2021 Annual Meeting & Conference

Thursday - 10/21/21

Keynote Speaker:  Katherine Malone-France | Chief Preservation Officer

Since 2019, Katherine Malone-France has served as the Chief Preservation Officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  In this capacity, she leads the organization’s programmatic work in field services, government relations, state and local policy, research and development, trainings, grantmaking, and the stewardship and interpretation of the National Trust’s portfolio of 28 historic sites.

Throughout her almost 20 years in the for-profit and non-profit sectors of historic preservation, Katherine has worked across the field—serving as the executive director of the Historic Hillsborough Commission in North Carolina, as the curator and deputy director at Decatur House, a National Trust Historic Site, and as the Senior Project Manager at a highly-respected preservation contracting firm.  

After returning to the National Trust in 2011 to serve as the Director of Outreach, Education, and Support, Katherine became the Senior Vice President for Historic Sites in 2014.  In this capacity, she led successful efforts to increase both the cultural and financial sustainability of National Trust Historic Sites across the country.  This work ranged from telling the full histories of these properties through creative and inclusive programming to implementing a new “shared use” operating model that combines commerce and interpretation to activate historic sites in new ways and attract broad audiences to them.  Katherine’s leadership also resulted in a diverse range of collaborations with contemporary artists creating new works inspired by National Trust Historic Sites and a revision of the National Trust’s collections management policy that has been hailed as a national model for its inclusion of historic structures and landscapes. 

Working with the talented staff and dedicated stakeholders across National Trust, Katherine’s leadership also supported increases in visitation and earned revenue across the portfolio of National Trust Historic Sites, while completing a $21 million initiative to address deferred maintenance at these properties.  Her tenure also saw increases in government and foundation funding, as well as the creation of dedicated endowments for the stewardship and interpretation of both historic landscapes and collections at National Trust Historic Sites. 

Katherine is a graduate of Wofford College with a B.A. degree in History and has a Masters in Historic Preservation from the College of Environment & Design at the University of Georgia.

Katherine Malone-France | Chief Preservation Officer

2600 Virginia Ave, NW Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20037
E kmalone-france@savingplaces.org P 202.588.6242 F 202.588.6232 www.SavingPlaces.org

Sewers, Peaches, and Malls: Unique Cultural Resources (Session 1)

Chair: Michael J. Emmons, Jr.

Michael J. Emmons, Jr. is the Assistant Director and Senior Architectural Historian at the University of Delaware's Center for Historic Architecture and Design, and is a Board member of Preservation Delaware. He holds an MA in Historic Preservation from the University of Delaware, and a MA in History from the University of Connecticut. He is currently a PhD candidate in Preservation Studies at the University of Delaware. He teaches the introductory course in the Historic Preservation Certificate Program at UD, Theory and Practice of Historic Preservation.

Anu Khandal, Christina Servetnick, T. Cregg Madrigal, and Liza Davis

Anu, Christina, Cregg and Liza work for the Municipal Finance and Construction Element (MFCE) of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), which administers the State Revolving Fund (SRF), a federal-state partnership that provides low-interest financing for projects to improve drinking water, stormwater, and sewer infrastructure. Every SRF project is evaluated for its potential to affect significant cultural resources.

Anu is an architectural historian with an M.A. in Art History with a concentration in Cultural Heritage Preservation Studies from Rutgers University. Christina is an archaeologist with an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Wyoming. Cregg is an archaeologist with an M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Rutgers University. Liza is an archaeologist with an M.A. in Anthropology from New York University.

Tyler Osborne

Tyler is a newcomer to the state and she has loved learning about Delaware and its rich past. She graduated with her Bachelor's Degree in History from The Ohio State University in 2017. She has served at a variety of institutions including archives, museums, historical homes and now parks. She has a particular passion for outreach and education and is excited to present on unique and interesting aspects of history.

Catherine Morrissey

Catherine Morrissey is the Associate Director of the University of Delaware’s Center for Historic Architecture and Design (CHAD). She is an architectural historian who holds an MA in Urban Affairs and Public Policy with a concentration in Historic Preservation, and is currently a PhD candidate in Preservation Studies at the University of Delaware. Her dissertation work, entitled How Buildings Change: Historic Preservation and Material Integrity of Early Historic Districts focuses on quantifying and analyzing material change in small historic districts in the Mid-Atlantic, to understand material replacement to historic structures. Additionally, she teaches courses in Architectural Documentation, Vernacular Architecture, and Methods in Historic Preservation for the Historic Preservation Certificate Program at the University of Delaware.

