National Trust Names New President

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named Stephanie Meeks as President.
In an email to partner organizations on June 14, Cliff Hudson, president of the board of trustees, said, “I am very pleased to tell you that Stephanie Meeks, an experienced non-profit leader, has accepted our invitation to become the National Trust's eighth president. The board voted yesterday to approve the unanimous recommendation of the search committee, which I have been privileged to chair, and this morning I had the pleasure of introducing her to the staff here in Washington.”

“All of us who have met Stephanie believe she is the ideal person to lead the organization at this critical point in its history. Her long-time membership in the National Trust and unmistakable passion for our work, combined with impressive experience in leading large organizations, including The Nature Conservancy and most recently Counterpart International equips her superbly to take the National Trust to the next level of effectiveness,” said Hudson. “We are all enthusiastic about working with her in the years ahead, and I believe you will be too when you get to know her.” Meeks’ biography can be found on www.preservationnation.org.

Meeks, 45, lives with her husband and three children in Falls Church, Virginia but hails from Colorado. "It is with great enthusiasm and respect," she said, "that I look forward to joining the National Trust for Historic Preservation next month,” she said. “It is an important organization with an important mission, and I enthusiastically embrace the opportunity to build on the remarkable foundation laid by Richard Moe over the past seventeen years. Holding true to the values of preserving the nation's heritage, I hope to expand upon his work to broaden the reach of the National Trust to encompass the protection of consequential places at the heart of all of our communities. At this time in our history, we have an opportunity – and a need – to embrace what makes our individual communities unique and authentic and celebrate and preserve those qualities."

President Emeritus Richard Moe said he shares the excitement and enthusiasm surrounding Meeks’ election: "She has the perfect combination of talents and experiences to lead the National Trust and the preservation movement toward greater impact and relevance, particularly in areas like sustainability and economic development. She and the National Trust clearly have many shared values, and I look forward to working closely with her on the transition in the months ahead. I congratulate the search committee and the board for making such a superb choice, and I ask everyone in the National Trust family of friends to give Stephanie the same support you have given me, and even more. Believe me, the possibilities for the National Trust and for historic preservation are unlimited."

Meeks will assume office at the Trust in July.