John Fowler, Chairman of US/ICOMOS, the United States Committee for the International Council on Monuments and Sites announced today that Katherine Slick will be the next Executive Director of US/ICOMOS. Ms Slick was selected from among a nationwide pool of very competitive candidates to take over the position held for fourteen years by Gustavo Araoz, who was elected last October as the first American President of ICOMOS, and who will continue to serve US/ICOMOS as Senior Advisor. As Executive Director of US/ICOMOS, Ms Slick will play an important international and national in fulfilling an ambitious growth and development plan and by ensuring that American preservation attains high global visibility.
In announcing the decision taken by the US/ICOMOS Board of Trustees, Mr Fowler commented, “the Board agreed that Ms Slick brings to the job an exceptional mix of talents, that include a high level of energy, extensive experience in the field of heritage conservation in the US and overseas, broad knowledge of ICOMOS, and the vision and energy to shape the future for our organization. We are delighted that she has agreed to come on board.”
Ms Slick comes to US/ICOMOS after serving as State Historic Preservation Officer and Historic Preservation Division Director for the State of New Mexico since 2003. During her 6.5 years at HPD, Ms. Slick has been responsible for raising the profile of the division and bringing it to the forefront of tribal consultation in well-publicized matters such as Tesuque Pueblo’s consultation with the City of Santa Fe on construction of the new Santa Fe Community Convention Center.
Appointed by Governor Bill Richardson to the SHPO post in 2003, she was a successful co-plaintiff with the governor and attorney general in the protection of high desert grasslands and cultural sites on Otero Mesa. She worked with the Legislature to broaden representation on HPD’s policy and oversight committee, the Cultural Properties Review Committee, to include tribal and citizen members.
Over the last six years, HPD has added more than 100 cultural properties to the State Register, involved dozens of communities in the annual celebration of Heritage Preservation Month and increased the scope of its granting activities. During her tenure she worked with the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service on a potential World Heritage nomination and a multi property nomination of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro to the National Register of Cultural Places.
Reflecting on the choice of Ms Slick as his successor, Gustavo Araoz commented, “I have known and collaborated with Kak Slick for many years, and think this is an excellent choice. At a time when the American presence in all international arenas is more crucial than ever, I am certain that she will be successful in expanding the role and visibility of US/ICOMOS both in the US and worldwide. She can count on my full support from my position as President of ICOMOS.”
US/ICOMOS is a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, DC, and the American component of ICOMOS, the international membership organization that brings together in more than 130 National Committees all practitioners and supporters of heritage conservation throughout the world. As one of the largest and most active of the National Committees of ICOMOS, US/ICOMOS is the principal venue for ensuring that American accomplishments in heritage conservation are known and shared worldwide, as well as keeping the American preservation community informed of conservation achievements and needs in other countries.