Recognizing Black Historical Sites in Delaware (Session 2)

Chair: Dr. Cheryl Renée Gooch

Dr. Cheryl Renée Gooch is an academic leader, professor and published scholar who is passionate about cultural history and uncovering African American history that has been lost or forgotten. Dr. Gooch served as historian and primary writer for the Delaware History Museum’s permanent exhibition, “Journey to Freedom” which chronicles the Black Delawarean experience from 1629 to the present and is a member of Preservation Delaware Inc. Board of Directors. A Lifetime Member of Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) she is a member of ASALH’s Carter G. Woodson House Committee which advises the National Park Service on interpretive themes for the historic site.

Robin L. Krawitz

Robin Krawitz began her career in Delaware with the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs in 1993 where she served as National Register program coordinator. Beginning in 2000, she taught in the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at Delaware State University as an adjunct professor. She joined the faculty at Delaware State University full time in 2011 and served until 2019 when she accepted a position with the National Park Service. With a career-long interest in African American heritage, Ms. Krawitz served as the president of the Underground Railroad Coalition of Delaware from 2012-2019 and on the advisory board for the Littleton and Jane Mitchell Center for African American Heritage at the Delaware Historical Society. She also worked for and served on the board of Preservation Delaware over the course of her tenure in the state as well. She now serves as a historian with the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program for the northeast region and lives in Clinton, MA.

Reverend Vincent P. Oliver

Reverend Vincent P. Oliver is a native of Detroit, Michigan and has served as the Senior Pastor of New Calvary Baptist Church since 1986. He relocated to Delaware in 1976 to open the Center for Black Culture at the University of Delaware. Reverend Oliver also served as Executive Director of Kingswood Community Center from 1979-2006. Reverend Oliver received a B.A. in History from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI (1972), a Master of Biblical Studies from Calvary Bible College in Dover, DE (2006), and a Doctor of Ministry from Friends International Christian University in Merced, CA (2009). Reverend Oliver resides in New Castle, DE with his wife of 49 years, Veronica F. Outlaw. He has two children, Vincent P. Oliver II and Kimberly C. Oliver Burnim, and four grandchildren - Zoe, Akim, Cleo and Arzo.

Edythe L. Pridgen

Edythe L. Pridgen is a native Delawarean.  At an early age, Edythe’s love for helping people began to blossom and has continued through her 73 years of life. She was educated in the schools of Millside, Dunleith Community, DeLaWarr High and Delaware State College.

Her employment career covered employment such as: a basketball coach and recreation specialist for New Castle County Parks and Recreation, a daycare head teacher, a counselor, senior citizen advocate, a teacher for the deaf, an assistant journalist for the News Journal, and public relations for Wilmington Housing Authority and Wilmington City Council as a legislative analyst in communications, from which she retired and continued to work as a contract consultant.

In 2011, she became a member of New Calvary Baptist, and was a 51-year member of Community Presbyterian Church. At New Calvary, and helped to get our church listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Friday - 10/22/21

Delaware's Historic Sites: Current Efforts in Preservation (Session 3)

Chair: Wade P. Catts

Wade P. Catts is a Registered Professional Archaeologist and the President/Principal of South River Heritage Consulting. A Newark resident, he is a historical archaeologist with more than four decades of experience in regional history, archaeology, historic preservation, and cultural resource management. He holds a graduate degree in American History from the University of Delaware. He presently serves on several non-profit boards: Preservation Delaware, Inc., the Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust, the Old Swedes Foundation, and The Delaware Military Heritage and Education Foundation. He is a consultant to The John Dickinson Plantation Advisory Committee and the Friends of Cooch’s Bridge Historic Site. He is a former president of the American Cultural Resources Association, the national trade association for the cultural resources industry. He serves on the Advisory Board for Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Masters in Applied Archaeology Program, and was awarded a 2021-2022 Visiting Fellows Program at West Chester University of Pennsylvania by the Consortium of Practicing and Applied Anthropology Programs. In 2016, he was the recipient of the Archaeological Society of Delaware’s Archibald Crozier Award for Distinguished Achievement in and Contributions to Archeology, and in 2021 he received the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution History Award Medal for contributions to Delaware and national history and archaeology.

