Welcome Zach Russell – Preserve RI's New Preservation Coordinator

Preserve RI is thrilled to welcome our newest staff member, Zach Russell. A 2023 graduate of Salve Regina University with a B.A. in Cultural and Historic Preservation, Zach is a native Rhode Islander who serves on the board of the Heritage Alliance of Pawtucket and the Pawtucket Historic District Commission. 

His background includes leading tours at Belcourt, the historic house museum in Newport. He has also worked at Newport’s Island Cemetery where he assisted with the digitization of cemetery records and a mapping project, as well as programs and tours for the cemetery. Zach was also part of the restoration committee overseeing the 2024 Rhody Award-winning restoration of the Belmont Chapel.

Currently, Zach is restoring his family’s 1928 house in Pawtucket — carrying out much of the restoration himself. Zach has always had a passion for history and preservation, advocating for threatened historic places and hands-on restoration work.