Museum News & Events

Dr. Sharon Ann Holt will become Executive Director of the Sandy Spring Museum as of September 9, 2008. Dr. Holt brings 15 years of experience as a professional historian in the Mid-Atlantic region. She holds a doctorate in American history from the University of Pennsylvania and is the author of two books, one on post-Civil War African-American landholding, and a forthcoming volume on the future of public history.

Holt seeks to lead the Museum through an expansion of its mission activities that will honor the commitment the community has already made to the Museum’s endowment and physical plant. New interpretive programming will expand the Museum’s presence in the community, state, and region, and provide the foundation for sustainability.

Over the last five years Dr. Holt has served as Director of Programs for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities at Rutgers University-Camden. She has worked closely with communities in the mid-Atlantic region to preserve their historic places, nurture interpretation, build civic commitment and engage broad audiences. “I believe that history museums must both preserve important historical resources and make the past come alive as a resource that contemporary society can use to build the future” says Holt.

Dr. Holt also has experience laying the practical foundations for long-term institutional strength. Joseph Furey, President of the Museum’s Board of Trustees, said that “Dr. Holt’s years of working with organizations up and down the Mid-Atlantic region provides a strategic perspective on what makes the historical mission compelling and attractive. Her professional museum experience will bring a structure to the mission activities enabling them to support and enhance revenue. Working with all Museum stakeholders, Sharon will build a larger, sustainable fiscal base for Museum operations, supported by programming that excites visitors and staff, expands knowledge, and spreads awareness of Sandy Spring’s history. The trustees and museum staff are excited about collaborating with Sharon as she takes on her new position as Executive Director.”