Anne Daly and Cindy Davis

Anne Daly, a Delaware native, is the Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Newark Union Corporation which is responsible for the Newark Union Church & Cemetery. After retiring from DuPont Agriscience in 2014, she became involved with the Newark Union Church & Cemetery after moving into the stone house directly across from the property. Cindy Davis, originally from Madison NJ, has lived next to the Newark Union Church and Cemetery for over 35 years. She is the Secretary of the Newark Union Corporation. Anne and Cindy, along with a dedicated Board of Directors, have a passion for seeing the Church restored to its 1906 glory to be opened as a museum and small event venue and to see the Cemetery be a beautiful place for people to visit their resting loved ones and appreciate its historic uniqueness.

Anne has a Medical Technology degree from Wesley College and was the Treasurer for the Summit Bridge Evangelical Free Church for several years. Her interests include playing volleyball, gardening and sewing.

Cindy retired as a pre-school teacher in 2004.  Her interests include gardening and reading.

Vince Watchorn

Vince Watchorn is a consultant to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), a partner in the strategic diversity and inclusion firm Haakmat Consulting, and president of Watchorn Education LLC.  A graduate of the Tatnall School, he served as head of the Providence Country Day School (RI) from 2011-2019.  He is nationally respected for his work in school leadership development and as a school strategist, particularly in leadership transition and transformative governance structures.  Vince is passionate about understanding and telling stories that tell an inclusive Delaware history, particularly our African American heritage.  He is president of the Friends of Cooch's Bridge Historic Site, a volunteer at Mt. Olive Cemetery, and part of the Delaware Racial Justice Coalition.  His historical work has been published by Delaware History Journal and Cedar Tree Books and presented at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Beyond Section 106 (Session 4)

Chair: Alexandra Tarantino

Alexandra Tarantino is an architectural historian with the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) and helps to manage DelDOT’s Cultural Resources Program. Alex is responsible for the review and coordination of transportation projects statewide to ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and Section 4(f) of the US DOT Act. Prior to joining DelDOT in 2015, she worked as a Historic Preservation Specialist at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Alex holds a B.A. in Art History and a Certificate in Historic Preservation from Rutgers University, and an M.A. in Historic Preservation from the University of Delaware, where she worked on the Mid-Atlantic Historic Buildings and Landscapes Survey at the Center for Historic Architecture and Design. She has served on Preservation Delaware's Board of Directors since January 2020 and is the chair of the Education Committee.

Rebekah Mills

Rebekah Mills is a second-year law student at Charles Widger School of Law, Villanova University. In addition to her history and political science degree from Barnard College, Columbia University, she has a Master of International Affairs from SIPA, Columbia University. Throughout her studies, she has presented on the importance of historic preservation, connecting history to archeology, and archeological conservation methods at conferences and public talks around the world. Further, she writes articles for the Girl Museum on historical sites connected to girlhood and was selected to be a part of the 2020 ARCUS Fellowship in Cultural Heritage and Historic Preservation. Focusing her studies on cultural heritage law, Rebekah is excited to share her latest research on Camden, Delaware where she attended Caesar Rodney High School.

Mike McGrath

Michael McGrath currently serves as president of Preservation Delaware, Inc. He has served two terms on Delaware’s State Review Board for Historic Preservation.He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) speaking nationally on farmland preservation and advanced geographic information systems. Mr. McGrath has served as a consultant to the American Farmland Trust on modeling and scoring of preservation programs, and to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) on planning issues.

Michael operated his family’s greenhouse business beginning in 1970, marketing vegetable plants and ornamentals. In 1974 Michael began working in the New Castle County (Delaware) Executive’s office responsible for farmland assessment and economic development in rural communities. He also served in the Planning Department working on comprehensive plans and the Delaware Tomorrow Commission reports. He served as senior planner with the Department of Community Development and Housing under James Gilliam, Sr.

From 1983 to June 2011, Mr. McGrath managed the work of the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation in the Delaware Department of Agriculture, permanently preserving over 110,000 acres, where he pioneered innovations in the digital management of preservation processes. Under his leadership Delaware ranked first in the country in land permanently preserved per capita and in the percentage of the state’s farmland permanently preserved. During his tenure at DDA he also led the Marketing Section for two years and instituted a groundbreaking grant program for startup ag businesses.In 2020 Delaware’s preservation easement program was ranked first in the nation by the American Farmland Trust.

