Kathleen Dardes is the head of Collections at the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI). She grew up in Darby, Pennsylvania, and studied art history and classics at Temple University in the 1970s. Dardes went on to study art conservation at the Courtauld Institute of Art in the 1980s. Dardes worked as a conservator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She joined the GCI in 1988 as the senior coordinator for the Training Program. In this interview, Dardes discusses her early life and education; career in art conservation; joining the staff of the GCI; creating international art conservation training programs, including building curriculum and partnerships; changes in department name and structure; important projects, including the Middle East Photograph Preservation Initiative (MEPPI) and the Research into Practice workshop series; controversies regarding antiquities; changes in the field of art conservation; and changes at the Getty, including finances, sites of operation, and leadership.