Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) has appointed Andrea MacDonald to the role of director of the agency’s Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO).
MacDonald now also holds the title of Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, meeting the secretary of the interior’s professional qualifications standards.
Under her appointment, MacDonald will direct PA SHPO which coordinates state and federal historic and preservation programs including the National Register of Historic Places, state and federal tax credits and environmental review of state and federal projects for their impact on historic resources. Other duties and responsibilities include planning, developing and implementing the state’s Historic Preservation Plan and administering PHMC’s grant programs and the well-known state historical marker program.
“My vision for the PA SHPO is to help Pennsylvanians connect with their unique history,” MacDonald said. “My role is to inspire PA SHPO staffers to think creatively about preservation solutions.”
MacDonald brings to the position 15 years of historic preservation experience, the last 12 of which she served as the Historic Preservation Manager for PA SHPO. Her duties included leading the public outreach strategy for the 2012-2017 Statewide Historic Preservation Plan.
Prior to coming to the commission, MacDonald served as the Historic Preservation Planner for the South Georgia Regional Development Center. Her duties included managing state and federal historic preservation programs within a 10 county region and administering state and federal grants.
A native of Erie, Pa., MacDonald received her master’s degree in historic preservation from Ball State University and her bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Michigan State University.
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the official history agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Visit PHMC online at www.phmc.pa.gov.
MEDIA CONTACT: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639