Michael currently serves as chairman of the Library Committee of the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, the nation’s oldest agricultural organization (founded 1785). Previously, he served as president of the Society, its Secretary and has been a member of the Executive Committee for many years. His passion is exploring the history and traditions of the Society.

Mike is a lifelong member of the Boy Scouts of America and currently serves in the Two Bays District, Del-Mar-Va Council. Mike is married to Joan, his wife of 50 years, and they have three children, Joy, Head of School, St. Andrew’s School - Delaware; Joshua, associate professor (Ph.D.), University of Kentucky; and Hope, editor (Ph.D.), Yale University.

Dee Durham

Dee lives with her family in her childhood home in Rockland, Delaware adjacent to Brandywine Creek State Park. Here her passion for conservation and historic preservation was instilled exploring the woods and streams of the park as a child, and watching as the acres around were developed and historic resources and open space lost forever. Dee served as the Executive Director of Preservation Delaware from 1995-2002. Dee then became the Executive Director of S.A.V.E., a land use, conservation planning and transportation advocacy organization based in Chester County, Pennsylvania. While at S.A.V.E. Dee led initiatives to protect historic bridges and rural community character, being recognized with Preservation Pennsylvania’s Chairman’s Award in 2012. She has served on numerous nonprofit boards including many in the conservation and preservation arena. In 2010, Dee co-founded Plastic Free Delaware and continues to lead its initiatives today. Since November 2018 Dee has served as a New Castle County Council Member and has already led the passage of several ordinances which strengthen county code regarding historic resources.

Historic Preservation & Disaster Planning (Session 5)

Chair: Leila Hamroun

Ms. Hamroun-Yazid is an accomplished historic preservation architect, with over twenty-five years of national and international experience providing design, planning, management and cultural analysis services primarily for historic buildings, sites and urban centers. By bringing together design and technical knowledge from the combined disciplines of architecture, planning, conservation, and building diagnostics, she is committed to imaginative solutions that provide a contemporary experience while respecting the integrity and character of the historic resource. 

Ms. Hamroun-Yazid has a distinguished record of developing strategies for the long-term stewardship of the built heritage with a commitment to customized solutions, adapted to the nature, scale and context of each project. Her effective, and inclusive approach seeks to create consensus between the multitude of stakeholders and governmental entities involved in the process, informed by a thorough - and practical - knowledge of relevant codes and standards, and latest technological innovations.  As an Algerian-American preservationist and architect, her multilingual and multicultural background informs a nuanced perspective on the historical, political, social and economical contexts that shaped the existing building fabric, to create architecture that contributes to its present community and represents its history.  Her projects have a common theme: extending the life of existing properties in a manner consistent with the Client’s mission, while providing an enhanced experience.

Ms. Hamroun-Yazid is consistently enriching her professional practice with presentations at national conferences, teaching opportunities, educational programming, and mentoring activities. She recently received the 2019 Society of Foreign Consuls of New York Recognition Award for Outstanding Achievements and Contributions to Community Empowerment.

Dr. Stewart Farrell

Professor Stewart Farrell received his Ph.D. in coastal geology from the University of Massachusetts in 1972 following acceptance by the Richard Stockton College as an Assistant Professor in the Marine Science program for the fall semester of 1971. His contribution was focused on integrating both coastal zone processes and marine geology along with sedimentation and stratigraphy into the newly developed marine science undergraduate program. This effort in collaboration with five colleagues has led to the broad array of employment possibilities currently available to Stockton undergraduate students.

Following northeast storms in 1984 and Hurricane Gloria in 1985, the NJDEP came to Dr. Farrell and requested assistance in quantifying the changes to the beach/dune and shallow offshore regions to all the beaches in the State. This work lead to the creation of the Richard Stockton College Coastal Research Center (CRC) in 1986. As Full Professor of Marine Geology, Dr. Farrell directs the 11-member staff of the Coastal Center in a wide variety of marine and coastal issues. Primary among these are the continuation of the 105-site surveys of the NJ shoreline, the work on legacy and current dredge material disposal sites located along the NJ lagoon channels, sedimentology and stratigraphy of marsh sediments related to marina use and expansion permits. In 2011 Dr. Farrell left his Professor position to assume the role as Executive Director of the Coastal Research Center full time.

