Thank you to our 2024 National Preservation Award Jurors! Each year jurors volunteer their valuable time to review award nominations that come in from across the country. The National Trust invites jurors to participate in this process from different disciplines and areas of focus for diverse and unique perspectives when reviewing the applicants.

The review process includes meetings and convenings with other jurors and we appreciate the time and the challenging task of going through so many amazing applications to get to our award recipients.

Award recipients will be announced in early October and celebrated during the 2024 PastForward Conference in New Orleans on Monday, October 28. Sign up for email updates about the awards program and ceremony.

Margarita Araiza, Executive Director, Webb County Heritage Foundation

Margarita Araiza has led the Webb County Heritage Foundation for 28 years, creating the Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum and establishing a local history curriculum. She has also developed comprehensive exhibits on the Republic of the Rio Grande and produced popular oral histories and videos on regional history.

Ramona Bartos, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

Ramona Bartos is the administrator of the State Historic Preservation Office and other divisions within the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. She earned a joint Juris Doctor and Master of Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia, and is the current board president of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers.

Samantha Bosshart, Director, Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation

Samantha Bosshart has 28 years of historic preservation experience. Since 2008, she has served as Executive Director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, advocating for historic preservation and overseeing major restoration projects. Samantha is Chair of the National Preservation Partners Network, serving as an observer to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation on NPPN's behalf. She has written extensively on Saratoga Springs history and architecture.

Lauren Cohen, Associate Director of Government Relations, National Trust for Historic Preservation

Lauren Cohen is an experienced Government Relations professional specializing in federal legislative policy and advocacy, historical research, and cultural heritage. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Public History from James Madison University and works at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Marsh Davis, President, Indiana Landmarks

Marsh Davis is the President of Indiana Landmarks, the nation’s largest statewide preservation organization. He holds degrees in history and historic preservation from Butler University and Ball State University. Marsh has served as a Trustee of the National Trust, Chair or Preservation Action and a board member of Partners for Sacred Places.

Melinda Gustin, Executive Board Member, Nevada State Board of Landscape Architects

Melinda Gustin’s award-winning body of work focuses on historic preservation, particularly landmark buildings and historic landscapes. She is a Harrison Fellow at the University of Virginia Historic Land Institute, and has served as the Nevada Advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation since 2006. She has been a Commissioner on the City of Reno Historic Resources Commission and currently serves as President of the Nevada State Board of Landscape Architecture, to which she was initially appointed in 2015, by Governor Brian Sandoval.

Monette Hearn, Board Chair, James Washington House

Monette Hearn is currently the Black Historic Survey Coordinator for the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, Washington State Historic Preservation Office, where she directs the Washington State Black Historic Sites Survey Project (BHSS). The project entails traveling throughout the state to document historic individuals and notable sites that are significant to Black and African American history in Washington State. Hearn has nearly 25 years’ experience specializing in local and African American history; and is a graduate of Antioch University.

Recently, as the BHSS coordinator, Monette has been interfacing with Black and Brown communities, offering them a seat at the table to build a knowledge-based community that will empower people to collaborate and document their cultural heritage and historic preservation through free events. Monette is passionate about her work and has formulated what has often been referred to as “Monette’s Methodology”—boots-on-the-ground engagement and pedagogy. As part of the Stakeholders Advisory Committee, she recently created and hosted the Black History Preservation: Call & Response session on “What Is Historic Preservation?” the first of a planned series of events held at the Tacoma Evergreen State College (a four-year college serving predominantly Black students and founded by Dr. Maxine Mimms in 1972).

Myrick Howard, President Emeritus, Preservation North Carolina

Myrick Howard is President Emeritus of Preservation North Carolina, where he served as President for 45 years. A Durham native, Myrick holds degrees from Brown University and UNC Chapel Hill. He has received numerous statewide and national awards, including induction into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine and the 2023 Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award. Myrick teaches Historic Preservation Planning at UNC Chapel Hill.

Thomas Jester, COO, Quinn Evans

Thomas Jester, FAIA, FAPT, is a national leader in historic preservation and Principal and COO at Quinn Evans. He has directed award-winning projects, including the modernization of the National Academy of Sciences and the recent restoration of Old City Hall in Richmond. He has been involved in efforts to preserve modern architecture since the early 1990s and is the editor of Twentieth-Century Building Materials: History and Conservation.

Monica Rhodes, Expert Member, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

Monica Rhodes, appointed by President Biden, is an award-winning cultural preservationist with over 15 years of experience. She is a 2023 Rome Prize Fellow and a 2022 Loeb Fellow at Harvard University. Rhodes has developed groundbreaking programs at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Park Foundation, focusing on diversifying the preservation industry and funding comprehensive historical narratives.

Gretchen Sullivan Sorin, Director & Distinguished Professor, Cooperstown Graduate Program

Gretchen Sullivan Sorin is the Director of the Cooperstown Graduate Program and a Distinguished Professor. She has over 30 years of experience as a museum educator and consultant. Gretchen specializes in exhibition development with a focus on social justice and has created numerous nationally traveling exhibitions. She emphasizes museum administration, fundraising, and planning in her courses.

Edward Torrez, Co-Founder, Latinos in Heritage Conservation

Edward I. Torrez, is an architect and president of ARDA Design, in Chicago. He has been specializing in Historic Preservation, Adaptive Reuse, Rehabilitation, Interiors and Urban Planning projects throughout the U.S. for many years. Ed is leading or has led numerous projects including, The Muddy Waters Home & MOJO Museum, the Pullman National Monument & State Historic Site, the Emmett Till & Mamie Till Mobley National Monument and the Historic Chicago Water Tower. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees and Chairs the Trust Advisors and is a member of the Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Justice Working Group for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He is also on the Board of Directors for Latinos in Heritage Conservation, a national Latinx preservation organization. Ed has also served on the Chicago Commission on Landmarks and was a member of the Illinois State Historic Sites Advisory Committee, which reviewed Illinois site nominations to the National Register of Historic Places.

Nancy Ukai, Project Director, 50 Objects/Stories

Nancy Ukai is a writer and researcher, known for her leadership in protesting the Rago auction of Japanese American concentration camp artifacts. She is director of the website 50objects.org, a National Park Service JACS grant, and a founding member of the Wakasa Memorial Committee, a survivor and descendant group that advocates for the preservation of a WWII monument at the Topaz NHL in Utah.

Sonny Ward, Expert Member, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

Sonny Ward is the President of the California Architects Board, and founder of June Street Architecture in West Hollywood, which specializes in the preservation and restoration of historic properties. Sonny holds degrees from Woodbury University and UCLA and serves on several advisory boards, including a recent appointment by President Biden to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

Megan Wood, Executive Director, Ohio History Connection

Megan Wood is the first woman to lead the Ohio History Connection, overseeing a network of 58 sites and 1.8 million collection items. She started with the organization in 2006, focusing on preserving and interpreting Ohio's diverse history and heritage.