Tom serves as the National Trust’s representative on the boards of the Montpelier Foundation, Main Street America and the National Trust Community Development Corporation (NTCIC).

Tom has written and spoken widely on preservation law, the underlying purposes of historic preservation, and the future of preservation. For many years, he taught historic preservation law at the University of Maryland. A lifelong preservationist, Tom serves as a member of his local historic preservation commission in Shepherdstown, WV. A recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Rome Prize in Historic Preservation in 2013, Tom is the author of Why Old Places Matter (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018).

Tom received his B.A. with honors in History in 1981 and his J.D. in 1985 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in writing from Johns Hopkins University. He joined the National Trust’s legal team in 1986.

Although Merritt is known for her litigation work, having represented the National Trust in nearly 200 cases in state and federal courts, including two dozen transportation cases, she has a stronger interest in using negotiation and administrative advocacy to persuade government agencies to make more preservation-sensitive decisions, especially through consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

In addition to her litigation and advocacy experience, Betsy has lectured widely on preservation law, and she has testified before Congress on several occasions regarding transportation policy and other issues relating to historic preservation. She has also been directly influential in shaping legislation and regulations implementing Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

Betsy is a native of Seattle, Washington. She graduated from Harvard Law School in 1980, and from Mills College in Oakland, California in 1976.

Ross serves as assistant corporate secretary for the organization and oversees the National Trust’s compliance with state charitable registration laws along with delivering a broad range of other legal services including lobbying compliance at the federal, state, and local levels of government. He also provides strategic guidance and support for advocacy related matters related to the National Trust’s collection of Historic Sites and broader programmatic work.

Ross received a B.A. in Political Science and English Literature from Emory University and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a graduate of the American Express Leadership Academy.

Prior to joining the National Trust, Leslie worked for three real estate developers in Atlanta, GA, responsible for commercial real estate leasing and asset management, and then moved to Washington D.C. where she worked as a paralegal for seven years at an international law firm.

Leslie received her J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 2004 and she is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia.

Prior to joining the National Trust, Michelle worked in both the public and private sectors, including as an Assistant Attorney General for the District of Columbia in the civil defensive litigation and juvenile prosecution sections. She first-chaired trials in both the Superior Court for the District of Columbia and in the United States District Court for DC.

Michelle received a B.A. in Historic Preservation from Mary Washington College in 1995 and a J.D. from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in 1998. She is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia.

Prior to joining the National Trust, Jade worked as a staff attorney for a legal services organization to preserve homeownership through estate planning and tax sale prevention. Jade has also worked as a family law litigator and bill drafter for the Maryland Department of Legislative Services. Prior to law school, Jade worked as a reporter for the (Charleston) Post and Courier.

Jade received a B.A. in Mass Communications and Journalism from the University of South Carolina and her J.D. from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia and Maryland.

Prior to joining the Trust, Claire worked as a planner with several local and regional governments in Virginia, specializing in comprehensive and environmental planning and local historic district administration.

Claire received a B.A. in History with a minor in Art History from Old Dominion University and a Master of Urban and Environmental Planning with Historic Preservation Certificate from the University of Virginia. She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Prior to joining the National Trust, she worked with local nonprofits to interpret and preserve important places in a range of communities. Originally from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Erica attended Michigan Technological University and the University of Arizona focusing on history and heritage conservation.

Elaine received a B.A. with honors in Historic Preservation from the University of Mary Washington and a Paralegal Certificate from Boston University.