John Canning & Co.'s Leadership
Principals & Company Leaders

David Riccio
David is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC). He is also an Association for Preservation Technology (APT) Recognized Professional, an honor he received in 2019.
David is an integral part of the John Canning Co. He has been a visionary leader for the entire Canning team for more than twenty-five years. He is an industry-recognized expert on historic flat and ornamental plaster as well as decorative painting techniques, gilding, and glazing and has developed multiple innovative solutions for complex restoration conditions.
David established Canning’s on-site, historic preservation painting studio, and expanded the company's specialty contracting capabilities so that the Canning standards could be applied to all preservation disciplines and project management pertinent to the historic restoration projects.
His planning and project management skills keep projects on track and on budget. David has overseen large-scale projects such as the Virginia State Capitol, the Pennsylvania State Capitol, Radio City Music Hall, and the War Memorial Opera in San Francisco. Many of the projects that he has been involved in have received national awards.

John Canning
John is an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) – the only decorative painter in North America to be so honored. He is also a professional associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC).
John is the leading authority in the United States on traditional decorative painting techniques and materials and historic color palettes. He studied in Glasgow, Scotland where he attended the Glasgow Stow College of Building, the Scottish Decorative Trades Institute and the Glasgow School of Art. He earned the prestigious London City & Guilds certificate and served his apprenticeship as a church decorator in U.K.
Restoration architects and preservation leaders rely on John’s experience and often seek his advice on the interpretation of historic, period interiors with complex finish systems such as encaustic and distemper paints, simulated inlaid wood-grain, marbling, trompe l’oeil, architectural grisaille, freehand artwork, and old world gilding and glazing effects.
A champion of education, John continues to share his knowledge of the architectural arts with clients and professionals as a guest lecturer at university graduate preservation programs and by leading decorative finish workshops and professional development presentations.

Dorothea Canning-Hennessey
In addition to making sure everything runs smoothly day-to-day, Dorothea oversees and manages Canning’s safety programs and protocols. Her education in construction management has led to automating the company’s information systems taking advantage of the efficiencies provided by up-to-date technology for managing finances, compliance reporting, and overall customer service.
Because of her experience on large-scale projects, and with multiple federal and state agencies throughout the country, Dorothea has a comprehensive understanding of regulations and reporting requirements, and serves as the company expert in those areas.

Jacqueline Canning Riccio
Studio Design Director
Over thirty years' experience in the field of historic paint decoration. Jacqueline uses her expertise to manage all the studio decorative art and design work and is a vital component in making sure we achieve our goal of perfecting preservation. She formed part of the team responsible for the restoration of the Connecticut State Capitol, Rhode Island State Capitol, Pennsylvania State Capitol, the Michigan State Capitol and many other projects.
(Learn More about Jacqueline in the Team Spotlight)
Key Team Members

Piotr Wirkijowski
Director of Art
Piotr is a fine artist and architectural designer with over twenty years of experience in the United States and Europe. As the studio’s Director of Art, he leads the design and execution of all murals and other fine art.
(Learn More about Piotr in the Team Spotlight)

Yvette Dudac
Director of Business Development
With over thirty years of experience in the areas of sales management, product management, customer support, design, integration and marketing, Yvette brings a wide range of talents and expertise to her role at John Canning & Co. She continues to work towards the continuous growth and reach of the company.

David Gough
Project Manager
David has over twenty five years experience as a project manager and craftsman with a proven track record developing, estimating, and executing high quality architectural and restoration projects for public, private, and commercial clients. David has successfully managed historic preservation projects across the U.S.
(Learn More about David in the Team Spotlight)

Patrick Murphy
Director of Projects
Patrick’s love of historic places, eye for detail, and past experience on the proposal team makes him a perfect fit for managing all the ins and outs when it comes to Canning’s restoration, conservation and preservation projects. He directs all the management of projects and coordination of all phases of preservation work from concept through installation including pre-construction documentation, assessments, and surveys.

Hope Ensing
Project Coordinator, Canning Liturgical Arts
Hope joined the CLA team with a focused interest in restoring beauty to America’s sacred buildings. She is a graduate of Hillsdale College with a B.A. in History and concentrations in both German and Art History. She has a deep appreciation of America's historic architecture and the artistic talents who envisioned and produced these timeless gifts to the world. Her background in Art History, German, and Italian has inspired a love of historic architecture and decoration. Her experiences with various conservators and curators have guided her interests in artistic preservation, beautification, and urban development towards revitalizing the churches that define the American skyline. Hope is dedicated to preserving and beautifying sacred buildings so that everyone might experience the wonder of that which is truly beautiful.

Rachel Rodrigues Gilberti
Fine Arts Conservator/Project Manager
Rachel has studied in Italy at the Studio Arts Center International and has worked on multi-million dollar projects such as Cathedrals, Theaters, Synagogues, Government Buildings, Museums, and Convents, as well as, smaller chapels, hotels and individuals works. Most of these projects were located in high visibility areas in New York City, New Jersey, Washington D.C. and other locations throughout the United States, Brazil, and Italy.

