Announcing Our New President & CEO
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Search Committee, we are delighted to share the news that Carol Quillen has been appointed as the 10th President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. We look forward to introducing you to Carol so that you can experience her energy, passion, and thoughtful perspective for yourself. She will begin her presidency on January 16, 2024.
We want to express our appreciation to the many people who contributed to this process and ultimately to this moment in our history. We sought to have a truly collaborative and engaging process, and that was only possible thanks to all of you who so freely shared your passions and aspirations for the National Trust. We are grateful for your participation – for the conversations, debates, observations, and lessons which undergirded our work. We are a stronger organization because of your engagement.
Carol’s appointment received unanimous endorsement from the board. Her record of transformational leadership in higher education, her ability to lead change with courage and sensitivity, and her deep appreciation for the importance of historic preservation in our democracy make her the ideal leader for the National Trust at this moment.
Carol served as the President of Davidson College from 2011 to 2022. During her tenure she developed the vision for and led a $555 million campaign, and revised campus planning to align the realities of Davidson’s facilities and infrastructure with its educational aspirations. These changes included the construction of a new transdisciplinary Academic Center, a student resource center, and the creation of a Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
She has exhibited a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion and at Davidson approached this work with bold vision and immediate action. She created a Commission on Race and Slavery to explore the college’s past and took several important steps to act on the findings and to create a more just present and future. She developed a diverse leadership team both in management and on the Board of Trustees.
Carol is joining the National Trust at an exciting time as we prepare for our 75th Anniversary. The preservation movement has evolved greatly over the decades, and continues to do so. We are eager to work with this extraordinary leader to advance the Trust’s mission and its work throughout the nation.
We want to thank Jay Clemens, who as Interim President and CEO has led us calmly and expertly during a time of much change. And we want to express deep gratitude to our colleagues on the search committee – Bill Bates, Christy Brown, Jay Clemens, and Shelley Hoon Keith – who dedicated many hours and great wisdom to this important process.
Warm Regards,
Betsy Cahill, Chair, Search Committee
Martha Nelson, Chair, Board of Trustees
