The Rensselaer County Historical Society (RCHS) announced today the appointment of Karin Krasevac-Lenz, a long-tenured advancement professional and member of RCHS, as its new executive director.
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Krasevac-Lenz brings more than 30 years of experience in not-for-profit development, strategic planning, creative community engagement, constituent relations, agency communications and other areas to her role at RCHS.
“Our search brought us many highly-qualified candidates with museum and fund-raising knowledge,” said Laudelina Martinez, president, RCHS Board of Trustees. “From this group, Karin impressed us with her excellent experience in fund development, nonprofit organizations and historic sites. Her appointment underscores our desire to see RCHS grow in strength and engagement with our region. We are excited and optimistic about the future with our new executive director.”
“With great anticipation I look forward to guiding RCHS into its vibrant future,” said Krasevac-Lenz. “The stage for its next phase of success has been well set by RCHS’s staff, strong Board and its many dedicated members and volunteers who work to preserve a treasured community asset.”
Krasevac-Lenz holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from Mount Holyoke College. She has also taken courses in religion, history, psychology and public health education from five other educational institutions, including Harvard University.
In her most recent position, Krasevac-Lenz led a capacity building program serving 56 educational institutions in Western New York for the Catholic Alumni Partnership in Buffalo. In a prior post she directed a team to raise $5.7 million to successfully close a $12.5 million campaign for The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy. She was also on the Board of Trustees of the Hull House Historic Site Foundation in Lancaster, NY. It is her avid interest in Troy’s history and passion for instilling the mission of RCHS that drives her commitment to the organization.
“Troy’s historic significance and current renaissance drew our family to live downtown and become active in RCHS as its leadership helps to develop plans for the region’s strategic future.”
About RCHS
The Rensselaer County Historical Society and Museum is a dynamic not-for-profit educational organization established in 1927 to connect local history and heritage with contemporary life.
We strive to enrich the present and advocate for the future by bringing the region’s past to life, recognizing every face and every story. In pursuit of this mission, we collect, preserve, study, interpret and make accessible a broad variety of objects and documents, and conduct educational programs to inspire public enthusiasm for the past.
Situated downtown in the Second Street Historic District in Troy, the museum fulfills its mission from two adjacent 19th century townhouses — the historic and architecturally significant Hart-Cluett House, which serves as a house museum, and the Carr Building, which houses programmatic and research functions. RCHS offers visitors and members a wide range of tours, exhibitions, educational programs and an extensive local history research library.[/private]