Michael Nelson
Lead Decorative Painter
Michael has more than a decade’s experience in the field of construction with emphasis on historic restoration, and is proficient in all techniques of the decorative painting. Michael’s project experience includes daily onsite supervision of large scale restoration projects.

Scott Campbell
Master Plasterer/Supervisor
With over thirty years of experience in the field of plaster, Scott has been an integral part of the restorations of historic buildings across the county. His expertise covers a wide range of ornamental plaster skills including restoration, recreation and the molding and carving of plaster. Besides being proficient with all things historic plaster, Scott often takes on the managing, scheduling and coordinating all elements involved with the successful completion of the restoration projects in the supervisory role for some projects.

Renato Tavecchio
Master Craftsman
Renato has over thirty years’ experience in the conservation and restoration of architectural woodwork and furniture from various time periods that include Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical, and Empire styles. He is highly skilled with elaborate inlays and carved pieces and has worked with many types of wood, including oak, mahogany, and redwood.His expertise has been an essential part for the successful restoration of many of Canning’s significant historic projects including the Lockwood Mathews Mansion, Boston Public Library and the Cosmos Club in DC.
(Learn More about Renato in the Team Spotlight)

Joshua Kaminski
Conservation Technician
Joshua is a proficient and dedicated conservation technician who first became interesting in the conservation of fine art while studying for his undergraduate degree in history. His background in history provides him with a unique perspective on preserving artwork for future generations as well as the significance and ethics of the conservation process. His skills covers a wide variety of areas including paint sampling, historic paint investigations, decorative painting, gilding, plaster repair, historic paint and metal cleaning as well as conservation of architectural woodwork and stone.

Sadie Rose Heisler
Conservation Technician
Sadie, as a conservation technician brings a proficiency and dedication to the work she performs. With her strong educational background that includes a architecture major, sculpture/ceramics minor and an associates degree in building preservation/restoration, she brings a passion for preserving artwork and a great understanding for the conservation process. Her skills cover a wide variety of areas including decorative painting, gilding, and historic paint as well as conservation of other finishes.

Christine Barnette
Project Manager
Christine’s love for history and art, brings a passion for perfecting preservation that fits perfectly with Canning. Her decades of experience and high quality of work in fine art, decorative painting, gilding, plastering and other decorative finishes has allowed her to be an integral part of many key projects.

Timothy Phebus
Project Leader/Conservation Technician
Tim has many years of experience as an architectural finishes technician and historic treatment specialist. During this time, he has contributed to many successful projects in both secured and secular national landmark and historical buildings across the United States. His skills cover a wide variety of areas for the conservation of historic finishes including paint, stone, metals and woodwork.

Zoe Riccio
Production Artist
Zoe following in the family footsteps has been assisting in various aspects of the ins and outs of the studio production at John Canning & Co. While she is assisting in the studio production, she continues to gain knowledge of the decorative arts and expand her talents.

Isabella Riccio
Conservation Technician
Isabella has been interested in the family business since she was a child and over the years has trained and helped out in various projects at Canning. She is now following in the family footsteps full-time. With two Bachelors of Art degrees from Berklee College of Music, she brings the family passion for perfecting preservation and an eye for detail into every project she is a part of. She continues to advance her knowledge in all aspects of the decorative arts as well as project management to be vital part of the Canning team.

Elizabeth Laboy
Project Administrator
Elizabeth brings a background of business administration and management to her role in helping make all our projects run smoothly. Her administration experience and organization management are a great asset to Canning, as the company continues to grow, taking on bigger and more complex projects.

Agustin Nino
Estimator
Agustin has spent over a decade in construction industry working various aspects of the business including estimating which makes him a great addition to the Canning estimating team. His knowledge in architectural drawings, specifications, scheduling, and cost assessing helps the team in meeting the hectic deadlines for bids, budgets and proposals as the demand for the Canning expertise and services continues to grows.

Amy Zucca, Ph.D.
Art Historian
Dr. Zucca joins Canning. as its resident Art Historian with a doctorate in Art History, specialization in the Italian Renaissance period. Zucca will bring her expertise to bear, as sacred and historic sites are evaluated and provide context for the architectural styles and symbolism that these spaces reveal. Through the collaboration with clients and in-house artists on commissioned work, she will also be writing featured blogs and articles on the current day connections between art and architecture performed by Canning., delving into the historical designs, techniques, and imagery inspired by the Old Masters

Natalie Turner
Liturgical Designer
Natalie brings her talents and passions of the arts to her role in on the Liturgical design team. Her studies in Architectural Art & Design and strong interest in architecture and the beauty it brings make her a great addition to the design team. Having attended The Catholic University of America makes her a perfect fit to work on our Liturgical projects. She works on various phases of the design process from initial sketches, renderings through to the final design of decorative schemes and art work to help transform and beautify spaces.