This followed a Congressional award for work to create a State-wide dune vulnerability model for the prediction of risk assessment for the NJ coastal dunes in the face of potential levels of storm intensity between the storm event expected annually and the intense 50-year storm situation. This work was completed at the end of 2013. Hurricane Sandy authenticated this model as predictive because the predictions of dune failure during the 50-year storm proved true and those dunes that withstood the storm waves were also predicted to do so with between 25 and 60% dune volume losses.

The CRC work has established a 28-year data set focused on coastal zone monitoring that has received national recognition for its consistency, quality, timeliness and use to the public and NJ State and local officials in making coastal resource investment decisions. The Center has cooperated with local, county and State officials in examining the 2013 FEMA preliminary working Flood Insurance Rate Maps slated for adoption in 2015 replacing older versions of these documents presently in force. The creation of the Cape/Atlantic County Task Force was extremely helpful in allowing local officials and the coastal public owners to discuss, understand and evaluate the new maps and the impact on the community and individual owners.

Manuel T. Ochoa

Manuel T. Ochoa is Principal and Founder of the Ochoa Urban Collaborative, a planning, community and economic development firm with an equity lens that provides strategy, policy, and implementation services to help people, neighborhoods, and communities revitalize and thrive. For the past several years, Manuel has worked in Miami and the Washington metro area with small business and community leaders on the issue of gentrification and displacement. With over 25 years of experience, Manuel brings a unique mix of experience in federal and local government as well as national non-profits. Previously, Manuel served in senior leadership positions at National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB), Enterprise Community Partners, and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs at the US Department of Housing and Community Development. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, is fluent in Spanish, and lives in a walkable community with his family in Friendship Heights, Maryland.

David J. Athey

David Athey, P.E., is with the Newark office of AECOM. He has been practicing public works and water resources engineering for over 30 years and as a contractor, has been the City Engineer in New Castle since 2002. His program administration experience includes resiliency and sustainability assessments, NPDES MS4 permitting compliance, stormwater utility evaluations, floodplain compliance, and program financing and management. He has performed countless hydrologic and hydraulic studies; designed stormwater best management practices (BMPs), retrofitted existing stormwater features; and mitigated drainage problems in multiple jurisdictions. He recently completed two terms on the Board of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary including serving on the Executive Committee as Secretary and as Chair of the Advocacy Committee. He served 10 years as a member of the City Council in Newark, was a Director in the Delaware Chapter of the American Public Works Association for 14 years and was elected to the State Regulatory Board for Professional Engineering. He has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from Georgia Tech and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Delaware.

Saturday - 10/23/21

Dupont Schools Oral History Project Update (Session 6)

Chair: Daniel Parsons

Dan Parsons is currently the Historic Preservation Planner and Records Manager for Sussex County, Delaware, in charge of determining the relative cultural and historic resources of Sussex, as well as managing and organizing records material generated by certain county departments. Prior to his work in Sussex, he was Curator and Folklorist for the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, responsible for publications and exhibitions and all public programs dealing with the traditional arts and heritage of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Dan has a B.A. in History from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a B.A. in Communications and an M.A. in Environmental History from Salisbury University. His research dealt extensively with the history and culture of local maritime communities, and he is committed to help educate people about the communities of the Delmarva and their customs.

His life before Sussex and the Ward was in the world of radio where he spent five years as a feature reporter and producer for Public Radio Delmarva, highlighting the people and places important to the region. While folklorist, Dan organized, presented and produced installments of Delmarva Cooks; a cooking show highlighting the culinary traditions of the Eastern Shore, edited the Ward Museum publication Wildfowl Art, was curator of more than ten exhibits, administered several grants dealing directly with promoting, presenting, and documenting the heritage of the area, and worked tirelessly to promote the mission of the Ward Museum. Since becoming Historic Preservation Planner for Sussex County, Dan has engaged eagerly with the public in promoting the history and heritage of Sussex County. He hopes to both aid the county in its efforts to preserve its character, promote the customs and heritage important to its citizens, and assist those interested with connecting to local and state agencies whose goals are to preserve the history and heritage of Sussex County.

He currently is a member of the Delaware Review Board for Historic Preservation, President of Nanticoke Heritage Byway, member of the Board of Directors of the Edward H. Nabb Center for Delmarva History and Culture, member of the Sussex County History Tourism Committee and Western Sussex Tourism Committee, Board member of Preservation Delaware and the Seaford Historical Society.

