Jo Wills

Jo Wills is an experienced museum worker who is passionate about helping museums in regional and remote communities. She seeks to inspire volunteers, First Nation’s communities, and other cultural sector workers to deliver inclusive projects that build capacity, celebrate culture and history, respect the environment, and which create a lasting impact for those involved in developing them.

Based in Cairns in Far North Queensland, Jo travels throughout the region to identify key needs and challenges facing museums, keeping places and the people who work in them. She currently works as a Senior Museum Development Officer as part the Museum Development Program at Queensland Museum. In this role she uses her strong community engagement skills to advocate for and deliver best practice museum management, curatorial skills, disaster recovery and training across the sector. 

Jo undertook her PhD in museum studies and community engagement to pursue her interests in environmental history, identity, and storytelling. It was part of an ARC Linkage Project with the National Museum of Australia and the Murray Darling Basin Commission and undertaken through the University of Tasmania. She has since worked on a variety of projects as a lecturer, heritage officer and curator, and was a staff member on the Deakin University team that won the International Council of Museums Award (Australia) for International Relations for training Buddhist monks in Lampang Thailand. 

Jo’s work in regional Queensland has resulted in revitalised museums, creative exhibitions, strategic development, engaged volunteers, and community disaster recovery. In 2023, a five-year work program to create a new museum in Babinda resulted in the project, community and Jo being recognised with awards at the Museum and Galleries Queensland State Awards.