Historic House Trust Announces Executive Director Franklin D. Vagnone to Depart in Early 2016

NEW YORK, Jan. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Historic House Trust (HHT) and Executive Director Franklin D. Vagnone announced today that he will be stepping down from his daily leadership role to assist independently other small cultural institutions in strategic planning, fund raising, programming and community engagement. To ensure a smooth transition of leadership and responsibilities, Mr. Vagnone will continue to serve in his current role into early 2016.

John C. Gustafsson, Chair of The Historic House Trust Board of Directors said, "I want to take this opportunity to recognize Frank's accomplishments and thank him for his many contributions to the Historic House Trust. During his time at HHT, Frank has played the central role in raising the national and international profile of the Trust, attracting new donors, and expanding our media presence. Under his leadership, HHT has created multiple award-winning forms of public engagement and piloted industry-leading innovative stewardship models, while increasing program funding and overseeing $25 million in city allocations for restoration funds. We will miss his intelligence, warmth and enthusiasm as well as his skilled project management."

Mr. Vagnone remarked that, "HHT has been an incredibly supportive environment to test the limits of what a preservation non-profit can do.  I am extremely proud of all that we've accomplished over the past seven years.  Since 2009, we have more than tripled the number of preservation projects engaged, expanded our fund-raising capacity and engaged new audiences with innovative programming and robust social-media outreach."

Mr. Vagnone has been with The Historic House Trust since 2009.  Before that date, he was the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks. This change will be the platform for him to expand the scope of his innovative work at HHT to a broad range of cultural non-profits through his growing national consultancy.

The Historic House Trust is a non-profit organization operating in tandem with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Our mission is to provide essential support for houses of architectural and cultural significance, spanning 350 years of New York City life. These treasures reside within city parks and are open to the public.

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CONTACT: Anna Holmgren, 212-360-8282, [email protected]

SOURCE Historic House Trust of New York City