Dr. Abdullah R. Muhammad

Dr. Abdullah R. Muhammad spent his formative years in Baltimore, MD, where he lived for 38 years. After graduating from Baltimore’s top college prep high school (Baltimore City College High School), he enrolled at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, after turning down acceptance to the Air Force Academy. After only 3 years at Bowdoin, he graduated cum laude as an early graduate. After leaving Bowdoin, Dr. Muhammad returned to Baltimore to teach English at his high school alma mater. Although he had been admitted to four law schools, the lack of funding and the start of a new family pushed him to embark on a successful 17-year career in the insurance industry instead.  

As a successful insurance agent, Dr. Muhammad had time to maintain his commitment to education by rising from PTA president at his daughters’ middle school, to Regional PTA Coordinator, to President of Baltimore PTAs and PTOs, and finally to Parent Representative on the Superintendent’s Advisory Board. While serving as an Advisory Board member, he was able to revamp an ailing and failing Dropout Retrieval Program, institute a Citywide In-school Suspension Program, and establish a mandate for every school to have an active Parent Organization. 

In 1993, Dr. Muhammad moved to New York City, where he was given the opportunity to complete his Master of Arts degree at Teachers College, Columbia University.  He completed his degree with honors in 1996, while working full-time as a Special Education teacher for middle school students in Queens, NY. He moved to Delaware in 2003, after spending 10 years studying and teaching in New York City, where he successfully completed two master’s degrees in education, and served as a principal for one year.  

After arriving in Delaware, Dr. Muhammad served one year in the Colonial School District where he discovered a need for a “new kind” of history book.  He began by publishing a #1-selling Delaware History calendar, followed by his reader-friendly history book, which capsulates the pivotal and often “first-of-its-time” historical events of Delaware.  This “one-of-a-kind” history book, The Making of Delaware One Day at a Time quickly became the #1-selling history book in the state within 3 months after its release!

Dr. Muhammad served as an Adjunct Professor in the History Department at Delaware State University, where he completed his doctoral degree in under 3 years and completed his second history book, “Africans in New Sweden: The Untold Story”.  Prior to joining the teaching staff at DSU, he was recruited to serve on the board of Delaware Preservation Fund. While serving on the Board of DPF, he served as both Vice President and President, before joining the Board of Preservation Delaware, Inc.  In addition to his position as Project Director for the DuPont Colored School Oral History Project, he serves as Chairman of the New Castle County Library Advisory Board, Vice President of Old Swedes Historic Site, and In-House Historian for the New Sweden Centre.

Mike McGrath

Michael McGrath currently serves as president of Preservation Delaware, Inc. He has served two terms on Delaware’s State Review Board for Historic Preservation. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) speaking nationally on farmland preservation and advanced geographic information systems. Mr. McGrath has served as a consultant to the American Farmland Trust on modeling and scoring of preservation programs, and to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) on planning issues.

Michael operated his family’s greenhouse business beginning in 1970, marketing vegetable plants and ornamentals. In 1974 Michael began working in the New Castle County (Delaware) Executive’s office responsible for farmland assessment and economic development in rural communities. He also served in the Planning Department working on comprehensive plans and the Delaware Tomorrow Commission reports. He served as senior planner with the Department of Community Development and Housing under James Gilliam, Sr.

From 1983 to June 2011, Mr. McGrath managed the work of the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation in the Delaware Department of Agriculture, permanently preserving over 110,000 acres, where he pioneered innovations in the digital management of preservation processes.  Under his leadership Delaware ranked first in the country in land permanently preserved per capita and in the percentage of the state’s farmland permanently preserved. During his tenure at DDA he also led the Marketing Section for two years and instituted a groundbreaking grant program for startup ag businesses.In 2020 Delaware’s preservation easement program was ranked first in the nation by the American Farmland Trust.

Michael currently serves as chairman of the Library Committee of the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, the nation’s oldest agricultural organization (founded 1785). Previously, he served as president of the Society, its Secretary and has been a member of the Executive Committee for many years. His passion is exploring the history and traditions of the Society. 

Mike is a lifelong member of the Boy Scouts of America and currently serves in the Two Bays District, Del-Mar-Va Council. Mike is married to Joan, his wife of 50 years, and they have three children, Joy, Head of School, St. Andrew’s School - Delaware; Joshua, associate professor (Ph.D.), University of Kentucky; and Hope, editor (Ph.D.), Yale University.