March 23, 2016 / Member News

Mount Vernon Place Conservancy Announces new Executive Director position to be filled by Dr. Lance Humphries

Lance Humphries and former Governor Martin O'Malley visit the Washington Monument in 2014

Lance Humphries and former Governor Martin O’Malley visit the Washington Monument in 2014


Baltimore, MD (March 23, 2016) – The Board of the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy announces its recent appointment of Dr. Lance Humphries as the Conservancy’s first Executive Director.
Henry H. Hopkins, President of the Conservancy’s board of directors, noted of the appointment: “Lance has been a leader in this organization since its founding in 2008. Over the past several years as Chair of our Restoration Committee, Lance led our award- winning Washington Monument restoration effort, and served as the articulate spokesperson for the organization. We are extremely pleased that he has assumed this important leadership position.”
In its brief time as a non-profit, the Conservancy has raised over $8 million in capital funding and overseen the design and restoration of Baltimore’s iconic Washington Monument. While this major investment was underway, the Conservancy was also improving the maintenance and management of the Mount Vernon Place’s park squares, and bringing attention to this important resource through an increased online presence.
Mr. Hopkins notes that Lance’s extensive knowledge of the history of the Monument and squares, as well his has command of preservation best-practices make him a perfect candidate for this important role.
“The goal of the Conservancy is to make Mount Vernon Place the world-class attraction it deserves to be,” notes Hopkins. “That goal will take a significant investment from both public and private sectors. We are pleased that under Lance’s leadership our first restoration project was so expertly handled, and that it has garnered so many restoration and preservation awards. Mount Vernon Place deserves the highest caliber of care and treatment.”
Humphries, a native of Michigan, attended the College of William and Mary, and then the University of Virginia, where he obtained his doctorate. He moved to Baltimore in 1995 to complete his doctoral thesis on Baltimorean Robert Gilmor, Jr. (1774-1848), one of America’s great art collectors, and who was for nearly 30 years the president of the private Board of Managers that erected Baltimore’s Washington Monument.
Release Courtesy Mount Vernon Place Conservancy