus on casual in-gallery conversation with visitors.

Over the past five years, Doris played a significant role in establishing innovative programming to increase access to our collections for groups living with disabilities. These programs include multisensory tours for people with vision loss and the Art in the Moment program for people living with Alzheimer’s. Most recently, Doris has worked with our Family Program team to create customized experiences for children with Autism.

Doris has been a great support and tireless champion of the Gallery Guides. One of the Gallery Guides aptly describes Doris as “one of the most empathetic, accessible, involved, and intelligent people I have ever worked with. She has a great appreciation of what volunteers have to offer.”

Doris’s last day at the AGO will be June 14. Please stay tuned for details of a farewell celebration.