A driven and determined nonprofit professional with experience in building & leading dynamic teams
Nicholas Redding has served as the President and CEO of Preservation Maryland since 2014, and in that capacity he oversees the operations, programs and growing professional staff.
Since his arrival he has worked in partnership with the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center to establish the Campaign for Historic Trades, a new national program dedicated to developing the next generation of traditional tradespeople. For his work on this program, Redding received the J.M. Kaplan Fund Social Innovation Prize. During his tenure, he also oversaw a complex merger and the subsequent creation of Smart Growth Maryland, a dynamic statewide program of the organization.
Outside of his work with Preservation Maryland, he helped to found and previously served as the Chairperson of the National Preservation Partners Network, the national network of statewide and local preservation organizations. Over the past decade, he has served as the chair of the Maryland Partners for Open Space, the statewide open space advocacy coalition, and currently serves as the Maryland Senate President’s representative to the Maryland Heritage Area Authority (MHAA) and as an appointee of the governor on the Maryland 250 Commission.
In recognition of his efforts, Redding was honored by Preservation Action, the grassroots voice of historic preservation, as a Preservation Hero for his role on the front lines of preservation advocacy and for his impact and inspiration to preservation practitioners across the country. Redding has also been twice selected by the Maryland Daily Record as one of the Most Influential Marylanders, as well as one of the Maryland Daily Record’s Most Admired CEOs, a Top Newsmaker by the Engineering News-Record, and the Baltimore Business Journal’s 40-under-40.
Nicholas and part of the Preservation Maryland team at Back to Bengies, a Back to the Future themed fundraiser, 2021.
Prior to arriving at Preservation Maryland, he served in leadership positions at several heritage and preservation organizations including Executive Director of Historic Long Branch, a 19th century historic site and working farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, and as Deputy Director for Advocacy at the American Battlefield Trust in Washington, DC.
During time spent at the American Battlefield Trust, Redding led a national coalition to prevent the construction of a casino on the iconic Gettysburg battlefield. Prior to the Trust, he served as a Park Ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.
He is a graduate of West Virginia’s Shepherd University and lives in Frederick County, Maryland.
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Tradesperson on site at a Preservation Maryland project
“One of the most compelling values of preservation at this moment, as the nation grapples with the confounding legacies of history, is in telling the full and unadulterated story of our past. ”
J.M. Kaplan Fund Innovation Prize Recipient
Nicholas’ work on the Campaign for Historic Trades was recognized by the JM Kaplan Fund with their prestigious Innovation Prize.
Nicholas is a passionate voice for places that matter
In recognition of his work, Redding was recognized by the Maryland Daily Record as one of the Most Influential Marylanders.
Areas of Expertise
nonprofit leadership
Over the course of his career, Nicholas has developed experience in the management of complex and diverse teams, developing complex, multi-million dollar organizational budgets, coordinating strategic visioning with non-profit boards & growing financial and staff capacity to meet new challenges.
workforce development
In 2018, after several years of planning, Nicholas oversaw the launch of The Campaign for Historic Trades — a dynamic partnership with the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center aimed at training the next generation of preservation tradespeople.
In recognition of this effort, Redding received the highly competitive 2019 J.M. Kaplan Fund Innovation Prize.
community revitalization
At its core, historic preservation is a powerful tool for community revitalization. From battlefield preservation to restoring historic homes in distressed communities, Nicholas has built a portfolio of experiences in community redevelopment and revitalization.
grassroots & Legislative advocacy
From the halls of Annapolis to Capitol Hill, Nicholas has worked to put preservation at the center of discussions through sophisticated and targeted advocacy. Since managing a campaign to protect the Gettysburg battlefield from ill-advised casino development, Nicholas has gone on to dramatically increase grant funding for preservation in Maryland and amended the Maryland Historic Tax Credit to incentivize the reuse of historic buildings for affordable housing.
fundraising & development
Since his arriving at Preservation Maryland in 2014, Nicholas eliminated a structural deficit of nearly 20% while increasing the organization’s operating budget by over 520%. Key to the success of this work has been a dramatic expansion of corporate, foundation, and individual donors.
writing & publications
Nicholas is an accomplished author with several publications in print. A published historian, Nicholas also has been a contributing editor to several volumes and is a prolific blogger for Preservation Maryland — the voice behind dozens of articles. He has written Op-Eds that have appeared in the pages of the New York Times, Washington Post and most recently in the Baltimore Sun.
Nicholas Redding is also the host of PreserveCast, a weekly podcast that explores the diverse world of heritage and preservation. With 300+ episodes and over 120,000 downloads, the podcast is where history and technology meet. Listen now at preservecast.org
“The past is a source of knowledge, and the future is a source of hope. Love of the past implies faith in the future.”
- Stephen Ambrose
Let’s get in touch.
Feel free to use the form below to contact Nicholas. For groups, organizations and foundations interested in requesting Nicholas to speak or attend an event, please be sure to include the date of your convening and your email address.
All rights reserved, Nicholas Redding. © 2024.
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