Richard Thiessen

Executive Director

Richard has been Executive Director of the Museum since April 2014. He grew up in Chilliwack and was Library Director at Mennonite Brethren Bible College / Concord College from 1990 to 2000, and Library Director at Columbia Bible College from 2000 to 2014. He also serves as Managing Editor of GAMEO, the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. He has a passion for gathering and telling the Mennonite story.

Jenny Bergen

Museum Educator

Jenny joined us as Museum Educator in October of 2019. She has always felt a strong connection to her Mennonite heritage and enjoys digging deeper into the Mennonite story. With a background in Art and Education Jenny has a passion for continual learning and strengthening community relationships. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, painting, and spending time with friends and family while exploring the great outdoors.

Jennifer Martens

Office and Volunteer Manager

Jennifer joined us as Office and Volunteer Manager in July 2016. She was recently employed as a Library Technician at Mennonite Educational Institute Schools for 19 years and the Fraser Valley Regional Library since 2013. Jennifer enjoys reading, history, organizing, facilitating projects and working with volunteers and teams. She has a keen interest in community culture, food history, genealogy and cross-generational relationships. Her favourite activities are spending time with family, making handmade cards and shopping for gifts, books, paper, art supplies, fabric and yarn.

Mary Ann Quiring

Receptionist and Office Assistant

Mary Ann Quiring has been interested in the Mennonite story for many years. She enjoys reading and spending time working on genealogy. She is excited about the facilities that house the Mennonite Heritage Museum and the opportunity to connect with researchers and visitors alike. Mary Ann is married to Ernie Quiring and enjoys spending time with their 7 grandchildren.

Viola Wall

Cafe Cook & Baker Level 1

Cafe Team Lead

Colin Manning

Building & Grounds Maintenance

Colin comes to our Museum excited to recreate the success he has had as a site manager for a school his two daughters attended when they were young. He brings with him years of expertise as a Red Seal Electrician and experience with maintenance, having worked in a variety of fields including telecoms, irrigation, and landscaping, to name a few. Colin grew up in England 11 miles from Trafalgar Square where he lived in the same house until he bought his own at age 22. He has strong roots in the UK with his maternal grandmother being of Irish descent and his surname, Manning, originating from the centre of Ireland. He now makes his home in the Fraser Valley near his daughters and their families after having traveled to countries on several continents. He looks forward to one day traveling back to places he has enjoyed along with a few places he’s never been, but for now he keeps busy doing home renovations, being the best grandad to his 3 grandsons and indulging in a few of life’s local enjoyments, reading books, listening to music, chuckling at a corny joke or two and keeping an eye out for a rare sighting of a 1970's English two seater sports car, the Triumph TR6, which can sometimes be seen cruising around in the Fraser Valley on sunny, summer days.

Rita Siebert

Cafe Cook & Baker Level 2

Darlene Klassen

Cafe Cook & Baker Level 2

Lilian Batista

Cafe Cook & Baker Level 2 Auxiliary

She grew up in South of Brazil in a very Mennonite Cozy Home where she lived the true Anabaptist culture, learned German at home and Portuguese at School, and moved out to Canada in 2015. Here in the Fraser Valley, she spent her working time serving customers in a very friendly, patient and respectful manner making new friends. She also likes to speak with people and make them feel at home. She enjoys and loves her husband and two kids. Living in Canada is a dream come true for her and she's making this place her new home.