New developments are under way at the Historic Natchez Foundation, and we want to celebrate them with the Natchez community. The foundation has hired a deputy director, Trevor Brown, who will begin work on March 1.

The foundation’s upcoming annual meeting will also be a cocktail reception honoring Trevor and his wife Makalah.

We hope you will join us at Elms Court at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday to meet Trevor and Makalah Brown and welcome them to Natchez. At 6:45, we will meet briefly to elect board members and to recognize our annual award recipients.

The foundation’s new deputy director will bring not only youth and enthusiasm to the foundation but also experience from working in the Gulf Coast Office of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

This federally funded state office has administered 262 projects involving the preservation and restoration of historic buildings and sites damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

He has worked with federal, state and local governments and their respective regulations; non-profits and their boards; architects; contractors; and private property owners whose lives have been shattered.

Trevor Brown received an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in historic preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He comes highly recommended by someone who knows his capabilities and knows the job in Natchez.

Ron Miller, executive director of the Historic Natchez Foundation from 1979-2008, now serves as director of Archives and History’s Gulf Coast Office.

The aging staff of the Historic Natchez Foundation is excited about welcoming someone with fresh ideas and new ways of looking at old problems. The staff and board have been discussing ways to expand our services while increasing funding to allow the fulfillment of some of our dreams, which include a restored Natchez Institute that houses a museum and archives of Natchez history protected by climate controls and a fire suppression system.

The foundation thanks everyone for support in the year past and encourages you to help us launch a new and exciting year by coming to Elms Court on Thursday evening to welcome Trevor and Makalah Brown to Natchez.

 

Mimi Miller is the executive director of the Historic Natchez Foundation.