Video by Maggie Janik, production assistance Barbara Epstein

Monica Rhodes has worked at the intersection of history, architecture and public engagement for fifteen years. Her impact on the industry ranges from local to international efforts to expand the field of preservation and public lands to new audiences.

Prior to joining the Loeb Fellowship, she led efforts at two of the largest national organizations focused on historic preservation and national parks – the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Park Foundation. During her tenure at the National Trust, Rhodes developed the first national program designed to diversify preservation trades. While at the National Park Foundation, Rhodes led efforts to reinstitute programs to preserve national parks that tell stories related to African American, LatinX, and Women’s history. Over the course of her career, Rhodes has helped raise and manage over $150 million and has directed preservation activities in 46 states.

Rhodes’ work has been featured in national outlets such as PBS NewsHour, Huffington Post, Washington Post and in a feature spread on a women in the preservation movement in Essence magazine. Rhodes earned her undergraduate degree in history at the University of Tulsa and a master’s degree in African American studies at Temple University. She also holds a master’s degree in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.

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