The National Trust for Historic Preservation is pleased to announce the appointment of two distinguished preservation leaders to serve as ex-officio members of the Board of Trustees for one three year term. Sam Collins (Galveston, TX) and Adrian Scott Fine (Los Angeles, CA) were elected at the Annual Membership Meeting of the National Trust on September 22th during the National Preservation Summit, which took place at Washington National Cathedral. These appointments come at a pivotal and unprecedented time for the historic preservation movement as our nation’s shared civic and cultural inheritance is under threat.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sam and Adrian–two national voices on historic preservation,” said Phoebe Tudor, Chair of the Board of Trustees for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Their presence on the board will bolster the National Trust in its mission to protect America’s historic places–especially at this challenging time in our field. Their experience, knowledge, and deep commitment to preservation will be crucial to the work of the Trust.”

“Preservation is most effective when championed by people who care deeply for historic places,” said Brent Leggs, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Sam and Adrian are preservation leaders firmly rooted in their communities, which will help inform how we address the regional and national issues facing preservation today.”

Leggs, during his keynote address at the summit, also announced the establishment of the Historic Preservation Defense Fund, an ambitious $10M fundraising campaign to provide resources for legal defense, public advocacy, and community action whenever historic places and the laws that protect them are under threat.

Members of the National Trust’s Board of Trustees collectively govern the National Trust and provide the organization with counsel, guidance, and leadership. For a full list of the current board members, please visit our Board of Trustees landing page. More information on the two newest board members can be found below:

• Samuel Collins, III, Ex-Officio Representative for the National Trust Advisors (Galveston, Texas) For the past twenty years, Sam has been instrumental in organizing community members to get Juneteenth-related historical markers, murals, statutes, and public exhibits established. He was also heavily involved in the presidential pardon of Jack Johnson (the Galveston Giant), and many restoration and historical projects throughout Galveston County. Sam chairs or holds a seat on key historical, preservation, and community boards and committees throughout Galveston County and the state of Texas. In 2007, he became a National Trust Advisor and served as a mentor to more than ten Diversity in Preservation Scholars. He used his first-hand knowledge of preservation to serve as a jurist for the Mitchell and Favrot families grants, and to serve on several boards including the Rosenberg Library and the Ruby Bridges Foundation (National Board).
• Adrian Scott Fine, Ex-Officio Representative for Statewide and Local Preservation Partners (Los Angeles, California) As President and CEO of the Los Angeles Conservancy, Adrian Scott Fine provides overall leadership for the nation’s largest local, nonprofit membership-based heritage conservation organization. Collaborating with local governments, nonprofit partners, and community stakeholders, he ensures the Conservancy remains a proactive force in shaping one of the country’s most diverse metropolitan landscapes. Previously, Fine served as the Conservancy’s Senior Director of Advocacy, leading preservation campaigns, revitalization initiatives, and responses to critical heritage conservation challenges. He previously worked at the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C., as Director of the Center for State and Local Policy, and earlier as Director of the Northeast Field Office in Philadelphia.