NEWPORT – Mark Thompson has been named the new executive director of the Newport Restoration Foundation, the organization announced Wednesday.
“Thompson epitomizes the personal and professional qualities NRF believes we deserve in a leader, and he will bring our programs to new levels of local and national service,” said NRF Board Chair Roger Mandle in prepared remarks.
Mandle said Thompson is “the ideal person to continue and refresh our programs at Whitehorne and Rough Point, to care for our other properties and to advance the legacy of Doris Duke.”
Pieter N. Roos, NRF’s most recent executive director, left to head up the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Conn.
Thompson previously served as executive director of the history- and archaeology-focused Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum in St. Leonard, Md. where he managed a 560-acre site with 40 buildings, 30-person staff and more than eight million artifacts.
He earned a JD from American University and practiced law before entering the museum field.
Thompson, who plans to execute NRF’s new strategic plan and prioritize its Keeping History Above Water program, will assume the new role on February 5, 2018.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
