The Kentucky Trust for Historic Preservation invites you to join us for a one-day summit to discuss the future of historic preservation in Kentucky and to develop tools and strategies to support our local historic preservation organizations across Kentucky.
ABOUT OUR PRESENTER
Our primary presenter is Kim Trent is the executive director of the National Preservation Partners Network (NPPN) and has spent more than three decades creating solutions for utilizing historic resources to meet community needs. Through her work with NPPN and Knox Heritage; her mentoring of preservationists and preservation organizations across the country; and serving on the Board of Trustees of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Kim has gained the reputation for being a problem solver, relationship builder, and savvy advocate for preservation-based community and economic development.
She served for 15 years as the executive director of Knox Heritage, the non-profit historic preservation organization for the 16-county region encompassing Knoxville, Tennessee. She brings a diverse background to her current role, including experience in journalism, community organizing, community development banking, public relations, and non-profit management. She has worked in historic preservation professionally and as a community volunteer and advocate at the local, state, and national level and is a proponent of preservation-based community and economic development. She is a native of Mobile, Alabama, and a graduate of the University of Alabama.
Learn more about the National Preservation Parnters Network
Our hope is to bring an educational opportunity to you each spring to kick off the new season and inspire us all to strive to preserve more of our important historic resources. We hope this event will be another informative and inspiring event, providing tools to advocate and collaborate for the future.
Registration for this event is $29 per person and includes both a light networking breakfast and a gourmet lunch.
When and What: May 15, 10am-3pm
This one-day summit is designed for broad interest. Our intentional schedule will afford time to travel from across the state making this an easy opportunity to learn at minimal cost. Anyone who cares for historic places will benefit to attend this conference.
Our collaborating partner again this year is Locust Grove, a National Historic Landmark, one of only 32 extant in Kentucky. This conference will take place in the newly renovated Audubon Room.
Learn more about Locust Grove, a National Historic Landmark
Who should attend: This event is designed to benefit anyone interested in supporting historic preservation efforts or care for historic places. Across Kentucky we support many local historical societies, historic preservation groups, house museum boards, Certified Local Government (CLG) bodies and architectural review boards, Main Street organizations and more.
If you are a current, past and potential members of boards of volunteers, staff or supporting donors of any history, historic preservation, museum, or affiliated organization that focuses on the preservation of historic resources this is an opportunity for you. Any person employed within the field of historic preservation, public history, or those private individuals entrusted with the care of historic places. This will be a conservation beneficial to everyone and one we hope will continue to build opportunities for networking and engagement annually.
We highly encourage a representative from each local history, historic preservation, museum or other heritage related organizations to attend to represent the many regions and needs across Kentucky.
What you will receive: The Summit will focus on developing tools and strategies for sustaining heritage focused organizations and engage a conversation about the future of historic preservation nationally and locally. As we begin our nations 250th anniversary in 2026, we hope this spring event will inspire you to find new ways to help preserve our states unique histroic places.
What to expect: We hope to provide inspiration to walk into this spring re-energized and refocused to support efforts to preserve our unique and important shared heritage. Last years summit was a successful event with representatives from across Kentucky and beyond. This second in the annual series will dive deeper to provide practical tools to building capacity and engage our communities while supporting one another. We look forward to come together as a Kentucky’s heritage stewards to build a stronger and more interconnected network across our Commonwealth for our Nations Bisesquicentennail and beyond.
Networking: Building on last years event, this year will strive to provide an opportunity to meet colleagues and fellow preservationists. We chose Locust Grove as a centrally accessible location for most of our states citizens to access and have build a schedule to provide travel time and an affordable one-day event. Our Summit will begin at 10am, however please join us early for a networking breakfast and registration beginning at 9am. Additionally, we’ll host a networking opportunity to engage more following the event from 3-4pm. Come early or stay late, meet our presenter and ask questions. We’ll provided opportunity throughout the day to network as well and meet others who share our passion.
Some 80 persons attended the 2025 Kentucky Historic Preservation Summit from more than 30 counties and three states. Please join us this year to continue the conversation.
Tentative Schedule:
A final agenda will be distributed prior to the event.
9:00 – 10:00 – Registration & networking breakfast
10:00 – Introductions and the National Preservation Partners Network
11:00 – Building Capacity for Historic Preservation in Kentucky and Nationally
12:00 – Lunch break, networking and free tour of Locust Grove
1:00 – Historic Preservation Planning: an interactive exercise and survey to support efforts in Kentucky
2:00 – Preservation’s Future: how to organize local efforts, building organizations for the next 250.
3:00 Closing Comments
3:00-4:00 – Individual networking discussions with our presenters
2025 Historic Preservation Summit Presenters
J. Myrick Howard, former President of Preservation North Carolina for over 40 years and Valecia Crisafulli, formerly Vice-President of Partnerships with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will fill our one-day conference sharing lessons learned throughout their careers.
J. Myrick Howard: For more than 40 years, Myrick Howard has dedicated his life to the preservation of North Carolina’s architectural heritage.
Howard has became well known as a national leader and mentor in the field. For more than 35 years, he has also taught a graduate seminar in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina.
Howard was instrumental in developing PNC’s formula for success. When he arrived, PNC was a one-person shop in Raleigh. Under his tenure the organization now stretches across the state, with twelve full-time employees with offices in Raleigh, Greenville, Durham and Shelby, and a number of part-time employees, museum with more than 4000 supporting members and having spurred more than $500,000,000 in preservation investment.
Since retiring from PNC in 2023, Myrick continues to work toward the preservation of historic places by teaching and through volunteer roles with national preservation efforts including an upcoming PBS series among many other projects.
Valecia Crisafulli hails from Madison, Indiana where after a 30 year career in downtown revitalization and historic preservation, she and her husband Larry have lived since 2013.
Immediately before coming to Madison, she was Vice President of Partnerships at the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C., where she oversaw the national conference, grants and awards programs, publications, and was engaged in capacity building for state and local nonprofit organizations across the country. At the National Trust, she was also interim director of the National Main Street Center. She was the first state coordinator of the Illinois Main Street program and also director of Downtown Springfield, Inc.
Since moving to Madison, she and her husband Larry have rehabilitated two commercial buildings in the downtown historic district. She is a board member and past president of Madison Main Street, a board member of the Bethany Legacy Foundation. She also served six years on, and was chairman of, the Madison Historic District Board of Review. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, she has a master’s degree in Humanities Education from The Ohio State University.
Kentucky Trust For Historic Preservation 