Preserve Rhode Island Announces Leadership Transition

Dear Friends,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are writing to share an important leadership update.

Sheryl Hack will be stepping down from her role as Executive Director as of August 7. We are deeply grateful for the expertise and commitment she brought to Preserve Rhode Island during her tenure. As a preservation professional, Sheryl has devoted her career to the stewardship of historic places.

We are appreciative of her work to complete two preservation easements: Shakespeare’s Head at 21 Meeting Street in Providence and the iconic Kinney Bungalow in Narragansett. Under her leadership, Preserve RI also launched a major masonry restoration project at Lippitt House Museum in Providence, sustained its historic tax credit advocacy continued to distribute matching grants, in partnership with The 1772 Foundation, for brick-and-mortar projects to support urgent repairs and long-term preservation at some of Rhode Island’s most treasured historic places.

To ensure continuity during this transition, the Board has appointed Ruth Taylor as interim executive director. She will begin her work in the coming weeks.

Ruth brings extensive experience to this role, including a tenure leading the Newport Historical Society. She will work closely with the Preserve Rhode Island team, Board, and partners to maintain momentum across our programs as well as day-to-day operations.

The Board is committed to a smooth transition. We will share additional information about the search process in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we remain firmly committed to advocating on behalf of historic places across Rhode Island and to supporting the people and partnerships that make this work possible.

Please join us in thanking Sheryl for her contributions and in welcoming Ruth to this interim leadership role. We are grateful for your continued support of our community as we enter this next chapter together.

Sincerely,

Rebecca J. Bertrand, Co-Chair

Jerry Dauterive, Co-Chair

Ronald Onorato, Co-Chair