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drayton hall
INTERIORS A B O LD NE W STE P TO TH E F U TU R E Since its acquisition from the Drayton family in 1974, Drayton Hall has been owned and operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Forty years later, Drayton Hall is moving forward to a new model of governance. On December 15, Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Stephen Gates, chairman of the Drayton Hall Preservation Trust, signed documents that officially made Drayton Hall a co-stewardship site. Drayton Hall staff, volunteers, and board members joined together to toast the site’s promising future. Effective January 1, 2015, Drayton Hall fully transitioned to co-stewardship and gained autonomy as the Drayton Hall Preservation Trust (DHPT), a new 501(c)(3) organization. In recent years, the National Trust began implementing a co-stewardship governance model as part of their new strategic vision. Titled “Reimagining Historic Sites,” it called for places like Drayton Hall to transition into “higher levels of programmatic quality, structural integrity, and financial sustainability”—three goals that Drayton Hall has long envisioned for its future. In the year 2014, Drayton Hall’s leadership achieved all three of these goals through groundbreaking research and discoveries, leadership in national programs, and community engagement. “It’s clear that reaching our long-term goals of growth and financial sustainability will require a higher degree of independent action and the support of a new board with full managerial and fiduciary responsibilities that only costewardship can provide,” explained Steve Gates, DHPT Board Chairman.
Co-stewardship agreement signed December 15th by (left to right): Steve Gates, chairman of the Drayton Hall Preservation Trust, and Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
This new governance model of co-stewardship means that the Drayton Hall Preservation Trust will assume responsibility for operations and staff management, while the National Trust—based in Washington, D.C.—will continue to own the property. A new board has been appointed, with many familiar faces who have been instrumental in Drayton Hall’s success, as well as new voices who represent the larger preservation and museum community. “This heightened involvement of the new DHPT board is essential if we are to continue to enhance Drayton Hall’s capacity to fulfill its mission of preservation and education,” said George W. McDaniel, president and executive director of DHPT. The new board will assume fiduciary responsibilities, provide staff oversight, and guide fundraising initiatives.
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