New Executive Director Announced

DALLAS -- The board of directors of Preservation Dallas has announced the appointment of Katherine D. Seale as the new executive director for the organization. Ms. Seale succeeds Dwayne Jones, who assumed a similar position with the Galveston Historical Foundation in December of 2006. Ms. Seale served as interim executive director of Preservation Dallas for the previous nine months, and has held a staff position with the organization since 2001.

“Preservation Dallas is one of the most relevant organizations in making our communities more vital, and it is a pleasure to serve as its director,” says Ms. Seale

“It’s always been evident to our board and membership that Katherine possessed a wealth of knowledge, passion and skills in advocating and educating on preservation issues,” said Chris Culak, president of Preservation Dallas. “In her interim status Katherine grew into this position in so many positive ways that we couldn’t have anticipated. We conducted a nationwide search and interviewed multiple candidates, but it became evident that we had the right person in place all along.”

Ms. Seale joined Preservation Dallas six years ago as project director for the Discover Dallas initiative, an architectural survey of Dallas’ historic neighborhoods and significant landmarks. This multi-year year project helped residents better understand their community’s history, characteristics and resources, as well as options for preserving them. In this role Ms Seale led and educated more than 500 volunteers in 45 neighborhoods through training seminars, field surveys and archival research.

Ms. Seale received her Master’s degree in architectural history from the University of Virginia in 2001, and earned her undergraduate degree in art history from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. She has completed additional educational programs in architecture and urban planning both domestically and abroad.

Preservation Dallas is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of Dallas’ buildings, neighborhoods and other historical, architectural, and cultural resources. Founded in 1972, Preservation Dallas has a successful history of saving some of our community’s most significant landmarks.

Leslie Tucker Joins Preservation Dallas

In November, Leslie Tucker joined Preservation Dallas as the new survey coordinator. Leslie will be conducting and managing architectural surveys throughout the city and working with neighborhood organizations to promote preservation planning. In addition, she will work with survey committees and volunteers to complete a searchable online database of survey data and an interactive city-wide map of historic neighborhoods.

Leslie has worked in the preservation field for the past ten years. After receiving her master's degree in historic preservation from the Savannah College of Art & Design, she served as the preservation coordinator at Historic Savannah Foundation for two years. In 1999, she joined the public policy department at the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C. As state and local policy analyst at the National Trust, Leslie collected and analyzed "best practices" in state and local preservation programs and policies from across the country. Her research was focused on local historic preservation ordinances, design guidelines, comprehensive plans and other planning and zoning tools that promote preservation and downtown revitalization and discourage sprawl. She also provided advocacy and educational support to state and local preservation organizations and the general public on a variety of issues impacting preservation. Prior to joining Preservation Dallas, Leslie was a principal at the Community Land Use & Economics (CLUE) Group, LLC, a private consulting firm specializing in historic preservation and community revitalization.