Staff

MISSION

Preservation Pennsylvania – through creative partnerships, targeted educational and advocacy programs, advisory assistance, and special projects – assists Pennsylvania communities to protect and utilize the historic resources they want to preserve for the future.

COVID-19

Please note: at this time, we are working remotely and are only occasionally in the office location. 

STAFF

Melinda Crawford, Executive Director, Preservation Pennsylvania

Mindy Crawford
Executive Director
mcrawford@preservationpa.org
717-234-2310 x1

A part-time job typing National Register Nominations in 1982 turned into a long career for Mindy. She has been the Executive Director of Preservation Pennsylvania since 2006, after spending 24 years at Historic York, Inc. (20 years as Executive Director). A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from York College coupled with a Master’s degree in Historic Preservation from Goucher College has opened up many opportunities for work and volunteering.

Mindy serves on the boards of several history and preservation organizations: the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC), the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association, the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad Preservation Authority, and Main Street Hanover.

In her spare time, you’ll find Mindy exploring the Lincoln Highway and other old roads looking for great roadside architecture and searching for the perfect souvenir snow  globe. You might also find her wearing seven layers of period clothing to participate in Civil War dancing or living history events with her husband, Rodney.

Click here to purchase an autographed copy of Mindy's book, Historic Pennsylvania: A Tour of the State's Top 100 National Landmarks (Globe-Pequot).


Sabra Smith
Communications Director
SSmith@preservationpa.org
717-234-2310 x3

As Communications Director, Sabra's goal is to raise awareness of Preservation Pennsylvania's mission, success stories, and resources available to help people meet local preservation challenges. In addition to writing newsletters, monthly e-news and the like, Sabra also manages the website and social media channels (join us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) as well as using her preservation expertise to assist with program planning and technical assistance inquiries.

Sabra's career path has zigged (from NYC publishing house) and zagged (to pr and corporate communications), before leading to the University of Pennsylvania School of Design and a Masters in Historic Preservation. Since then, Sabra has worked in preservation at the local, state and federal levels, working as as Advocacy Associate at the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia and as an Architectural Historian at the National Park Service's Northeast Regional Office. She's organized charettes for National Historic Landmarks (such as the  Abel & Mary Nicholson House and the ex-USS Olympia), managed the NHL photo contest, preservation project grants, lighthouse deed covenants, helped edit Revealing Women's History: Best Practices for Historic Sites and written "Philadelphia's Carnegie Libraries," published in CRM: The Journal of Heritage Stewardship.

While she's fascinated by architecture and history and how the public engages with both, she also embraces the new, honing her skills with classes and groups focused on audience engagement, social media, content strategy and web development.

Board of Directors & ADvisory Board

Find out more about these passionate preservationists.

Meet our current board